June 14, 2012

Value Picks

Starting Pitching for 6/14/12

by Paul Sporer

Wednesday was banner night for fine pitching performances, capped off by Matt Cain’s perfect game, while several of the gems came from guys who were Value Picks earlier this season.

• Matt Cain – Perfect Game with14 K
• R.A. Dickey – Complete Game one-hitter with an unearned run and 12 K
• Lance Lynn – 7 1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 12 K, 1 BB
• Jake Peavy – 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 1 BB
• Matt Harrison – 7 1/3 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 2 BB
• Wade Miley – 7 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 1 BB
• Jake Arrieta – 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 9 K, 1 BB
• Mat Latos – 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 7 K, 1 BB
• Felix Doubront – 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 9 K, 1 BB
• Hector Noesi – 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 3 BB

And that doesn’t even mention several other sharp six-inning outings, including one from Stephen Strasburg. 

Last Chance
One of those six-inning gems came from Hiroki Kuroda (Yahoo! 62%, ESPN 70%, CBS 78%), who is absolutely on fire of late.  In his last four starts, he has a 1.29 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, and 4.2 K/BB in 28 innings with three wins.  Going back to April 19, after Minnesota kicked his butt and pushed his ERA to 5.00 on the dot, he has thrown 63 1/3 innings with a 2.99 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.  You are definitely running out of time. 

The aforementioned Felix Doubront (Yahoo! 44%, ESPN 56%, CBS 80%) will likely see his availability evaporate a bit more this morning as fantasy managers pore over another gem when viewing their morning box scores.  With another big strikeout night, he is now fanning 10 batters per game, and a road-bump outing against the Nationals is the only thing between Doubront and seven straight outings with two earned runs or fewer.  Instead, he settles for six of seven with an ERA of 3.51 in that 41-inning span. 

Really?
If you want me to stop writing about A.J. Burnett (Yahoo! 47%, ESPN 58%, CBS 74%), then pick him up.  This is insanity.  His ownership rates have risen dramatically since I last included him in this space, but he is still being underutilized.  Since the Disaster at Busch (working title) in which he was brutalized for 12 earned runs in a mere two and two-thirds innings, he has posted a 2.12 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, and 2.8 K/BB in 47 innings spanning seven starts.  Is there that much name bias against him? 

Upgraded
A couple weeks back, Nate Eovaldi (Yahoo! 6%, ESPN 5%, CBS 15%), was recommended as the NL-only VP.  On Wednesday, he tamed arguably the hottest team over the past couple of weeks in the Los Angeles Angels, netting another one of those six-inning outings I mentioned earlier.  He also made it out of Colorado alive in his second outing of the season, allowing just two earned runs (three in all) in 5 2/3 innings.  That’s virtually a perfect game in 2012 Coors Field.  His 6.5 K/9 isn’t going to win you the category, but it’s at my threshold for mixed league viability, as is his 2.0 K/BB. 

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