Fantasy Baseball: Daily Pitcher Analysis (May 18th)

May 18, 2012

Fantasy Baseball:

Daily Pitcher Analysis (May 18th)

By Muntradamus

BEAST DOME today is the DRAFTSTREET FreeRoll $250 Tournament. It is Free to sign-up for the tournament, and you could win $$$. Hope to see you all join today, starts with the 7:00PM EST Games.

DAILY DRAFTSTREET TEAM:

*Coming after the 4:00 games since of the FreeRoll. Try to Beat my score.

DAILY PITCHER RANKINGS (May 18th)

ELITE STARTERS:

1. JERED WEAVER @ SD

Weaver wants revenge after his 8 ER in 3.1 INN start against the Rangers. In his one start against the Padres, he owns a CG Shutout with 5 Ks. If Aaron Harang can shut down the Padres, so can Jered Weaver.

2. JUSTIN VERLANDER VS. PIT

Rod Barajas and Andrew McCutchen have made an impact this week, but now faces the best pitcher in baseball. Verlander is starting to reach back into vintage form, and I expect him to dominate in this one. 56 Ks in 58.1 INN, along with a 2.47 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. Dominate right there.

3. COLE HAMELS VS. BOS

Hamels has been an elite pitcher all season, and he could get past the Red Sox with ease. In 4 starts he owns a career 1.44 ERA and a 3-0 record. Cody Ross is hot coming into this one, and he owns a .257 Average with 4 HRs in 35 ABs against Cole. He is a nice sleeper pick.

GOOD STARTERS:

4. LANCE LYNN @ LAD

The Dodgers offense had a nice game against a good Edinson Volquez. But that usually is the case whenever he pitches against the Dodgers. Lynn has not faced the Dodgers before, but the wheels did come off in his toughest start which was against the Braves. Not that bad, 6 INN with 3 ER and 7 Ks. Andre Ethier is swinging a hot bat, and he could make an impact. I see this being a pitcher’s duel.

5. TOMMY HANSON @ TB

Hanson comes into this game very hot after a 9K, 5 INN performance with 1 ER @STL. The Rays offense is not very hot right now as they struggled against easy Red Sox pitchers. I expect Hanson to keep cruising, but keep an eye on Luke Scott and Carlos Pena to try to create some action.

6. JARROD PARKER @ SF

The Giants offense has been putting up runs lately, but Jarrod Parker has been throwing QS’s against top notch AL teams. I expect Barry Zito to get bombed, which should easily allow Parker to get a W. Melky Cabrera is going to have to make a big impact to get things going for SF. Parker should easily leave this one with a QS, and the win.

7. TED LILLY VS. STL

The Cardinals offense is one of the best in the majors right now. Matt Holliday is getting very hot and is coming off of a HR game, he has not had success hit .083 against Lilly in his career. Carlos Beltran has been the best with 2 HRs and a .273 average, but he may not play. Despite that the Cardinals have too many weapons to trust Lilly in this crucial start. He does have a career 2.85 ERA against the Cards, and that intimidates me from picking the hitters.

8. NEFTALI FELIZ @ HOU

Feliz has not been great with 4 ER in 6 INN against the Astros. The ‘Stros found some momentum thanks to a bad pitching performance by Shaun Marcum. However Neftali has been a bit inconsistent on the road, and I do not trust him as much as others. A QS is expected, but Carlos Lee could change that. Jose Altuve and Jed Lowrie could be in for big games as well.

9. JAMES SHIELDS VS. ATL

The Braves offense is the best in the majors right now. Shields has not had a dominant start against a good team since April 16^th @BOS, and he owns a 4.50 ERA against the Braves. Jason Heyward has hit a HR off of James, and he could be a sleeper to do it again. Shields will have a tough time getting a QS in this one. Keep in mind nearly all the Braves lineup is hot coming into this one.

RISKY STARTERS:

10. RICKY ROMERO VS. NYM

Romero does not know what he is getting himself into. The Mets offense is very hot in this one, and I look for many of their key players like David Wright and Lucas Duda to make an impact. Romero has been a disappointment so far this season, especially his 4 ER in 5.1 INN start against the weak Twins. Bust of the day could go to Ricky.

11. JUSTIN MASTERSON VS. MIA

Masterson has been great at home this year with a 2.63 ERA, much better than his season 5.40 ERA. The Marlin offense was just shut down by the amazing Brandon Beachy, and that momentum could translate in a very poor game for their offense in this one. I would not be too excited about taking Marlins as this could be a sleeper start.

12. JEFF SAMARDZJIA VS. CWS

Jeff has been spectacular with a 1.03 ERA in his last 4 starts. The White Sox offense comes into this game with a lot of momentum, especially Adam Dunn and A.J. Pierzysnki. Dunn has already hit a HR off of Jeff, and Dayan Viciedo is really heating up. I will be very impressed with Jeff if he leaves this one untouched.

13. SCOTT DIAMOND @ MIL

The Brewers offense was looking great, until they hit the “Off” switch against the struggling J.A. Happ. Diamond has yet to allow a run in his first two starts. Both were home starts against the Jays and Angels. Scott could continue this dominant pitching, but we have not seen him on the road, and that has me a bit worried. Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy, and Aramis Ramirez could do damage.

14. CARLOS ZAMBRANO @ CLE

Zambrano has been lights out this season, especially in his last three starts where he owns a 0.39 ERA. The Indians offense comes into this game very hot, and it will be interesting as this is Zambrano’s first huge test this season. Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana, and Travis Hafner are all threats for damage, I expect Zambrano to throw an okay start. Not Elite.

15. LUIS MENDOZA VS. AZ

Mendoza faces a pretty hot Diamondbacks offense. Willie Bloomquist and Ryan Roberts are starting to heat-up, and Just Upton could possibly build off of his HR. Luis owns a 2.67 ERA in his last two starts against the Yankees and White Sox. Mendoza should find a way to get a QS.

16. WANDY RODRIGUEZ VS. TEX

Wandy has a tough challenge ahead of him as the Rangers come into this game with a lot of hitters starting to heat up. You never want to pitch against Texas, and Wandy owns a 5.13 ERA in 6 starts against them. Coming into this one Wandy has been great in every start except his one two starts ago against the Marlins. Ian Kinsler is a career .600 hitter against Wandy with 2 HRs, and he needs to get going with the power.

17. JOE SAUNDERS @ KC

The Royals offense comes into this game pretty cold. Nobody has a lot going, and that could all change as Joe comes in with a 13.33 ERA in his last two starts. Billy Butler is beginning to get hot, and he could love this lefty/righty matchup. Joe does own a 2.57 ERA in 6 starts against the Royals, he is also 4-0. On the flip-side, Alex Gordon is hitting .500 with a HR in 6 ABs. This could be a sleeper game for Joe.

18. PHILIP HUMBER @ CHC

The Cubs offense is good enough to kill bad pitching right now. Humber is currently on a good streak as he allowed 1 ER in 6.2 INN to KC. However his last road start was a disaster with 8 ER in 2.1 INN @CLE. The Cubs offense is a notch below the Indians, but they can make an impact as Starlin Castro, Bryan LaHair, and Alfonso Soriano are a bit hot right now. Humber threw a 7 INN shutout against the Cubs in a start last season.

19. EDWIN JACKSON VS. BAL

Edwins owns a 3.61 ERA against the Orioles in 7 starts. The O’s offense has a lot of momentum behind J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Chris Davis. All of those hitters could possibly get to Jackson leading to a bad game. Edwins owns a 4.50 ERA in his last three starts.

20. BRONSON ARROYO @ NYY

The Yankees offense is pretty cold right now outside of Curtis Granderson. Bronson Arroyo was pitching great before he got bombed with 11 hits in 5 INN against the Nationals. Arroyo owns a lifetime 5.45 ERA against the Yankees in 6 Starts. Andruw Jones, Alex Rodriguez, and Eric Chavez have all HR’d off of Bronson. Robinson Cano is hitting .667 in 3 ABs. I like Arroyo to possibly escape with a tough QS.

21. JONATHAN NIESE VS. TOR

The Blue Jays come into this game with a very hot offense led by Jose Bautista. Anyone can get on base, and most of the lineup can hit HRs. Niese has been elite with a 1.63 ERA in his last two starts, and I expect that number to get very bad. Kelly Johnson is hitting .400 in 10 ABs when they used to meet in the NL, and I expect the Blue Jays offense to score some runs.

BAD STARTERS:

22. ANDY PETTITTE VS. CIN

Andy’s first start against the Mariners would get a C- for me. The fact he did not have a QS against them with how bad they have been, makes me feel the Reds offense should make an impact. I like Brandon Phillips to get going again and add to those 2 HRs.

23. DANIEL BARD @ PHI

The Phillies offense have some hitters heating up, but they also have the hottest hitter in the NL Carlos Ruiz. Bard has not been great on the road this season with a 5.49 ERA, and he owns a lifetime ERA of 9.82 against the Phillies. I would avoid Bard easily in this start. No active Phillies player has a HR off of Bard.

24. MARCO ESTRADA VS. MIN

The Twins offense is starting to get very hot. Brian Dozier, Josh Willingham, and now Justin Morneau all come into this game with some serious potential. Estrada had some success in his last start with 2 ER in 6 INN against the Cubs, but before that he was crushed by the Cardinals and Reds. I would not trust Estrada in this one.

25. JEFF SUPPAN VS. LAA

Suppan has been a nice story book season so far, but Albert Pujols and the Angels should make an impact in this one. Pujols has already HR’d off of Suppan in his career, and already has 2 HRs this week. Vernon Wells also comes into this game pretty hot, and he is a .400 hitter off of Suppan. I would be shocked to see a QS by Jeff. Suppan owns a 4.87 ERA in 12 starts against the Angels.

26. ALEX WHITE VS. SEA

White has a very easy matchup, but he does not have the background yet to depend on a QS. So far through two starts he owns a 6.75 ERA, and that is no lock to go down as an AL team like the Mariners could put some power behind the ball. Matt Saunders could be on the verge of getting hot, Dustin Ackley is also a good sleeper.

27. CHARLIE MORTON @ DET

Morton is coming off of a nice start against the Astros giving up 1 ER in 6 INN. The Tigers are the Astros offense on steroids, and then more steroids on top of that. A lot of the team comes into this game hot, I expect Austin Jackson to be an impact lead-off hitter, with Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder driving in the runs. Avoid Morton, against quality offenses he has allowed 9 ER in 10.1 INN. Andy Dirks is heating up and could be a sleeper.

28. BARRY ZITO VS. OAK

Zito is going to get crushed in this one. The A’s offense is one of the dark horse hot teams in baseball right now. Zito has not had a QS since April 25^th, and he owns a 7.34 ERA in 5 Starts against the A’s. Jonny Gomes could be in for a huge game if he gets the start. Jemile Weeks should also make an impact.

29. JAKE ARRIETA @ WAS

Arrieta has been getting bombed lately. 13 ER in his last 10 INN, both to good offenses in Texas and Tampa. The Nationals come into this game with a surprisingly good offense, and I look for most of their hitters to make an impact. Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche, and Bryce Harper are all capable of huge games, as Arrieta does not help his case with a career 12.50 ERA against the Nationals in 2 starts. Danny Espinoa is 4/4 with a HR off of Jake in his career.

30. KEVIN MILLWOOD @ COL

Millwood is going to get bombed. He is coming off of a huge sleeper start against the Yankees with 1 ER in 7 INN, but the Rockies have Millwood’s number. Michael Cuddyer and Todd Helton have both hit multi-HRs off of him, Carlos Gonzalez is heating up and is 2-2, and Troy Tulowitzki is ready to start a HR binge. I would stay away from Millwood in Coors field.