FANTASY BASEBALL Daily Pitcher Rankings (May 11th)

 

By Muntradamus
BEAST DOME NATION. The Chat is back up and running full strength. You will find it on the side of each article, to register so you have an identity follow the sign-up link. There will continue to be more improvements to the site as the weekend continues.

Don’t forget to check out the latest PITCHER RANKINGS projected for the rest of the season, along with players to Buy/Sell.  Also check out WunderChad’s BEAST OR BUST VOL. II

PREDICTIONS

*Due to jinxing.  I will avoid Predictions until next weekend.  I have put extra comments in the pitcher rankings so you can get an idea of who I like.

 

 

SALARY CAP TEAM: (5/11)

C: Alex Avila
1B: Kila Ka’aihue
2B: Robinson Cano
SS: Jhonny Peralta
3B: Brett Lawrie
OF: Colby Rasmus
OF: Eric Thames
OF: Corey Hart
UTI: Austin Jackson
UTI: Buster Posey

SP: James McDonald
SP: Vance Worley
RP: Matt Capps
SP: Matt Garza

 

Daily Pitcher Rankings (5/10):

 

ELITE STARTS:

 

1. GIO GONZALEZ @ CIN

Take away Gio’s first start, and he has given up only 3 ER the entire season.  His last 5 starts he has an ERA of 0.81.  With Votto and Bruce being lefties, this will not be an easy matchup for either of them.  I expect Gio to continue to cruise as an elite pitching option.

 

2. VANCE WORLEY VS. SD

Worley dominated the Padres with 11 Ks in 7 INN the first time these two teams met.  He could easily repeat as Worley is maybe the most underrated star pitcher in the game.  A career ERA under 3.00, Worley will look to continue this success against a lowly team with no offense.

 

3. MATT GARZA @ MIL

Garza was lights-out when he faced the Brewers earlier this season.  8.2 INN with 9 Ks.  He should have similar success as this team is breaking down with injuries.  Ryan Braun is RED-HOT, but nobody else is.  Expect Garza to continue to cruise on what has been a great run with the Cubs so far.

 

4. MADISON BUMGARNER @ AZ

An ERA of 1.25 in his last five starts, look for Madison to continue the trend against an AZ team that has little offense going.  Though in his one start against AZ, which was his first of the season, he gave up 4 ER in 2 INN.  Two Homeruns to Aaron Hill and Hill is coming off of a 3-4 game.  Should be safe, could get bad.

 

5. CHRIS CAPUANO VS. COL

Capuano owns a 0.44 ERA in his last three starts.  Carlos Gonzalez is not as hot as he once was, and now faces a lefty.  So he should be no threat.  The only player I could see being trouble is Troy Tulowitzki if he plays, besides him the other players are just on a different playing field than Capuano right now.

 

 

GOOD STARTS:

 

6. JOHAN SANTANA @ MIA

Santana has owned the Marlins over his career with a 2.61 ERA in 31 INN.  Earlier this season he struck out 11 of them in 6.2 INN while only allowing 1 ER.  Santana should be a safe start as the Marlins offense is just not that hot right now.  Stanton is beginning to cool off.

 

7. FELIX HERNANDEZ @ NYY

King Felix has historically been beat up by Cano, Swisher, Texierra, and even Granderson has a HR off of him.  With the wind blowing out to RF, I would start Hernandez, but I would also be ready for a rough game.  Felix has only given up 4 ER in his last 5 starts.  That is pretty elite if you ask me.

 

8. JAMES MCDONALD VS. HOU

McDonald is on absolute fire.  His last three starts, 25 Ks and an ERA of 2.14.  The Astros do not have any hot bats right now, and McDonald should dominate once again.

 

9. Yu Darvish @ LAA

Darvish has 30 Ks in his last three starts, and now faces a semi-hot Angels team.  They did not get too much going off of Minnesota which is not a great sign, but they could heat up at any moment.  If I had to pick Wilson or Darvish in this matchup, I would go with Darvish because of how good the Rangers offense is.

 

10. BUD NORRIS @ PIT

Bud has thrown two QS’s in a row.  His last one was most impressive pitching a 6 INN shutout against the Cardinals of all teams.  Pittsburgh does not have a lot of hot bats outside of McCutchen, and it would not surprise me to see Norris make it 3 QS’s in a row when this one is over.

 

11. C.J. WILSON vs. TEX

Wilson gets to face his former team, which is not a good thing.  The Rangers offense is beginning to heat up again like they have in the past, and I would be wary of going with C.J. in this start.  He has been great all season long, but you can never trust any pitcher against Texas.

 

12. HIROKI KURODA VS. SEA

Kuroda has not had a great game yet this season.  However Seattle could be that team that gets him on the right chance.  With Jesus Montero finally cooling down, Kuroda just has to do his thing and let his defense make plays for him.  Anything less than 3 ER is a victory for Kuroda owners.

 

 

RISKY STARTS:

 

13. UBALDO JIMENEZ @ BOS

Ubaldo has his historically been great against Boston hitters.  Now facing them in the midst of nobody in particular being that hot, Jimenez should be able to have his way.  It helps that he is facing Clay Buchholz who cannot get anybody out these days.  It is a bit risky, but this is a risk I would take if you want to go with him.

 

14. GAVIN FLYOD VS. KC

Floyd comes into this game with a 1.71 ERA in his last three starts.  The Royals offense is semi-hot right now, but not hot enough to be afraid to use Floyd in this start with no hesitation.  Alex Gordon has had a lot of success off of Floyd in the past, but comes into the game very cold.  I would use Floyd with confidence.

 

15. JEREMY HELLICKSON @ BAL

Hellickson is coming off of his worst start only last 3.2 INN because of control issues against Oakland.  The Orioles have a few hot hitters and can put some runs up on the board, but look for Jeremy to bounce back strong.  J.J. Hardy could bring something to the table, but Adam Jones is the man the Orioles really need to get hot again.

 

16. KYLE DRABEK @ MIN

Drabek has been great in every start besides his last one against the Angels in LA.  Now he faces a Minnesota team that is on the verge of breaking out, both Willingham and Doumit are carrying hot bats.  If Drabek can bounce back with a good start in this one, he will be #1 in fantasy baseball owners eyes.

 

17. JAIME GARCIA VS. ATL

Garcia is coming off of his worst start of the season with 6 ER in 6 INN against the Astros.  He will look to bounce back against a struggling Braves team that does have any hot hitters.  Freddie Freeman has had some success against Garcia, but I would not trust a lefty on lefty combination.  I expect Garcia to escape with the W.

 

18. MARK BUEHRLE VS. NYM

Buehrle is pitching well, but the Mets are hitting well.  They hit Lee and Halladay well enough to where neither of them ended up with Ws at home. Then shell-shocked Blanton.  I would not use Buehrle with a lot of confidence in this start.

 

19. RICK PORCELLO @ OAK

Porcello is coming off of two straight wins, but Oakland is maybe the hottest hitting team in the AL right now.  They are doing it without Yoenis Cespedes and Coco Crisp which is the scary part.  I expect Porcello to run into trouble tonight, but luckily he faces Tom Milone so the W can be expected.

 

20. FELIPE PAULINO @ CWS

Paulino shut down the Yankees, but now faces a White Sox team that has had history against him.  Adam Dunn comes into the game hot, and has already hit a HR off of Paulino in the past.  I would avoid Paulino in this start, final desperation play and that is it.

 

21. CLAYTON RICHARD @ PHI

Richard found himself in his last start striking out 7 Marlin batters in 7 INN.  Right now Hunter Pence is red hot, while Shane Victorino is on the bottom half of his hot streak.  If Richard can pitch strong in this one, it would be a bit of a surprise but then again his potential is through the roof.  This will be a good sign if Richard is ready to be fantasy relevant.

 

22. DANA EVELAND VS. TB

This matchup is a bit confusing.  Last season Eveland looked pretty good with the Dodgers sporting a 3.03 ERA in 5 September starts.  Now he is with Baltimore, and faces a semi-hot Devil Ray team.  Keep in mind, the D-Rays are mostly left handed hitters and struggled against lefty CC Sabathia yesterday.  It would not surprise me to see Eveland throw the sleeper game of the day.  But then again, it would not surprise me if he got lit up like he has his entire career prior to last season.

 

 

BAD STARTS:

 

23. NICK BLACKBURN VS. TOR

Blackburn has not really had a QS all season.  In his career he has been pretty solid with a 2.33 ERA against Toronto, but he has also given up HRs to Arencibia, Lind, Encarnacion, and Batuista.  History could repeat itself, in any direction.

 

24. MIKE LEAKE VS. WAS

Leake is coming off of his best start of the season @ Pittsburgh.  Washington just faced Pittsburgh and was not able to get much offense going.  However Adam LaRoche is starting to heat up, and so is Rick Ankiel.  Those two could do damage along with Ian Desmond and his career .333 batting average.  I would avoid Leake as this could be the start that allows Chapman to finally crack the rotation.

 

25. PATRICK CORBIN VS. SF

Corbin has yet to throw a QS in his first two appearances, and comes into the game with a  7.00 ERA.  I am looking for Buster Posey to have a big game as he is the main Giant threat to give his team run support.  Do not start Corbin with any confidence.

 

26. RANDY WOLF VS. CHC

7 ER in his last two starts against the poor hitting Padres and Giants.  Expect the Cubs to get some offense going, especially off the bat of Starlin Castro who has been hot and has owned Wolf in the pass.  Wolf is over the hill and today could be another sign of why that is the case.

 

27. CLAY BUCHHOLZ VS. CLE

Buchholz has been terrible in every start this season.  Sporting an ERA of 9.01 and somehow a 3-1 record, I would avoid him in this terrible matchup against a very hot Indians team.  They clobbered Josh Beckett yesterday, and they should be able to do the same again tonight with this time Buchholz suffering.

 

28. MIKE MINOR @ STL

Minor has been absolutely bombed in his last two starts, 15 ER in 11.1 INN.  Now he faces a Red-Hot Cardinals team that is ready to tear the cover off the ball.  I expect Minor to not only get bombed, but to get shell-shocked.  There is no way he makes it out of this one with a QS.

 

29. JAMIE MOYER @ LAD

Moyer gave up Brave-Gate last Friday night, and he will probably give it up again this Friday Night to the Dodgers.  Moyer is over the hill and will not last the entire season.  With Etheir heating up, and Kemp two games separated from a 3-3 performance, it will be firework night at Dodger Stadium.

 

30. TOMMY MILONE VS. DET

Milone has been on one and tonight against Detroit is about as tough as it could get.  With an ERA of 11.73 in his last two starts, I would avoid Milone like the plague especially with Cabrera, Young, Dirks, and Avila all heating up.