With Week 1 of fantasy baseball in the books, there are some very happy people and some very unhappy people when deciding when to start 'em and sit 'em. According to CBSSports on April 6, Clayton Kershaw has retired 17 consecutive batters and opened the season 2-0 while John Lackey returned for his first game following surgery to strain his right biceps.
Now, heading into Week 2, here is a look at who fantasy baseball owners should start 'em and sit 'em for fantasy pitchers.
Start 'Em
Gio Gonzalez, Washington - Gonzalez has possibly the best matchups of any fantasy baseball pitcher this week. He faces the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday and the Atlanta Braves on Sunday - both games at home. In his one start of the season, he pitched six scoreless innings against Miami and even hit the game-winning home run.
Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco - Bumgarner has a game he can win on Monday against the Colorado Rockies at home and then a game he should win on the road against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. He was dominant in his first start of the 2013 fantasy baseball season, allowing only two hits in eight innings with six strikeouts. He retired 18 consecutive batters at one point.
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles - Clayton Kershaw plays only one game this week, but as was mentioned in the opening of this article, he was dominant in Week 1 and should dominate his third straight game of the season when he travels to Arizona on Friday. He has pitched 16 innings, giving up only six hits and no runs, with 16 strikeouts.
Mat Latos, Cincinnati - Latos has two quality games this week, the first on Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals and the second on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, both on the road. Latos gave up three runs on seven hits in six innings in his opening game with the Los Angeles Angels, but had eight strikeouts and only one walk.
Justin Verlander - Detroit - Justin Verlander's only start this week is Saturday against the Oakland Athletics, but the win should come easy for the former Cy Young winner. In his opening game of 2013, he threw seven strikeouts over five innings, with four hits and no runs. He pitches today against the New York Yankees.
Sit 'Em
Joe Saunders, Seattle - Saunders came out in his 2013 fantasy baseball debut and threw four innings against Oakland, giving up seven hits and four earned runs. He also walked four batters and only struck out three. If he did that against the A's, imagine what he will do against Texas on Saturday night. Not even a game with the strikeout prone Houston Astros will save him.
Kevin Correia, Minnesota - He is best used when pitching at home in a pitcher-friendly park. In his opening game of the season, he went seven innings, giving up seven hits and two earned runs. He only struck out two and walked one. With Kansas City coming up, it might be tempting to start him, but it is on the road, as is his Sunday game with the New York Mets.
Ubaldo Jimenez, Cleveland - In his opening game of the season, Jimenez threw six innings against Toronto, giving up only three this and one earned run with six strikeouts. It was a nice outing, but next up is the New York Yankees on Monday and the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. He could do well, as both games are at home, but this is a risky week to rely on him if you have someone better to start.
For e-mail updates whenever a new article is posted, please click here and use the SUBSCRIBE button to follow me. Also join me on Twitter: @starvingdogs, GooglePlus, or join my group on Facebook.
Comments