We’re nearing the All-Star break, and after my team’s debacle last week in fantasy baseball, I’m ready for a break.
But there’s still some time left to work up the fantasy baseball standings. And there’s no better way to get an edge each week than attack the waiver wire for two-start pitchers.
Here’s the best options this week in fantasy baseball.
Brandon Finnegan, Cincinnati Reds, SP
He’s returning from the Disabled List on Monday, so don’t expect a ton of innings from the left-hander.
But if his past performances are any indication, he should be solid in those innings. He’s averaged an 8.1 strikeout-per-nine-inning mark in his short career, and before he went on the DL this season, he was averaging 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
He’s still young, so he may be somewhat inconsistent, but he continues to show improvement. He squares off against St. Louis and the Chicago Cubs this week, which actually works in his favor. The Cardinals are hitting .252 in the month of June, while the Cubs aren’t much better at .255. Both numbers are toward the bottom of MLB during the month.
There’s some unknown with him coming off the DL, but he should be fine in relatively limited work this week.
Jhoulys Chacin, San Diego Padres, SP
The opposing teams are tough this week for Chacin, but the waiver wire is weak for two-start pitchers.
But we could do a lot worse than Chacin. If you don’t know already, Chacin has actually been pretty decent this year, especially at home, where he’ll pitch both games this week against Atlanta and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He owns a 1.72 ERA at home this season, which has served him well in the month of June. In three starts at home during the month, he has three quality starts, and has struck out 17 combined hitters. He’s had his stumbles this season, but his recent trend is going upward.
I’m not a huge fan of the matchups, but Chacin’s strong home outings this season have me bullish on his two-start prospects.
