Start ‘Em
Trevor Cahill (at Seattle, at Tampa Bay)
Cahill’s 3.58 ERA is inflated thanks to a July 22 disaster against the Yankees, where the Oakland ace surrendered 10 runs in two innings. In Cahill’s other four starts in the month, he held opponents to six runs in 29 innings of work with 22 strikeouts. With an average Tampa Bay lineup and the league’s worst offense in Seattle on this week’s docket, owners shouldn’t have reservations inserting Cahill into their rotation.
Zack Greinke (vs. St. Louis, at Houston)
The former Cy Young winner was dominant in July, posting a 2.27 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in five starts. St. Louis on the schedule might scare a few owners away, but a Houston lineup sans Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn should negate that worry. Greinke’s penchant for conceding the long ball may translate to some earned runs, yet his strikeout rate (12.22 K/9 rate in July) and durability will equate to fantasy success.
Ervin Santana (vs. Minnesota, vs. Seattle)
Many will start Santana thanks to his no-no against the Tribe, but Santana has been solid over his last ten starts, sporting a 2.52 ERA over that span. Santana should continue this dominance against the Twins, who rank 20th in runs, and the Mariners, who are last in the league in scoring. The Anaheim offense hasn’t done much to help Santana out in the win column, but his low WHIP (1.16) makes Santana a must-start.
Other Start ‘Ems
Ricky Romero (at Tampa Bay, at Baltimore)
Paul Maholm (vs. Chicago, vs. San Diego)
John Danks (vs. New York, at Minnesota)
Matt Cain (at Arizona, at Philadelphia)
Chris Carpenter (at Milwaukee, at Florida)
CC Sabathia (at Chicago, at Boston)
Cory Luebke (vs. Los Angeles, at Pittsburgh)
Tim Lincecum (vs. Arizona, vs. Philadelphia)
Clayton Kershaw (at San Diego, at Arizona)
Ian Kennedy (at San Francisco, vs. Los Angeles)
Cole Hamels (at Colorado, at San Francisco)
Sit ‘Em
Brad Hand (at New York, vs. St. Louis)
Don’t let his 2.73 ERA fool you. Hand was pulled after 3.2 innings in his last outing thanks to surrendering six walks. Hand has also benefited from a diminutive .150 BABIP, a number that surely will rise. With the Mets and Cardinals ranking inside the top 10 in runs in baseball, Hand deserves a seat on your bench this week.
Jake Peavy (vs. New York, at Minnesota)
Anyone starting Peavy would be doing so thanks to reputation alone. Peavy finished July with a 6.85 ERA and 1.75 WHIP on the month after submitting a 6.05 ERA/1.34 WHIP in June. A meeting with the Yankees this week won’t alleviate Peavy’s woes. Peavy is historically at his best in August, with a career ERA of 2.61 in 41 games, but wait until Peavy demonstrates he’s capable of sparking such a turnaround.
Bud Norris (vs. Cincinnati, vs. Milwaukee)
Although it has reportedly diminished, Norris was dealing with a blister that ended his last start against St. Louis. His impressive strikeout rate (8.86 K/9) and respectable WHIP (1.27) make him an intriguing start, but Norris faces formidable foes in Cincinnati and Milwaukee this week. Throw in Norris’ return of relinquishing homers and the Houston right-hander becomes a risky play.
Other Sit ‘Ems
Bronson Arroyo (at Houston, at Chicago)
Randy Wells (at Pittsburgh, vs. Cincinnati)
Carlos Zambrano (at Pittsburgh, vs. Cincinnati)
Josh Tomlin (at Boston, at Texas)
Alfredo Simon (at Kansas City, vs. Toronto)
Mike Pelfrey (vs. Florida, vs. Atlanta)
Aaron Cook (vs. Philadelphia, vs. Washington)
John Lackey (vs. Cleveland, vs. New York)
Livan Hernandez (vs. Atlanta, at Colorado)
Use Caution
Jair Jurrjens (at Washington, at New York)
How is a pitcher ranked third on the Senior Circuit in ERA on this list? Jurrjens was knocked up for six runs in five innings against Washington on July 17, followed by a subpar outing in Cincinnati, allowing three home runs and three walks in six innings. Atlanta’s ace did bounce back in his last outing, although it was against an inadequate Pittsburgh lineup. While their numbers aren’t spectacular, the Nationals and Mets have given Jurrjens trouble this year. Start Jurrjens in most leagues, but be wary of the possible consequences.
Max Scherzer (vs. Texas, at Kansas City)
After two shaky months in May and June, Scherzer submitted a satisfactory performance in July, owning a 3.64 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 29.2 innings. It’s also worth noting that his numbers are scarred from a July 2 game against the Giants, in which Scherzer was credited with six runs in just two innings. Still, Scherzer faces the Rangers this week, who are ranked third in runs in the majors. Only start him in deeper formats.
Kevin Correia (vs. Chicago, vs. San Diego)
He earned selection to the All-Star Game this season, but the truth is Correia has been relatively pedestrian since the end of April, with monthly ERAs of 4.15 in May, 4.46 in June and a 6.08 figure in July. The Cubs and Padres aren’t the most arduous of opponents, but Correia is far from trustworthy.
Other Cautionary Starters
Jhoulys Chacin (vs. Philadelphia, vs. Washington)
Javier Vazquez (at New York, vs. St. Louis)
Colby Lewis (at Detroit, vs. Cleveland)
John Lannan (vs. Atlanta, at Colorado)
Jaime Garcia (at Milwaukee, at Florida)
Blake Beavan (vs. Oakland, at Los Angeles)
Bruce Chen (vs. Baltimore, vs. Detroit)
Kyle Kendrick (at Colorado, at San Francisco)
Brian Duensing (at Los Angeles, vs. Chicago)
