Pitching Report: Fantasy Baseball Two Start Pitchers for Week 16

I'm liking the lefty this week!

     With both the All Star Break and short fantasy week behind us, it’s time to get back to business.  And what better way than to start making some roster tweaks and pick up some decent two start pitchers fo rthe upcoming fantasy baseball scoring period?  Could be a tough week though, so be careful.  There are very few high end options available this week and plenty of questionable matchups, so if you’re thinking about using that old “revolving door of pitchers” strategy this week, especially in head to head leagues, be prepared to risk your ratios.  Let’s take a look…

News & Notes

     The last Pitching Report was so long ago, I don’t even think it’s necessary to go back over it.  The firts half of the season is a thing of the past now, and while I don’t want to say that a pitcher can’t hold any momentum through the break, it’s not very likely.  Too much time goes in between starts for some, so for me, the second half is usually a fresh start.  But as for this week’s picks…

     Despite names like Lincecum and Jimenez out there to choose from, this week I’m going with Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw as my choice for Start of the Week.  Kershaw has been money at home with a 5-2  record and 3.23 ERA, and his experience against both the Giants and the Mets, while limited, is very successful.  He’s always had his ups and downs during the seasons, but if Los Angeles is going to make a successful run for the NL West title, then it starts here with their young lefty.  I’m throwing out last week’s dispaly of mediocrtiy and putting my eggs into this basket.

     And on the other end of the spectrum, I’m telling you to steer clear of Ben Sheets this week.  With the July 31st MLB trade deadline approaching, Sheets is definitel ygoing to be a man on th emove.  He’s in the auditioning phase riht now and putting added pressure onto himself, I’m sure.  With little success against the Red Sox and then a second start against the hot hitting White Sox, I feel like this is a bad week to take a shot on him.  Both opponents have the ability to rak eand both have a lot at stake right now.  Sheets could end up being a very expensive punching bag here in week 16.

     My sleepers this week might come from some biased place in the recesses of my mind as I’m a huge fan of both youngsters and have been a strong proponent of both of them, both here and on my SouthSideSwingers.com site.  Madison Bumgarner’s experience against both the Dodgers and Arizona is limited to relief appearances against both last season, but he did old them scoreless in each moment.  He’s already shown that once he gets past those first inning jitters he’s smoothe as silk, and he even avoided those in his last 2 outings where he shut down both the Brewers and the Nationals.  A bit of a stronger test against divisional opponents, but one I think he will pass with flying colors.

     My other sleeper pick comes from the South Side of Chicago and is filling some big shoes in the Sox rotation as Jake Peavy was lost for the season.  Daniel Hudson had a very shakey debut just prior to the break, but shoul dbe settled down and ready to go this week.  His numbers in the minors, prior to his call up were outstanding, averaging more than a strikeout per inning, and I think with two starts in two pitchers ballparks against two fairly light hitting opponents will afford him the opportunity to shine.

     Two pitchers that I just couldn’t pull out of the Green Light section, but you should be wary of thi sweek are Johnny Cueto and Mike Pelfrey.  Cueto has had a tough time, believe it or not, with both the Nationals and the Astros, and while neither squad really intimidates, it coul dbe a matter of them gettign into Cueto’s head.  Just be careful with him.  Pelfrey, on the other hand, was dealing with some dead arm before the break and just had his start pushed back because of a stiff neck.  Now, Pelfrey says he felt much better when he woke up today, it’s still something to watch.  He had an outstanding first half, that really came from nowhere, but could be in line for a regression in the second half.  Tough to sit him though as he has been so strong this year so far.

     Got some experts out there sayingto watch out for Scott Kazmir in the 2nd half, but i’m not really buying it.  He could have his hands full with the Yankees enough in his first start to counter whatever geat success he’s had in the past against Texas.

     And finally, is it just me or is Blake Hawksworth a great name for a superhero’s secret identity?  Not sure how super he’ll look on the mound, but that could just be his way of throwing us off the scent of his alter ego.

     For the best in free fantasy baseball advice, tips, strategies, free agent waiver wire suggestions, and analysis, stick with The Fantasy Baseball Buzz and I’ll have you at the top of your standings in no time.  And, as always, for all questions, thoughts and/or comments related to the baseball fantasy world or not, you can reach me through the comments section below or at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com.

Good luck and I’ll see you all in the money this year!

Tagged as: All Star Break, baseball fantasy, Ben Sheets, Blake Hawksworth, bust of the week, Clayton Kershaw, Daniel Hudson, Fantasy Baseball Advice, fantasy baseball analysis, fantasy baseball free agents, fantasy baseball scoring period, Fantasy Baseball Sleepers, fantasy baseball strategies, fantasy baseball tips, fantasy baseball two start pitchers, fantasy baseball waiver wire, fantasy bseball, free agent waiver wire, free fantasy bseball, Jake Peavy, Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner, Mike Pelfrey, Pitching Report, Scott Kazmir, sleeper of the week, sleepers, start of the week, starting pitchers, two start pitchers for week 16