Starting Pitcher Chart – August 8th

August 7, 2023

The chart includes their season performance, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness over the last 30 days, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues, and then a note about them. Obviously, there are league sizes beyond those three so it’s essentially a shallow, medium, deep. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s basically a risky stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. This is for standard 5×5 roto leagues. The thresholds for H2H starts are generally lower, especially in points leagues so I thought there would be more value focusing on roto.

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Tuesday, August 8th, Starter Notes

RK	PITCHER	TM		OPP	10	12	15+	IP	ERA	WHIP	K-BB	wOBA RK	NOTE
1	Zack Wheeler	PHI		WSN	x	x	x	131	3.71	1.11	23%	20th	Feels a bit underrated as a Top 20 arm but when you quietly meet expectations, there isn’t a ton of fanfare
2	Zach Eflin	TBR		STL	x	x	x	122.1	3.46	1.00	22%	8th	Very up and down lately w/ER totals of 2, 5, 0, 5, 0 over his L5
3	Framber Valdez	HOU	at	BAL	x	x	x	135	3.07	1.07	20%	10th	Time for a Johnny Vander Meer reference!
4	Logan Gilbert	SEA		SDP	x	x	x	130.2	3.86	1.07	19%	11th	Has the occasional but always seems to rebound just fine (B2B QS after 5 ER v. TOR)
5	Kutter Crawford	BOS		KCR	x	x	x	82	3.62	1.09	19%	12th	KC is rolling a bit of late, but I’m riding with Kutter!
6	Max Scherzer	TEX	at	OAK	x	x	x	113.2	4.04	1.21	21%	14th	Trade came at a great time for a schedule blessing w/B2B outings v. CHW and OAK
7	Eduardo Rodriguez	DET		MIN	x	x	x	94.1	2.96	1.05	20%	21st	Rebounded well after getting touched up a little by LAA… no concerns about him
8	Lucas Giolito	LAA		SFG	x	x	x	130	4.36	1.28	17%	29th	I’m finally ready to get him back in the lineup after skipping the starts at TOR and at ATL
9	Sonny Gray	MIN	at	DET	x	x	x	124.1	3.18	1.24	15%	30th	Great spot to stay hot as he rides a 3-gm QS streak w/17 Ks and 1 BB
10	Wade Miley	MIL		COL	x	x	x	71.2	3.01	1.16	10%	17th	Limited to 60 pitches but pitched well in 4 IP (1 ER, 5 Ks) and I’m rolling w/him, but be careful next wk: at LAD/at TEX
11	Braxton Garrett	MIA	at	CIN	x	x	x	111	4.14	1.20	22%	16th	Ugly 5.83 ERA in his L6 but 10 of the 19 ER come from 2 bad starts, other 4 were fine & a great 20% K-BB in all 6
12	Clarke Schmidt	NYY	at	CHW	x	x	x	109.2	4.35	1.30	15%	28th	Hasn’t allowed more than 3 ER in any of his last 14 outings (3.23 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 14% K-BB in 70 IP)
13	Yusei Kikuchi	TOR	at	CLE		x	x	115.1	3.67	1.27	18%	26th	I’m so scared but that’s 4 straight HR-free & just 3 in his L8 (2.64 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 21% K-BB in 44 IP)
14	Julio Urías	LAD	at	ARI		x	x	86.1	4.69	1.18	17%	22nd	Still looks great when he’s on, duds have consistently erased his good work (5 starts of 5+ ER)
15	Grayson Rodriguez	BAL		HOU		x	x	68	6.09	1.50	16%	16th	Had no issue w/him coming out for the 6th (70 pitches thru 5) even though he allowed 2 ER and 2 BB
16	Tanner Bibee	CLE		TOR		x	x	94.2	3.14	1.25	15%	13th	Despite some ups and downs w/his command (11% BB in his L8 after a 7% in his F9), he has a 2.33 ERA in 46 IP
17	Jameson Taillon	CHC		NYM		x	x	94	5.36	1.39	13%	17th	Quietly on a strong 5-start run despite modest core skills: 2.08 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 11% K-BB in 30 IP
18	JP Sears	OAK		TEX		x	x	121.2	4.07	1.08	17%	12th	Stood strong in trips to the Dodgers and Rockies (3 ER in 10 IP w/10 Ks) and even nabbed his 2nd W of the yr
19	Miles Mikolas	STL	at	TBR		x	x	134.1	4.29	1.29	12%	19th	He’s not a must, but he’s a worthy streamer anywhere w/a 3.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 17% K-BB in his last 29 IP
20	Brady Singer	KCR	at	BOS			x	121.2	5.10	1.39	13%	6th	Great of late w/a 2.67 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and 23% K-BB in 27 IP (including a 13% SwStr rate!) but this is still a tough spot
21	Yonny Chirinos	ATL	at	PIT			x	71.1	4.42	1.29	6%	26th	It’s a whopping 9 IP but I’ve always been in the bag for Yonny so I’m moderately intrigued by his 16% K-BB & 13% SwStr
22	Josiah Gray	WSN	at	PHI			x	122	3.54	1.43	9%	23rd	BBs came back to bite him w/all 3 in the same 4-run 4th inning
23	Brandon Pfaadt	ARI		LAD				44.1	7.11	1.44	13%	2nd	Has found success despite continued HR issues (5 in 3 GS since recall), but LAD/SD/at SD in a rough next 3
24	Alex Wood	SFG	at	LAA				63.1	4.83	1.47	7%	8th	I’m not sure I’d be interested in him even if he got an opener again
25	Mitch Keller	PIT		ATL				138.2	4.35	1.25	18%	3rd	No way we can use him in this spot given his recent struggles (9.97 ERA in 22 IP)
26	Nick Martinez	SDP	at	SEA				80.2	3.68	1.23	14%	9th	This is coming off 2 days rest so it’s likely to be a short start; not sure he’ll get Musgrove’s spot w/Wacha on rehab
27	Touki Toussaint	CHW		NYY				41.1	3.92	1.31	6%	25th	14% BB rate in 38 IP w/CHW tamps down any excitement for the 3.82 ERA
28	Kyle Freeland	COL	at	MIL				113	4.86	1.47	8%	6th	Can’t really find the stomach to even run him on the road
29	Luke Weaver	CIN		MIA				89	6.98	1.64	10%	27th	No thanks
30	Carlos Carrasco	NYM		CHC				76.1	6.60	1.64	5%	1st	No thanks

Recommendations for Roto 5×5 Leagues