Staring Pitching Pickups for Thursday, June 21

There’s only six games on the slate for Major League Baseball on Thursday, but don’t despair if you need starting pitching help. There’s some solid options available in most ESPN leagues as you can see below.

June 15, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka throws a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

The Picks

Daisuke Matsuzaka – Bos: (2.0%) After struggling with his control early, Daisuke managaed to stick around for six innings allowing just three runs and four hits. He’ll close out the series between the Sox and Marlins at Fenway as he looks for his first MLB win in his third start back from the DL. He has 11 strikeouts in his 11 innings with a 5.73 ERA and a solid 1.18 WHIP. His pitch count should allow him to go deep into the game if he can be effective against Miami.

June 5, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Travis Blackley (54) pitches the ball against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

Travis Blackley – Oak: (0.1%) Blackley picked up his first win of the season his last time out throwing six innings and allowing just two earned runs on five hits. He enters his matchup with the Dodgers with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.

Jacob Turner – Det: (0.2%) The Tigers top pitching prospect will make his season debut against the Cardinals Thursday. He’ll be at home with the powerful Tigers lineup behind him so he should be in position to win with a solid start although he’ll be matched up with Kyle Lohse. Turner struggled last year going 0-1 with a 8.53 ERA in his first three MLB starts. He was 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA in triple-A Toledo and is recovering from shoulder tendonitis which sidelined him coming out of spring training.

The Payoff

Here’s the results from the past few days. Yesterday was a mixed-bag with some solid outings, but nothing spectacular. Mike Leake was good, Aaron Harang was wild, and Scott Diamond was mediocre. Here’s how it breaks down: