Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers to Pickup for Friday, July 20

July 7, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey (34) throws during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

As we wrap up the first scoring period of the second-half in most formats, many fantasy baseball teams finde themselves in need of a starting pitching boost. Several streaming or spot starters have been knocked around resulting in high ERA and WHIP for lots of teams. Don’t worry if you find yourself in this situation though, there’s still the weekend to finish strong and 15 games on tap for Friday night.

Make the moves you need to on your roster to free a spot and stream a starter for this weekend. If you’re looking for a starter scheduled Friday, here’s my top choices:

The Pickups

Homer Bailey – Cin: (11.2% owned in ESPN leagues) Bailey and the Reds welcome the Brewers to Great American Ball Park to open their weekend series. Bailey has allowed two earned runs or fewer in his last three starts and won all three to move to 8-6 on the year. He matches up with Marco Estrada who is 0-3 with a 4.13 ERA and should be able to contribute another solid start for the Reds and his owners.

July 15, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Drew Pomeranz (13) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

Drew Pomeranz – Col: (1.0%) Drew and the Rocks head to San Diego where he’ll get to start in Petco Park. He has made three of his eight starts on the road with a 3.14 ERA. He has started twice against the Padres in his short tenure in the bits and last time out went six innings allowing just two hits and an unearned run while going six solid innings. Pomeranz is ready to contribute to your fantasy team if he can get a better handle on his control.

Kevin Correia – Pit: (0.5%) If you’re searching for wins, Correia has gotten W’s in his last three starts. He’s good for five to six innings per start and gives up tow or three runs usually. Correia gets the start in Pittsburgh as the Pirates welcome the Marlins to town.

Trevor Cahill – Ari: (30.4%) The D-Backs lineup has shown signs of life and now Arizona returns home to start a series with the Astros. Cahill has been inconsistent all year with a 7-8 record and a 3.71 ERA. He’s had some great starts including a complete game shutout in San Diego. I think he’s got a good shot at picking up a win and another quality start at Chase Field against the Astros.

The Payoff

Wednesday’s starters brought the overall stats back close to respectability. Hopefully Thursday’s picks we can get the ERA under 5.00: