Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitching Pickups – July 26

July 21, 2012; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Jason Vargas (38) gets taken out of the game in the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Seattle Mariners defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

There’s only eight games on the schedule for Thursday, but dont’ worry there’s some options if you find yourself scouring the waiver wire for starting pitching. The three best mostly unowned options are in the AL. If you’re in NL only leagues, Dallas Keuchel is about all there is. If your in a leagute that uses AL pitchers, here’s the three I like the most with their ESPN ownership percentages included.

The Possible Pickups

Jason Vargas – Sea: (39.4% owned in ESPN leagues) Vargas continues to eat up innings for the Mariners and will face the Royals in the spacious confines of Safeco Field in the late game Thursday (10:10 ET). In July, Vargas is a sparkling 3-0 with a 1.55 ERA. Overall on the season he’s 10-7 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He’ll face a Royals lineup starting to hit its stride but even the Mariners should be able to get some runs off of Luis Mendoza who starts for KC. Mendoza comes into the game at 4-6 with a 4.31 ERA. Of the options available in most leagues, Vargas is the top option for Thursday.

June 26, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Aaron Laffey (32) pitches during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE

Aaron Laffey – Tor: (0.1%) Laffey has the unenviable task of trying to cool off the A’s in Toronto in the matinee closeout of their three-game set. Laffey has a 2-1 record in his five starts with a 2.77 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He shut out Boston in Fenway his last time out for seven innings. He isn’t an elite option because of the matchup but he’s the next best out there if Vargas is gone and you need a starter.

Chris Tillman – Bal: (1.5%) Tillman has a 2-1 record and a 1.15 ERA in his first three starts. His second start he allowed six unearned runs and didn’t make it out of the first inning, but he bounced back his last time out allowing just one run on six hits in 6.2 innings in Cleveland. He’ll face the Rays struggling offense in a 12:35 start Thursday. He’ll match up with James Shields in what should be another low-scoring game between two teams with non-prolific offenses.

The Payoff Pitch

Here’s how our picks have fared the past week with our Wednesday picks listed as well: