Fantasy Baseball Pitchers to Pickup for July 27

Apr. 17, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jeff Karstens throws in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

After a lighter Thursday schedule, all 30 MLB teams return to the field on Friday with the Cubs and Cardinals getting things started in the Wrigley matinee and everyone else in action under the lights. If you’re in search of starting pitching on the waiver wire, there’s plenty of options. Of the starters widely available, here’s the four I like the best:

The Picks

Jeff Karstens – Pit: (5.2% owned) Karstens has been exceptional in his last four starts allowing six runs in 29 innings and picking up three wins. He shut out the Marlins in Pittsburgh for sevein innings his last time out to move to 3-2 on the year with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He’ll get the light-hitting Astros in Houston this time out as he and the Pirates look to stay in the playoff hunt. He’s not a big strikeout guy, but has continued to string together solid starts.

July 17, 2012; Washington, D.C., USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Ross Detwiler (48) pitches in the third inning against the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

Ross Detwiler – Was: (18.4%) Detwiler and the Nats are in Milwaukee on Friday. Ross will be looking to get his sixth win of the year in his 15th start. He has a nice 3.01 ERA which he’s lowered by allowing just one earned run in his last two starts spanning 14 innings. He isn’t a big strikeout option either (62 in 92 innings), but he can help your fantasy team if you need innings, ERA, WHIP, and possibly a W.

Josh Collmenter – Ari: (10.3%) Collmenter and the Snakes host the Mets this weekend in Arizona. The Mets have been struggling offensively and overall headed into this series. Collmenter struggled early this season and was demoted from the rotation, but has rebounded as of late. In his last three starts, Collmenter has three quality starts with a 2.00 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He’ll look to continue to build on that momentum Friday night in the desert.

Rick Porcello – Det: (3.0%) Porcello was great last time out allowing just a run in eight innings to the White Sox in Detroit. This time he’ll the Blue Jays in Toronto as he looks to establish some consistency. On the season, he’s 7-5 with a high 1.52 WHIP and a 4.40 ERA. He has been pitching better as of late and the Jays lineup is without Jose Bautista still so he has a good chance of getting a W and another soli start.

The Payoff

Here’s how our picks have fared over the past week. Thanks to good outings from Homer Bailey and AJ Griffin our ERA is sub-four for the first time since the All-Star break.