Dixon’s Picks: Waiver Wire Additions for the Week of August 5

[OUTL4W]

Photo courtesy of Keith Allison.

Another week is done. In fewer than two months, the 2013 season will be a memory and us fantasy baseball junkies will be stuck staring at the calendar, waiting for March and draft season.
Before taking a look at the season recap, I’m not exactly sure what happened with Ricky Nolasco last week. When last week’s Dixon’s Picks was written, he was scheduled for two starts. That didn’t come to pass, as he didn’t start until Thursday, a win against the Cubs. So, throwing that start and the outings from Jacob Turner and Wei-Yin Chen into the hopper, let’s see what my season stats look like.

Total Starts	IP	ER	H	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	QS	W-L
73	449	187	439	120	327	3.75	1.24	44	28-18

Now, who’s going to (knock on wood) bring those down some more this week?

• Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox — Probable Starts: Monday vs. New York Yankees, Saturday vs. Minnesota Twins

The good news for Jose Quintana? The Yankees and Twins combine for two very average offenses. Even with names like the now injured again*Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez*(who may or may not be suspended when you read this),*and Joe Mauer, I don’t think many pitchers are horribly concerned about these teams.
The better news? With one more Dixon’s Picks choice, Quintana have enough Dixon’s Picks points to earn himself and a guest a complimentary weekend in the Dixon’s Picks Honeymoon Suite.
In all seriousness, what I like about Quintana is that he’s not a real risk in this spot. He probably allows a few more hits than would be desired, but has a BB/9 under 3. He’s not a strikeout guy, but his K/9 is a very solid 7.2. Also, while only a few starts fall into the “spectacular,” or even “very good” category, fewer are “awful,” or even “bad.” That’s got a lot of value, even in fantasy where spectacular is always pursued.
Anything can always happen in baseball (and in turn, fantasy baseball), but I’m pretty sure we’ll get two quality starts out of Quintana this week.
Quintana’s Predictions for the Week

IP	ER	H	BB	K	W-L	ERA	WHIP
13	4	12	4	10	1-0	2.77	1.23

• Chad Gaudin, San Francsico Giants — Probable Starts: Monday vs. Milwaukee Brewers, Saturday vs. Baltimore Orioles

The Giants haven’t had many bright spots defending their title. Actually, they’re one of the worst teams in the league. But one undeniable bright spot has been Chad Gaudin. Between his time as a reliever and starter, he’s probably been San Francisco’s most consistently good pitcher not named Madison Bumgarner. If you don’t believe me, I’ll direct you to his stats. Start at the 2.64 ERA/1.14 WHIP, or well above average K/9.
As for the opponents…The Brewers situation has been well documented with the constant Ryan Braun talks. They’re not a great offensive team and even with Braun, have not historically generated great offense in San Francisco over the years. Even when they beat the Giants at AT&T Park, games are low scoring.
The Orioles are a bit riskier, but remember a few things.

1. They haven’t been a consistently potent offense since the All-Star Break.
2. They’re used to hitting at Camden Yards, one of the best hitter’s parks in the league. This start will be at AT&T Park, one of the best pitcher’s parks in the league.
3. They won’t have the DH.

So, a good pitcher going twice at home (a great hitter’s park) against one scuffling team and another out of its element. Sign me up. I’ll take my chances.
Gaudin’s Predictions for the Week

IP	ER	H	BB	K	W-L	ERA	WHIP
14	4	10	5	11	1-0	2.57	1.07

• Martin Perez, Texas Rangers — Probable Starts: Monday at Los Angeles Angels, Sunday at Houston Astros

I’m riding a bit of a hot hand with Martin Perez. At a glance, his ERA/WHIP of 3.93/1.41 looks very average, at best. But I can’t completely ignore his last start, which came against the Angels.
–7.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K–
That’s his only outing against the Angels (start or relief) this year, so you can’t help but have positive vibes going into that outing. Even better? That outing was in Texas, a much better place to hit than Anaheim.
As for the Sunday start, I challenge anyone to not have good vibes for a pitcher facing the Astros. There have been a lot of disappointing, poor offensive teams this season, but none have been as consistent as the Astros and Marlins.
Ultimately, I am not going to deny that Perez isn’t ideal for this spot. This isn’t a great week when it comes to two-start guys. The Angels haven’t had a great year, but they still have perhaps the game’s most dangerous player in Mike Trout and while Josh Hamilton is having a dismal 2013, I would never bet much against him in a short-term situation, especially one game.
Perez’s Predictions for the Week

IP	ER	H	BB	K	W-L	ERA	WHIP
13	5	13	4	9	1-0	3.46	1.31

Again, I think his last outing against the Angels makes him worth the gamble. But if you don’t trust him and want an early-week guy, give Miguel Gonzalez of the Orioles a close look. He’ll take on the Padres Tuesday. Actually, with the Padres and Giants on the schedule in those two pitching havens, the Orioles would have been a natural fit to have a player make this week’s picks. But, they play only five games this week, meaning none of their guys are two-start arms this week. Oh, well. Maybe next week.

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