A quick look at the weekend pickups.
SATURDAY:
John Danks (CHW v. OAK) – His ownerships rates have plummeted and understandably given the depth of pitching and how mightily he was struggling, but he was really sharp in his last outing albeit against the Mariners. The Athletics offense is no better so there is no reason he can’t perhaps get on a run.
James McDonald (PIT v. NYM) – While his season ERA is near 5.00, he has been strong over his last eight starts allowing more than three runs just once posting a 2.82 ERA with an 8.2 K/9 rate in that span. Plus, he is much better at home than the road so I see him staying strong against the Mets.
SUNDAY:
Rick Porcello (DET v. SEA) – Only the Red Sox have gotten to him for more than two runs since April 15th. He has a 2.60 ERA in 55 innings over that span along with a 6-1 record. He comes with a modest strikeout rate so if that’s your need, he’s not for you. If you want quality innings and a legitimate shot at some wins, then Porcello can help.
Tim Stauffer (SD v. WAS) – Stauffer’s success this year isn’t a surprised, he was one of my favorite sleepers coming into the season, but his strong 7.3 K/9 rate is surprising. I was expecting a decent mid-6.0 rate with tons of groundballs and utilization of his home ballpark. So he has exceeded expectations in that respect. One area he has kind of underwhelmed has been taking advantage of Petco Park. His ERA split is almost equal: 3.54 home, 3.62 road. But the skills are strong regardless of venue and it’s kind surprising that he’s owned in less than 6% of ESPN leagues.
Results and Week 11 picks on Sunday.
Baseball By Paul 
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