There's no replacement for a high-end hurler, of course, but if you're looking to stream pitchers, you've come to the right place. Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. Most likely, they're the best you'll find off the waiver wire.
- Week 20: Sleeper hitters | Two-start pitchers
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper pitchers for Week 20 (Aug. 7-13)
It's kind of a wonder Maeda still qualifies for this list given his 2.47 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 12.0 K/9 in eight starts since returning from the IL and, minus the one start that put him on it, his 2.85 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 11.1 K/9 overall. Against the Tigers, he's a no-brainer.
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Lugo has a couple tough matchups this week against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, but the same could have been said for his last start at Colorado, which turned out to be arguably his best yet. Together, his high ground-ball rate and low walk rate limit the possibility of a blowout, so he's worth a roll the dice for the added volume.
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Suarez has been a bit shaky recently, but the ground-ball specialist offers a high floor from start to start and a high ceiling when he has matchups as good as the Nationals and Twins. The latter has one of the worst offenses against left-handed pitchers.
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Rodriguez has looked much better in terms of missing bats and throwing strikes since returning from the minors, but we're still waiting for that breakthrough start. He'll get two chances at it this week, including one against a suspect Mariners lineup.
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Crawford has really embraced his namesake (i.e., the cutter) in recent outings, and it's paid off with a 2.18 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 in his past four. It's a well-timed hot streak given that he's in line to face two of the worst three offensive teams, the Royals and Tigers.
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Matz has allowed a combined two earned runs in his past four starts for a 0.78 ERA during that stretch. His season ERA is down to 3.91, which is in line with all of his ERA estimators, and he's a good bet to deliver another quality outing against the bottom-feeder Royals lineup this week.
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It's true that Pivetta has been more of a bulk reliever as he's put together a 2.78 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 13.1 K/9 in his past eight appearances, but his longest two outings were arguably his best, including one in which he struck out 13 over six no-hit innings. His track record leaves ample room for skepticism, but you can trust him against the Royals, probably.
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Heaney has taken a little off his slider in his past two starts, and the results speak for themselves (no runs with 15 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings). He's still a volatile pitcher, but he'll be facing a Giants lineup that's been dreadful against left-handers, having the third-worst OPS and the sixth-worst strikeout rate.
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It's August, and the other shoe has yet to drop for Gray, who maintains a respectable ERA despite a sorry WHIP and a lackluster strikeout rate. His first matchup at the Phillies could be a bit challenging, but then the Athletics are coming to town to close out the week.
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Ragans is hitting the high 90s as a left-hander and just got a rotation spot of his own following the departure of Ryan Yarbrough. He struck out eight Mets in his first turn, unveiling a slower version of his cutter that's really more like a slider, and makes for an intriguing (albeit risky) two-start option that's highly, highly available.
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