There's no replacement for a high-end hurler, of course, but if you're looking to stream pitchers, then 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 5: Sleeper hitters | Two-start pitchers
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper pitchers for Week 5 (April 24-30)
Well, the cat's out of the bag. Johan Oviedo got it done at Coors Field last time out, confirming his breakthrough status. The Dodgers make for a tough matchup early in the week, but we don't need to fear them with him, do we? Besides, he then gets a second start against Nationals.
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Kyle Bradish himself got back on the breakthrough path last time out, returning from the IL to deliver six shutout innings against the Nationals. He seems well worth the gamble for two starts, first against a Red Sox lineup that's due to regress and then against a Tigers lineup that's been exactly as bad as it should be.
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We've seen a number of pitcher fakeouts this year, but Edward Cabrera's rough patches have resulted from him shooting himself in the foot with walks. He got things under control last time and piled up 21 whiffs, which makes for exciting upside in a two-start week, even with tough matchups.
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The darling call-up drew oohs and aahs with his 102 mph heat in his debut Wednesday, and if you haven't bought in yet, a two-start week makes for the perfect time. Of course, he's made it five innings only once in his professional career, and pitching for the Athletics makes it doubly hard for him to secure wins.
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Eduardo Rodriguez has figured things out over his past couple outings, throwing a combined 15 shutout innings. The latest came Sunday against the Orioles, who he one-hit over seven. Turns out he faces them in his next turn, too.
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During a time of great pitcher uncertainty, Eric Lauer has been remarkably steady with four solid outings in five chances. We know he's a low-upside play, but you can still count on him to take advantage of the majors' lowest-scoring offense (Tigers) this week.
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What I wrote for Eric Lauer basically applies to Kyle Gibson, too, especially coming off an 11-strikeout effort against the Tigers, who he'll be facing again this week. There's something to be said for an innings-eater in this environment even if the big strikeout total is unlikely to be repeated.
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Josiah Gray has leaned heavily on his breaking balls this year, and while it hasn't turned him into a bat-missing wonder, it has curtailed the home run issues that so vexed him in years past. He's handled lineups as good as the Mets, who he faces to begin the week, and while the Pirates have been hot lately, I'll still call them a favorable draw for his second turn.
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Dean Kremer has shown improved velocity this year, and it finally paid off with 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Nationals last time out. He has another plush matchup at Detroit this week, but he'll have to get past the Red Sox first. Still, two starts is generally better than one.
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Back from a couple injury-plagued seasons, Griffin Canning's results through two starts have been decent enough, but the swinging-strike rate that would rank fourth among qualifiers hints of even better days ahead. It could begin this week with a dream matchup against the Athletics.
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