After a day chock full of quality starting pitching options for fantasy baseball, things are a bit dicier on Wednesday. Sure, there are some top-tier names slated to take the mound — Gerrit Cole, Brandon Woodruff — but the schedule isn’t nearly as deep, with nearly half of today’s pitchers falling in the “do not start” tier of our daily rankings. There’s still value to be found as we near the season’s final month, so read along for our full recommendations on who to start, who to sit and who to stream off the waiver wire.
Starting pitcher rankings for Wednesday, August 30
Pitchers to stream
Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs — Hendricks has had it rolling of late, with five quality starts in his last eight outings — and it would’ve been six of eight had the righty not fallen one out short against the Pirates last week. His ERA over his past four is just 3.13, and he’s had his trademark command and changeup locked in for a while now. The Brewers (22nd in team OPS against righties this month) aren’t nearly scary enough to shy away from Hendricks in this spot.
Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies — The Angels had arguably the worst offense in baseball before they inexplicably put Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk on waivers Tuesday afternoon. Los Angeles is as juicy a matchup as a pitcher can get right now, and Sanchez has been as consistent as they come this year: The lefty fired another quality start against the Cardinals last week, making it 12 of 13 starts in which he’s allowed three runs or fewer.
Ryan Pepiot, Los Angeles Dodgers — After going nine innings across his first two big-league starts of the year, Pepiot should be more than stretched out enough to be able to go five innings on Wednesday — at least. The Diamondbacks have been middling at the plate in the second half, and Pepiot has struck out 11 while allowing just two runs so far; if you’re looking for a cheap win, he’s your man, as he should find his way through five and get plenty of run support from Mookie Betts and Co.
