Dixon’s Picks: Fantasy Waiver Wire Pitchers for Week of May 12

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome back to Dixon’s Picks, our weekly look at some fantasy waiver pitchers to consider adding for you streamers out there.

Before we get going, let’s take a look back at my running total this year with the contributions of Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Niese, and Henderson Alvarez.

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The Padres actually wrecked what was a pretty good week with some good offense, but I’m challenging them again this week.

On that note, let’s move on to this week’s list.

• Tom Koehler, Miami Marlins — Probable Starts: Monday at Los Angeles Dodgers, Saturday at San Francisco Giants

Trips to California tend to be good things for red-hot pitchers, which is exactly what Tom Koehler is right now. He hasn’t allowed an earned run over his last two outings (15 innings), while surrendering only five total hits and three total walks.

The Giants and Dodgers both have good hitters, but they still generally rely on good pitching to win their games. So even if Koehler takes an 0-2 this week, I feel pretty good saying that the rest of the numbers will be pretty solid. Streaming is all about playing the odds and Koehler’s are as good as any two-start fantasy waiver wire pitchers this week.

As a bonus, you could probably do worse than his weekend opponent, Tim Lincecum, who has starts against the Braves and Marlins.

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• Mike Leake, Cincinnati Reds — Probable Starts: Tuesday at San Diego Padres, Sunday at Philadelphia Phillies

If someone goes deep into games, chances are pretty good that the numbers he’s putting up will be solid, right? Stands to reason. Well, that’s been the case for Mike Leake, who’s gone into the seventh inning in every start he’s made this season, entering the week with a 3.40 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.

He’s also facing two offenses that don’t exactly scream “stay away”. The odds definitely suggest a few deep outings this week.

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• Bronson Arroyo, Arizona Diamondbacks — Probable Starts: Tuesday vs. Washington Nationals, Sunday vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

The overall numbers for Bronson Arroyo are not great this year, but he’s riding something of a hit streak. Like Koehler, he hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last two outings and has three consecutive quality starts.

The advantage with Arroyo is that he’ll always be around the plate. He’s not a terribly tough guy to hit, but the lack of walks will keep the WHIP down, which will limit the damage of the hits. You can’t expect many strikeouts with Arroyo, but he’s otherwise a strong play, especially when riding a hot streak.

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