RADIO
![By SD Dirk on Flickr [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.rotoballer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/madison-bumgarner-fantasy-baseball-advice-analysis-e1462508179448.jpg)
Uncle Leo provides his fantasy baseball starting pitcher (SPs) starts and sits for Week 5 of MLB (2015), including two start pitchers and sleepers, based on matchups.
What’s up RotoBallers. Below are all of the starting pitching matchups for Week 5, and this week we also have a very special treat for you. Next to each matchup below, we have a link to our Premium Starting Pitcher Daily Matchups, Streamers & DFS Tool. Just click the link next to the player name, and check it out. This is usually a Premium tool only, but enjoy it this week on the house. For those who aren't aware, our in-house tool analyzes SP matchups based on a variety of stats/metrics, and recommends whether start, sit, or stream any pitcher for seasonal and DFS leagues. Note that the tool's recommendations may not be a perfect match with my start/sit recommendations below -- but I'm a human and the tool isn't. So consider this to be two different analysts, possibly having different opinions. Who will prevail in the epic battle of man vs. machine? Only time will tell...
For every week of the fantasy baseball season, we look to analyze all of the projected starting pitcher matchups and put together our optimal lineups. This week once again there are a bunch of nice two-start pitchers including Kershaw, Bumgarner, Greinke, Felix, Odorizzi, Keuchel, Wood, Smyly, Cashner and Salazar to name a few. As always, there are also viable starting pitcher sleepers and streamers to consider off the waiver wire (Morrow, Jimenez, Duffy, Anderson, Wood, Chavez, Leake, Heston, Hendricks), depending on your league size and format including AL-Only and NL-Only leagues.
Here at RotoBaller, we believe that it’s key to analyze every SP matchup, each and every week, to help determine which SPs to start/sit and to hopefully find some hidden gems to bolster your teams. This weekly piece considers all of the pitching performances thus far this season, the pitcher’s opponents, their career stats against the opponent, some ballpark factors and historical splits. With all of this information, we then provide our start/sit recommendations for each starting pitcher matchup for the approaching week of fantasy baseball.
SP Matchups & Start/Sit Recommendations
Editor’s Note: RotoBaller’s fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups list is updated every single day. Our awesome writers bring you analysis on hot or emerging starting pitchers, and also all other fantasy positions. You can also download our waiver wire iPhone app for free, and easily stay updated.
As always, projected starters and matchups may change throughout the week:
| PROBABLE PITCHERS - MONDAY (5/4/15) | ||||
| GAME | VISITING STARTER | START/SIT | HOME STARTER | START/SIT |
| ARI@COL | Josh Collmenter SP | ARI | Sit | Tyler Matzek SP | COL | Sit |
| CHC@STL | Travis Wood SP | CHC | Start | Carlos Martinez RP | STL | Start |
| LAD@MIL | Clayton Kershaw SP | LAD | Start | Kyle Lohse SP | MIL | Sit |
| MIA@WAS | David Phelps SP | MIA | Sit | Jordan Zimmermann SP | WAS | Start |
| NYY@TOR | Chase Whitley RP | NYY | Sit | R.A. Dickey SP | TOR | Sit |
| OAK@MIN | Jesse Hahn SP | OAK | Start | Phil Hughes SP | MIN | Sit |
| PHI@ATL | Aaron Harang SP | PHI | Start | Alex Wood SP | ATL | Start |
| SD@SF | Tyson Ross SP | SD | Start | Madison Bumgarner SP | SF | Start |
| SEA@LAA | Felix Hernandez SP | SEA | Start | Matt Shoemaker SP | LAA | Sit |
| TB@BOS | Jake Odorizzi SP | TB | Start | Clay Buchholz SP | BOS | Start |
| TEX@HOU | Ross Detwiler RP | TEX | Sit | Dallas Keuchel SP | HOU | Start |
| PROBABLE PITCHERS - TUESDAY (5/5/15) | ||||
| GAME | VISITING STARTER | START/SIT | HOME STARTER | START/SIT |
| ARI@COL | Robbie Ray SP | ARI | Sit | Jordan Lyles SP | COL | Sit |
| BAL@NYM | Bud Norris SP | BAL | Sit | Bartolo Colon SP | NYM | Sit |
| CHC@STL | Kyle Hendricks SP | CHC | Sit | Tyler Lyons RP | STL | Sit |
| CIN@PIT | Michael Lorenzen SP | CIN | Sit | Jeff Locke SP | PIT | Sit |
| CLE@KC | Danny Salazar SP | CLE | Start | Jason Vargas SP | KC | Sit |
| DET@CHW | Shane Greene SP | DET | Sit | Jeff Samardzija SP | CHW | Sit |
| LAD@MIL | Zack Greinke SP | LAD | Start | Matt Garza SP | MIL | Sit |
| MIA@WAS | Mat Latos SP | MIA | Start | Stephen Strasburg SP | WAS | Start |
| NYY@TOR | Michael Pineda SP | NYY | Start | Marco Estrada RP | TOR | Sit |
| OAK@MIN | Jesse Chavez SP | OAK | Start | Trevor May SP | MIN | Sit |
| PHI@ATL | Chad Billingsley SP | PHI | Sit | Shelby Miller SP | ATL | Start |
| SD@SF | Andrew Cashner SP | SD | Start | Ryan Vogelsong SP | SF | Sit |
| SEA@LAA | James Paxton SP | SEA | Sit | Garrett Richards SP | LAA | Start |
| TB@BOS | Drew Smyly SP | TB | Start | Rick Porcello SP | BOS | Start |
| TEX@HOU | Wandy Rodriguez SP | TEX | Sit | Scott Feldman SP | HOU | Sit |
| PROBABLE PITCHERS - WEDNESDAY (5/6/15) | ||||
| GAME | VISITING STARTER | START/SIT | HOME STARTER | START/SIT |
| ARI@COL | Rubby De La Rosa SP | ARI | Sit | Eddie Butler SP | COL | Sit |
| BAL@NYM | Ubaldo Jimenez SP | BAL | Start | Jacob deGrom SP | NYM | Start |
| CHC@STL | Jon Lester SP | CHC | Start | Lance Lynn SP | STL | Start |
| CIN@PIT | Mike Leake SP | CIN | Start | Gerrit Cole SP | PIT | Start |
| CLE@KC | Carlos Carrasco RP | CLE | Start | Danny Duffy SP | KC | Start |
| DET@CHW | Alfredo Simon SP | DET | Sit | Chris Sale SP | CHW | Start |
| LAD@MIL | Carlos Frias RP | LAD | Sit | Wily Peralta SP | MIL | Sit |
| MIA@WAS | Tom Koehler SP | MIA | Sit | Max Scherzer SP | WAS | Start |
| NYY@TOR | CC Sabathia SP | NYY | Sit | Mark Buehrle SP | TOR | Sit |
| OAK@MIN | Scott Kazmir SP | OAK | Start | Kyle Gibson SP | MIN | Sit |
| PHI@ATL | Jerome Williams RP | PHI | Sit | Mike Foltynewicz RP | ATL | Sit |
| SD@SF | Ian Kennedy SP | SD | Start | Chris Heston RP | SF | Start |
| SEA@LAA | Roenis Elias SP | SEA | Sit | C.J. Wilson SP | LAA | Start |
| TB@BOS | Alex Colome SP | TB | Sit | Justin Masterson SP | BOS | Sit |
| TEX@HOU | Colby Lewis SP | TEX | Sit | Samuel Deduno RP | HOU | Sit |
| PROBABLE PITCHERS - THURSDAY (5/7/15) | ||||
| GAME | VISITING STARTER | START/SIT | HOME STARTER | START/SIT |
| BAL@NYY | Chris Tillman SP | BAL | Sit | Nathan Eovaldi SP | NYY | Sit |
| CHC@STL | Jake Arrieta SP | CHC | Start | John Lackey SP | STL | Sit |
| CIN@PIT | Anthony DeSclafani SP | CIN | Start | A.J. Burnett SP | PIT | Start |
| CLE@KC | Corey Kluber SP | CLE | Start | Edinson Volquez SP | KC | Start |
| DET@CHW | Kyle Lobstein SP | DET | Sit | Jose Quintana SP | CHW | Sit |
| HOU@LAA | Collin McHugh SP | HOU | Start | Hector Santiago SP | LAA | Sit |
| LAD@MIL | Scott Baker RP | LAD | Sit | Mike Fiers SP | MIL | Sit |
| MIA@SF | Dan Haren SP | MIA | Start | Tim Hudson SP | SF | Start |
| OAK@MIN | Drew Pomeranz SP | OAK | Sit | Ricky Nolasco SP | MIN | Sit |
| SD@ARI | Brandon Morrow SP | SD | Start | Jeremy Hellickson SP | ARI | Sit |
| TEX@TB | Nick Martinez SP | TEX | Start | Chris Archer SP | TB | Start |
| PROBABLE PITCHERS - FRIDAY (5/8/15) | ||||
| GAME | VISITING STARTER | START/SIT | HOME STARTER | START/SIT |
| ATL@WAS | Eric Stults SP | ATL | Sit | Gio Gonzalez SP | WAS | Start |
| BAL@NYY | Miguel Gonzalez SP | BAL | Sit | Adam Warren RP | NYY | Sit |
| BOS@TOR | Wade Miley SP | BOS | Sit | Aaron Sanchez RP | TOR | Sit |
| CHC@MIL | Jason Hammel SP | CHC | Start | Jimmy Nelson SP | MIL | Start |
| CIN@CHW | Jason Marquis SP | CIN | Sit | Hector Noesi SP | CHW | Sit |
| HOU@LAA | Roberto Hernandez SP | HOU | Sit | Jered Weaver SP | LAA | Sit |
| KC@DET | Yordano Ventura SP | KC | Start | David Price SP | DET | Start |
| LAD@COL | Brett Anderson SP | LAD | Sit | Jorge De La Rosa SP | COL | Sit |
| MIA@SF | Jarred Cosart SP | MIA | Start | Tim Lincecum SP | SF | Start |
| MIN@CLE | Mike Pelfrey SP | MIN | Sit | Trevor Bauer SP | CLE | Start |
| NYM@PHI | Matt Harvey SP | NYM | Start | Cole Hamels SP | PHI | Start |
| OAK@SEA | Sonny Gray SP | OAK | Start | Taijuan Walker SP | SEA | Sit |
| SD@ARI | James Shields SP | SD | Start | Chase Anderson SP | ARI | Start |
| STL@PIT | Michael Wacha SP | STL | Start | Francisco Liriano SP | PIT | Start |
| TEX@TB | Yovani Gallardo SP | TEX | Sit | Nathan Karns SP | TB | Sit |
| PROBABLE PITCHERS - SATURDAY (5/9/15) | ||||
| GAME | VISITING STARTER | START/SIT | HOME STARTER | START/SIT |
| ATL@WAS | Julio Teheran SP | ATL | Start | Doug Fister SP | WAS | Start |
| BAL@NYY | Wei-Yin Chen SP | BAL | Sit | Chase Whitley RP | NYY | Sit |
| BOS@TOR | Joe Kelly SP | BOS | Sit | Drew Hutchison SP | TOR | Sit |
| CHC@MIL | Travis Wood SP | CHC | Start | Kyle Lohse SP | MIL | Sit |
| CIN@CHW | Johnny Cueto SP | CIN | Start | John Danks SP | CHW | Sit |
| HOU@LAA | Dallas Keuchel SP | HOU | Start | Matt Shoemaker SP | LAA | Sit |
| KC@DET | Jeremy Guthrie SP | KC | Sit | Anibal Sanchez SP | DET | Start |
| LAD@COL | Clayton Kershaw SP | LAD | Start | Kyle Kendrick SP | COL | Sit |
| MIA@SF | David Phelps SP | MIA | Sit | Madison Bumgarner SP | SF | Start |
| MIN@CLE | Phil Hughes SP | MIN | Start | TBD | TBD |
| NYM@PHI | Jonathon Niese SP | NYM | Start | Severino Gonzalez SP | PHI | Sit |
| OAK@SEA | Jesse Hahn SP | OAK | Start | J.A. Happ SP | SEA | Sit |
| SD@ARI | Tyson Ross SP | SD | Start | Josh Collmenter SP | ARI | Sit |
| STL@PIT | Carlos Martinez RP | STL | Start | Vance Worley SP | PIT | Start |
| TEX@TB | Ross Detwiler RP | TEX | Sit | Jake Odorizzi SP | TB | Start |
| PROBABLE PITCHERS - SUNDAY (5/10/15) | ||||
| GAME | VISITING STARTER | START/SIT | HOME STARTER | START/SIT |
| ATL@WAS | Alex Wood SP | ATL | Start | Jordan Zimmermann SP | WAS | Start |
| BAL@NYY | Bud Norris SP | BAL | Sit | Michael Pineda SP | NYY | Start |
| BOS@TOR | Clay Buchholz SP | BOS | Sit | R.A. Dickey SP | TOR | Sit |
| CHC@MIL | Kyle Hendricks SP | CHC | Start | Matt Garza SP | MIL | Sit |
| CIN@CHW | TBD | TBD | Jeff Samardzija SP | CHW | Sit |
| HOU@LAA | Scott Feldman SP | HOU | Sit | Garrett Richards SP | LAA | Start |
| KC@DET | Jason Vargas SP | KC | Sit | Shane Greene SP | DET | Sit |
| LAD@COL | Zack Greinke SP | LAD | Start | Tyler Matzek SP | COL | Sit |
| MIA@SF | Mat Latos SP | MIA | Start | Ryan Vogelsong SP | SF | Sit |
| MIN@CLE | Trevor May SP | MIN | Sit | Danny Salazar SP | CLE | Start |
| NYM@PHI | Dillon Gee SP | NYM | Start | Aaron Harang SP | PHI | Start |
| OAK@SEA | Jesse Chavez SP | OAK | Start | Felix Hernandez SP | SEA | Start |
| SD@ARI | Andrew Cashner SP | SD | Start | Robbie Ray SP | ARI | Sit |
| STL@PIT | TBD | TBD | Jeff Locke SP | PIT | Sit |
| TEX@TB | Wandy Rodriguez SP | TEX | Sit | Drew Smyly SP | TB | Start |
