Starts: August 30th at Arizona Diamondbacks, September 3rd at San Diego Padres
ESPN ownership: 57 percent
Hyun-jin Ryu's 1.57 ERA in the month of August is second only to Jake Arrieta's for lowest in the majors, yet the Los Angeles Dodgers' lefty remains there for the taking on over 40% of ESPN waiver wires, more likely a testament to inactivity in fantasy leagues than to skepticism towards Ryu himself.
Sure, a 90.6% strand rate for Ryu should regress some down the stretch, but even if he pitches closer to his 2.73 fielding independent pitching (FIP) mark on the month, he should prove mighty useful for any pitching-needy owners still in the hunt during the season's home stretch.
Some might bristle at that visit to Arizona for the surging southpaw, but bear in mind that the D-Backs have been slumping mightily in the second half and have been a resoundingly unproductive offense against lefties on the season. The Chase Field effect shouldn't prove especially daunting here -- Arizona has cobbled together a middling .165 team isolated slugging (ISO) at home against southpaws since the All Star break.
Meanwhile, assuming no rotation shenanigans on the part of the ever-tricky Dodgers, Ryu lines up to finish his two-start week with a cake matchup against the lowly Padres, whose offensive woes are especially glaring against lefties.