Starts: April 16th vs. Cleveland Indians, April 21st at Los Angeles Angels
ESPN ownership: 13%

Those who whiff on a two-start Trevor Richards might have a backup plan in Mike Leake.

The Seattle Mariners righty has benefited from his team's early hot hitting, tallying two wins in three starts despite a 4.15 ERA and five homers allowed in 17.1 frames. Leake's sinker has taken the bulk of the damage, accounting for three of those homers and a mind-numbing 1.474 OPS across 21 offerings.

It's a pity that sinker has been so rough because the results and peripherals on Leake's go-to slider have been terrific. That pitch has limited opponents to a .400 OPS while coaxing a 30% whiff rate on 20 offerings, which might explain why the righty's strikeout rate is all the way up to 21.5% on the season (his career high is 18.2% in 2013).

Leake is a decidedly low-ceiling, low-floor option, but he does have the benefit of squaring off against Cleveland and Los Angeles squads that are both at the very bottom of the league in terms of power production.