Championship on line...which SP's to use in last week? WHIR

[misterf]

10-team....5x5 roto....daily roster changes allowed.

I'm in 1st place by a narrow margin and I am trying to figure out which SP's I should start and which ones I should bench during the final week. I have enough innings left for at least 7 starts, but I certainly don't feel obligated to use all my innings.

I can't gain or lose any ground in the "Win" or "K" categories (which is why using all my innings isn't a priority). But it is possible for me to gain and/or lose ground in both ERA and WHIP.

Here are my SP options with their matchups:

Lincicum v. AZ
Greinke @ Min
Kazmir v. Tex
Kazmir @ Oak
Arroyo v. StL
Baker @ Det
Scherzer @ Cubs
Shields v. Bal
Correia v. SF (Waiver Wire)
Penny v. AZ (Waiver Wire)
Rowland Smith v. Tex (Waiver Wire)

I think the only easy decisions are starting Lincicum and Greinke. Other than that, i can make an argument both for and against all the other guys (though I don't really have any fail left in Sheilds).

Considering that ERA and WHIP are the only stats that matter, who would you bech and who would you start? Your help is appreciated....WHIR!!!


If you are curious, here is exactly where I stand in ERA and WHIP:

ERA:

3.322
3.336 - me
3.406
3.477


WHIP:

1.200
1.207 - me
1.224
1.234

[misterf]

Well, Scherzer just got shut down, so that's one less decision I need to make. I would appreciate your thoughts on the other options, though.

[chalklounge]

Lincicum v. AZ
Greinke @ Min
Kazmir v. Tex
Kazmir @ Oak
Arroyo v. StL
Baker @ Det
Scherzer @ Cubs
Shields v. Bal
Correia v. SF (Waiver Wire)
Penny v. AZ (Waiver Wire)
Rowland Smith v. Tex (Waiver Wire)

I think you need to play it real safe here. There's not too much you can do to improve your standing in ERA or WHIP by getting good starts this week, but one big stinker can knock you down a peg and possibly undo an entire season's worth of work.

Lincecum and Greinke are obviously the safest bets, and I can see your ERA potentially taking one last dip to the point that you leapfrog the guy in front of you. However, after those two the only one that I would be somewhat comfortable starting in this situation is Kazmir's Sunday start @ Oak. The A's don't score a whole lot of runs as we know, and that park is ERA friendly. Kaz has been doing a great job of keeping the walks and hits down lately. Also, the nice thing here is you can wait until the end of the week to decide whether or not you actually need him. By that point, you may have already created more space and won't need his help.

But bottom line, don't play with fire here on your way to a championship. Those other arms are just way, way too risky. Good luck!

[misterf]

Thanks. I more or less came to the sam conclusion. the only difference is that I decided to go with Kazmir for his Texas start, also. My lead is a bit too narrow to completely go into a "prevent defense".

And I agree that Kazmir v. Oak is a game time decision, depending on exactly where i stand in era and whip, as well as overall.