Our waiver-wire scouring focuses on starting pitchers, as luckless fantasy owners recover from the bad news regarding preseason young guns Rich Hill, Francisco Liriano, and Yovani Gallardo, among others. Owners who jumped the gun and wasted an early-season pick on Rich Harden haven’t been rewarded either, and so far this has been the kind of year where most starters are generally preforming on a lower level than expected.

So which starter still out there has the potential to provide the boost your team needs?

Greg Smith, Oakland Athletics
Status: Doing very well for himself and Oakland so far
Key Stats: Fanned 10 in 6 innings May 4 against Texas
What to Watch For: 31-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio; will it hold up?
Other Notes: As the A’s continue to defy expectations, Smith has been impressive in place of Rich Harden. Could stay as a fixture if he pitches like he has been.

Randy Wolf, San Diego Padres
Status: Healthy!
Key Stats: Has 37 strikeouts to only 11 walks
What to Watch For: Health, health, health
Other Notes: Wolf is still out there in most 10-team leagues, making him a valuable pickup as long as he stays…healthy.

John Danks, Chicago White Sox
Status: Taking hard-luck losses for Chicago
Key Stats: Is 0-2 in last 4 starts despite pitching reasonably well
What to Watch For: Can White Sox back him up with some offense?
Other Notes: Danks may be just a flash in the pan, but this former superprospect could do well if given proper run support.

Scott Olsen, Florida Marlins
Status: Supplanted as Florida’s #1 by Mark Hendrickson
Key Stats: 4 of last 5 starts have been Marlin wins
What to Watch For: Can he pitch for K’s?
Other Notes: Despite good run, Olsen is showing some command problems which may come back to bite his owners.

Carlos Silva, Seattle Mariners
Status: Was looking good before Sunday
Key Stats: 18 K’s to 9 walks
What to Watch For: Can he consistently deliver fantasy-worthy stats?
Other Notes: Silva got shelled by the Yankees last night, raising his ERA to 4.20. Still not worth a roster spot

Tim Redding, Washington Nationals
Status: Healthy and showing good stuff
Key Stats: Has twice as many wins (4) than any other Washington starter
What to Watch For: Health, command
Other Notes: Redding has been a pleasant surprise this season and is a better short-term fix than Silva or Olsen.

Vincente Padilla, Texas Rangers
Status: Still in Texas, still frustratingly inconsistent
Key Stats: Has an ERA under 4
What to Watch For: Hard to say for Padilla …
Other Notes: Padilla once again alternates great starts with horrible ones, but if you’re desperate for pitching help, roll the die on him

Jesse Litsch, Toronto Blue Jays
Status: Winning despite slight ERA issues
Key Stats: 23 K’s to 7 walks
What to Watch For: Consistency with stats
Other Notes: Litsch has proven himself an effective #5 in real life, servicable stopgap for fantasy

Kyle Lohse, St. Louis Cardinals
Status: Lit up for the first time this season May 3
Key Stats: Only 14 K’s in 40 innings
What to Watch For: Noticeable fantasy stats, perhaps
Other Notes: A real-life bargain for the Cards, Lohse still can’t get it together as a fantasy force.

Todd Wellemeyer, St. Louis Cardinals
Status: Pleasant surprise for the Cards
Key Stats: 42 innings - 40 K’s - 16 walks
What to Watch For: Can he keep it up?
Other Notes: Wellemeyer is picked up and dropped often, but he seems to have potential to be solid for the Cards, certainly a better gamble than Lohse

Steve Kwan is a junior journalism student at Penn State University. He can be contacted fungasm[at]gmail.com.