Spot Start: Chad Gaudin

I thought it might be useful if I recommended starters whom you can likely grab off the wire and plug in for a start. My pick for tomorrow (Sunday, July 26) is Chad Gaudin. Though not my favorite pitcher by any means, he's a good bet to provide a quality outing against a Nationals offense that ranks 23rd in the MLB in runs scored. Gaudin has been hot as of late. Over the last month, he boasts a 3.23 ERA and 1.30 WHIP to go along with 31 K in 30.2 innings. Tomorrow's matchup is on the road, but on the year Gaudin has actually performed slightly better in away games...and, of course, Nationals Park is one of the more pitcher friendly stadiums in the league (sixth at the moment to be exact).

Another decent choice would be Jeff Niemann, who has been dominant over the last month (three wins, 1.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 15 K over 27.1 innings). Overall I much prefer Niemann to Gaudin; however Niemann has a much tougher matchup in the 10th-ranked offense of Toronto. The game is in Toronto, but Niemann's splits aren't dramatic, and the Rogers Centre is a pitcher friendly park.

Either one of these guys should likely put up good numbers tomorrow, although Niemann is the better long-term bet.