By now, most of the H2H leagues have come to a conclusion. Congrats if you were able to walk away a champion, enjoy the bragging rights. If you weren’t so fortunate, better luck next year. There are still some leagues finishing up with their championship this week, so this post is geared for them. Hopefully I can help you pick up some streamers to edge out the pitching categories. And if not, at least you have someone else to blame. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my posts this season, I appreciate all the support and feedback!
So here we are, one last week to make a push to bring home the hardware. Similar to last week, I have included my favorite streamer for each day of the remainder of the matchup. All of these pitchers are owned in 30% or less of ESPN leagues.
Wednesday 9/18
Sandy Alcantara (19% owned) @ Arizona
Alcantara made an appearance here last week as I proclaimed him as my most confident pick, and he did not let me down. Sandy allowed just 1 earned run over 7 innings against the Giants, while striking out 6 and walking none. You hate to see someone pick up the loss after a performance like that, but he did manage to pick up his 5th quality start in his last 7 outings. I will be advocating for Alcantara again this week as he faces a tougher challenge in the DBacks.
Fortunately for him, Arizona has cooled off a bit at the dish as they have scored 3 runs or fewer in 9 of their last 10. Sandy on the other hand has been red hot in his past 2 starts, allowing just 1 ER while striking out 14 and walking 2 through 16 innings. As mentioned last week, the Marlins unfortunately won’t put him in the position to win many games. However, he has been racking up quality starts lately and should be friendly to your ratios. His matchups have admittedly been pretty light lately, but let’s not forget he has picked up 2 quality starts against the Braves and one against the Rockies within the past month or so. I’m starting the Sand Man with confidence this week.
Last 8 starts: 1-3 (5 QS) with a 2.59 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 48 K:18 BB in 55.2 IP
Thursday 9/19
Jordan Lyles (29% owned) home vs San Diego
Jordan Lyles has been a new man since being traded to the Brewers. In his 9 starts as a member of the Brew Crew, Lyles has racked up 6 wins and 4 quality starts. He has allowed 2 runs or fewer in each of those starts except one. His success has come against some great offenses in that stretch too, including the Astros, Cardinals, DBacks, and Rangers. Lyles put forth a solid 2-start week this past week, letting up 2 ER across 10.1 innings while striking out 7 and walking 3. He has an appealing matchup this week as he hosts the Padres at home on Thursday. They rank 25th in the league in runs scored and their .309 team wOBA ranks 23rd in the league. Losing Yelich for the year certainly hurts the Brewers, but they have won 5 of their 6 games since he went down. Lyles should handily pick up a quality start against the Padres, and the Brewers will give him a good shot at picking up his 5th win in his past 6 games.
His 9 starts since being traded to the Brewers: 6-1 (4 QS) with a 2.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 41 K:17 BB in 49 IP
Friday 9/20
Merill Kelly (17% owned) @ San Diego
I swear I’m not just picking on the Padres. It is just icing on the cake that Kelly gets to face the Padres in San Diego in his next start. Kelly has been brilliant in his last 3 outings, allowing 3 ER (all in one start) while striking out 19 and walking 6 over 20 innings of work. Over that stretch he was able to pick up 3 quality starts and 2 wins, to bring his season totals up to 14 and 11 respectfully. One of those starts came against the Padres, where he pitched 7 scoreless innings while striking out 9, walking 2, and allowing 3 hits. This time out he gets to face them at Petco, which happens to be one of the most pitcher friendly ballparks. Arizona has hit a little bit of a cold spell, going 3-7 in their last 10. However, the DBacks were able to complete a 3 game sweep of the Padres when they last met and should be able to handle them again this time around. Look for Kelly to put forth another quality start and ~6 K’s, while putting himself in a good spot to pick up the W.
Last 3 starts: 2-1 (3 QS) with a 1.35 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 19 K:6 BB in 20 IP
Saturday 9/21
Anibal Sanchez (24% owned) @ Miami
After a rough outing against the Mets on September 4th (5 IP, 7 ER), Sanchez has rebounded quite well in his last 2 outings against some tough offenses. Sanchez has impressed against the Braves and Twins, allowing just 2 earned runs over 14 innings while striking out 8 and walking 2. He faces a much easier opponent this time out when he takes on the Marlins in Miami. The Marlins rank dead last in runs per game (3.7) as well as team wOBA with their .285 mark. In his 3 starts this year against the Marlins, Sanchez has allowed 6 earned runs across 16.1 innings (3.31 ERA) while striking out 14 and walking 11. He has gone 1-1 in those starts, while also picking up one QS. The Nationals are just 4-6 in their last 10 games, but their potent offense (5.3 runs/game) puts them in a position to win anytime they take the field. They are in the heat of the wild card race, and Sanchez should give them the opportunity to pick up a much needed win this Saturday.
Last 5 starts: 2-2 (3 QS) with a 3.34 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 22 K:11 BB in 32.1 IP
Sunday 9/22
Dylan Bundy (25% owned) home vs Seattle
You know it is peak championship crunch time when I’m suggesting an Orioles pitcher with 14 losses and a 4.99 ERA on the year. And I will admit, of all the names on this list I am the least confident in Bundy. But Sunday looks pretty bleak for streaming prospects so if you are desperate for an arm, Bundy it is. However, aside from a couple shellings he has looked pretty solid over the past month and a half. Though he has picked up just one win in his past 7 starts, he has been able to pick up 3 QS in that span. In his most recent start, Bundy was just one out away from recording a quality start against the Dodgers. He allowed 2 earned over 5 2/3, recording 6 strikeouts while walking 2. Seattle started off the season with a strong showing offensively, but they have fizzled out since. In September, they are ranked 21st in the league in both runs scored (62) and batting average (.233). I’m not starting Bundy and expecting to pick up a W, but he should be capable of picking up a QS while adding some K’s.
Last 5 starts: 1-1 (2 QS) with a 3.94 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 26 K:10 BB in 29.2 IP
