Outside of Alex Wood, we were pleased with the results of last week’s article. Late Night LaMonte Wade had a big week for us, and we also got a gem from Edward Cabrera. It was one of my best weeks in my season-long leagues as well, and I am excited to keep rolling here. With that in mind, let’s look at the favorable team matchups for this week and then dive into the streamers!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Houston Astros (at TOR, at CLE)
Milwaukee Brewers (at CIN, vs. BAL, vs. OAK)
6 Games
Arizona Diamondbacks (at WAS, at DET)
Colorado Rockies (vs. SF, vs. SD)
Los Angeles Dodgers (at CIN, at PHI)
New York Yankees (vs. CWS, vs. BOS)
San Diego Padres (vs. CHC, vs. SEA, at COL)
San Francisco Giants (at COL, vs. CHC)
Pitching Streamers
Braxton Garrett, MIA (vs. KC)
This Marlins franchise has done a wonderful job of developing pitchers over the last decade. The lefty looks like one of those, but he allowed 11 runs against an elite Atlanta offense earlier in the year. With that said, he’s got a 2.57 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 9.4 K/9 rate in his other 10 starts. Garrett allowed two runs or fewer in nine of those, and it’s hard to understand why he’s being left on every waiver wire because of one dud. A home matchup with Kansas City makes it more baffling. The Royals rank 26th in runs scored, 27th in wOBA, and last in OBP. Marlins Park is also one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks around, making BG one of the best streamers of the week.
Garrett Whitlock, BOS (at CLE)
With Chris Sale going down, Whitlock will have to step up. We’ve seen mixed results in his first four starts, allowing one run in two of them while getting obliterated in the other two outings. We anticipate another one of those one-run gems here, facing a god-awful Guardians lineup. Cleveland ranks 27th in OBP, 28th in runs scored, and dead last in wOBA. We’ve seen Whitlock lock down opponents in the past, providing a 3.02 ERA and 1.08 WHIP throughout his career. Most of that damage has come as a reliever, but it’s hard to overlook elite numbers like those against such a lackluster lineup.
Reid Detmers, LAA (vs. CHC)
Detmers has been dropped in many leagues after a disappointing start, but the advanced statistics have us encouraged to make him one of our streamers. The lefty has a 5.15 ERA and 1.54 WHIP but showcases some of the nastiest stuff from the left side. That’s evident in his 3.63 FIP, 4.02 SIERA, and 26 percent K rate. That means some positive regression could be right around the corner, especially since he’s allowed four runs or fewer in all 10 starts. A few bad pitches have dismantled his season-long averages, but we expect Detmers to be a 3.50 ERA guy from here on out.
The Streamonator certainly agrees, projecting Detmers to provide $19 worth of value in this start. We’ve also seen Detmers allow 11 of his 29 earned runs in the sixth inning, posting a 3.39 ERA in the first five innings. Look for the Angels to pull the plug early, but that could be beneficial to our ERA and WHIPs. The Cubs have been struggling recently, too, ranked 26th in scoring over the last 30 days.
Johan Oviedo, PIT (vs. OAK)
Oviedo was outstanding to start the year, but people immediately dropped him after a nightmarish stretch. We’re willing to overlook that because Oviedo has allowed one run in three of his last four starts. That’s the stud we saw to start the year, with Oviedo obtaining a 2.22 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 9.2 K9 rate through his first four starts. The most recent surge should continue against a team like Oakland, who sit last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA since the start of last season.
Carlos Carrasco, NYM (at PIT)
This is a risky recommendation, but Carrasco has always been one of our favorite streamers throughout his career. His 5.74 ERA is genuinely horrifying, but we’re encouraged that he’s allowed just one run in each of his last two starts. They were both solo home runs, so it’s clear Carrasco has found something. This guy has gone on runs like that for months at a time in the past, posting a 3.65 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over the last decade. That form should be easy to recapture against Pittsburgh, who have the lowest run total over the last month while ranked 29th in K rate on the year. They’re averaging fewer than two runs per game over their last 20 defeats, and we saw Cookie Carrasco hold them to one run across six innings in their most recent meeting while striking out 11 batters.
Hitting Streamers
Owen Miller, MIL (at CIN, vs. BAL, vs. OAK)
Miller has struggled throughout his career, but he’s become one of our favorite streamers of the week. This 26-year-old has been skyrocketing up the Brewers lineup, tallying a .328 AVG, .365 OBP, .500 SLG, and .865 OPS so far this season. He’s also provided seven steals, proving to be an excellent option for any fantasy league. Most of that damage has happened recently, with Miller maintaining a .400 OBP, .613 SLG, and 1.013 OPS across his last 20 outings. That makes him intriguing in these magical matchups. Miller faces an Oakland team that’s last in ERA and WHIP after facing a Baltimore team that ranks 24th in xwOBA. He’s also one of the few players that gets seven games and is eligible at numerous positions on most sites!
Randal Grichuk, COL (vs. SF, vs. SD)
It feels like fantasy managers don’t realize what a boost it is to play six games in Coors Field. Colorado will be projected to score 5-6 runs in every game, which comes to about 30-35 runs for the week. That will be the highest projection of any team, and it’s far from surprising when looking at the historical data in Coors Field. That makes Grichuk one of the best streamers with six games at home. He has a .351 AVG, .410 OBP, and .899 OPS this season. The only thing missing is the power, but this guy has an ISO above .200 throughout his career. Not to mention, he’s just shy of a .900 OPS at Coors Field over the last two years and gets to face three lefties as well. Grichuk has a .961 OPS against southpaws since the start of last season.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Jake McCarthy (ARI)
McCarthy was called up from Triple-A a week ago and has seven steals since then. As long as he’s an everyday player, McCarthy will be one of the league leaders in steals. He also benefits from the beautiful matchups mentioned above!
Ha-Seong Kim (SD)
Kim hit leadoff twice near the end of the week and has stolen a bag in four straight fixtures. He’s crushed lefties throughout his career, and we’re encouraged with the speed boost and this tasty schedule.
Saves Specialists
Brusdar Graterol (LAD)
Evan Phillips doesn’t have a save in three weeks, allowing Graterol to pick up the team’s most recent save. Phillips will get the most saves from here on out, but they clearly want him in a fireman role. That should allow Graterol to get plenty of save chances if that continues.
Mark Leiter Jr (CHC)
This situation has been tricky, but it’s always difficult when a team struggles. Leiter has two saves over the last 10 days, amassing a 2.66 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 13.7 K/9 rate on the year. He’s clearly the best reliever in this pen and should have the next chance over Adbert Alzolay.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
