We’ve been cruising for about a month, but last week wasn’t my best showing. It wasn’t even bad, but all of the streamers just posted middling averages. The hitters actually outperformed the pitchers last week, with Nolan Jones and Tyler O’Neill both playing well. Graham Ashcraft, Kyle Hendricks, and Nick Pivetta were fine as our pitchers, but it’s nothing that moved the needle. One thing you need to consider for this week is the weather. We saw three games moved from Sunday to Saturday, and there might be more changes on the horizon with Hurricane Hilary wreaking havoc on the west coast. Just keep an eye on that to see if anything changes!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Chicago Cubs (at DET, at PIT)
Chicago White Sox (vs. SEA, vs. OAK)
Houston Astros (vs. BOS, at DET)
Oakland A’s (vs. KC, at CWS)
Pittsburgh Pirates (vs. STL, vs. CHC)
6 Games
Baltimore Orioles (vs. COL, vs. TOR)
Los Angeles Dodgers (at CLE, at BOS)
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. STL, vs. SF)
St. Louis Cardinals (at PIT, at PHI)
Seattle Mariners (at CWS, vs. KC)
Tampa Bay Rays (vs. COL, vs. NYY)
Washington Nationals (at NYY, at MIA)
Pitching Streamers
Zack Littell, TB (vs. COL, vs. NYY)
It’s been easy finding streamers in Tampa throughout the last decade because this team churns out starters, unlike any other organization. Littell is another one of their gems, allowing three runs or fewer in every appearance this season. Many of those were in relief, but Littell still has a 2.57 ERA and 1.00 WHIP since becoming a starter about a month ago. His strikeouts are the only thing lacking, but that doesn’t matter in a two-start week against two of the worst offenses in baseball. Colorado is dead-last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and wOBA on the road over the last three years, while New York sits 23rd in runs scored, 26th in OBP, and 24th in wOBA. It’s also two home starts for Littell, which means he could be a monster favorite in both of these favorable matchups.
Brandon Pfaadt, ARI (vs. CIN)
We had this kid in here as one of our streamers in his first career start, but he clearly wasn’t ready. Pfaadt was actually one of the worst pitchers in baseball in his first stint at the Majors, but a demotion back to the minors allowed him to reset and find something. Throughout his minor league career, Pfaadt provided a 3.58 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 34 percent K rate. That’s the guy we’ve seen since his most recent promotion, posting a 3.50 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in those six starts. Many of those were against some of the best offenses in baseball, and Cincy is not close to that. The Reds rank 23rd in xwOBA and 24th in K rate. The Streamonator loves Pfaadt, too, projecting him to provide $16.3 worth of value.
Seth Lugo, SD (vs. MIA)
We’ve had Lugo as one of our streamers on numerous occasions this season, and he continues to churn out quality starts. The veteran has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six starts, totaling a 2.32 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 10.9 K.9 rate in those outings. One dud against the Dodgers has kept him from being rostered in every league, but he needs to be picked up in this home matchup with Miami. The Marlins rank 20th in OBP, 24th in runs scored, and 26th in K rate. The fact that he gets a home start against a weak offense should make him a sizable favorite as well, making him one of the best bets for a win among our streamers!
Cole Ragans (at OAK)
Ragans looked like a player that would never get out of the minors, but he’s proven to be one of the Royals’ best pitchers in the second half. He only featured in 40 MLB innings before this year, but something has changed. Ragans has become a regular starter since the middle of July, generating a 2.51 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 11.3 K/9 rate in his five starts this year. That strikeout stuff is sensational from one of your streamers, and it should keep rolling against a team like the A’s. Oakland ranks dead-last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and xwOBA since the start of last season. The Streamonator agrees, projecting Ragans to provide $13.5 worth of value.
Jameson Taillon, CHC (at DET)
Taillon was one of the worst pitchers through the opening three months of the year, but he’s returned to the guy we saw in the past over the last month. We’re talking about a pitcher who had a 3.84 ERA and 1.21 WHIP coming into this season throughout his career. That’s six years of consistency, and it’s clear something mechanical has helped Taillon return to that form. He’s allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts while tallying a 3.69 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in that span. That looks even more amazing when you see that his one stinker was an eight-run shelling against Toronto. Detroit’s disastrous offense is far from daunting, with the Tigers ranked bottom four in runs scored, OBP, OPS, xwOBA, and K rate.
Kyle Gibson, BAL (vs. COL)
This one is risky, but anybody facing the Rockies on the road is in play as one of our streamers. This Colorado team collapses anytime they’re outside of Coors Field, ranked last in nearly every offensive category over the last three years. That’s horrifying in a pitcher’s park like Camden Yards, especially since they traded two of their best bats at the deadline. This veteran allowed nine runs against the Mariners about a week ago, but he’s been solid outside of that. He’s got a 9.3 K/9 rate since July 5, while allowing three runs or fewer in six of his 10 home starts. Gibson will also likely enter this matchup as a -200 favorite and is one of the best bets on your waiver wire for a win this week. This is one of The Streamonator’s favorite streamers of the season, projecting Gibson to generate $30.9 worth of value.
Hitting Streamers
Ke’Bryan Hayes, PIT (vs. STL, vs. CHC)
I’ve always been intrigued by the talent that Hayes possesses, but we haven’t seen enough from him to roster him in fantasy. A hot stretch has made him one of our top streamers, though, playing some of the best baseball of his career. The third baseman has a .375 AVG, .432 OBP, .725 SLG, and 1.157 OPS across his last 10 games. That makes him one of the hottest hitters in the league, and it has Hayes hitting leadoff or third every day. What really adds to his intrigue here is that he gets seven games, and four of them are against left-handers! In over 100 at-bats against southpaws this season, Hayes has a .291 AVG, .495 SLG and .807 OPS. One of his other matchups is against Adam Wainwright as well, and we’re not so sure Waino could get through a Little League lineup right now.
Zack Gelof, OAK (vs. KC, at CWS)
Zack Gelofinakis has quietly been one of the hottest hitters since his call-up. Most fantasy managers overlook players in Oakland, but Gelof is one of the best streamers out there right now. He’s been hitting second every day for the A’s throughout the last month, tallying a .292 AVG, .355 OBP, .619 SLG, and .974 OPS since his call-up. His recent form is even more ridiculous, registering a 1.092 OPS across his last 18 outings. He would be rostered universally if he played for the Yankees or Dodgers, but it’s a great opportunity to capitalize on that carelessness by the fantasy community. The matchups couldn’t be better either, getting seven games against two of the worst pitching staffs in the league. Gelof is also expected to face five righties, which is amazing since he has a 1.070 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor!
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Sal Frelick (MIL)
Frelick has been a solid hitter for Milwaukee since his call-up, showcasing his speed over the last two weeks. He’s got five steals across his last 12 games, which pairs beautifully with his .391 OBP.
Dairon Blanco (KC)
Blanco isn’t playing much, but he’s being utilized as a Billy Hamilton-type steals sub. He’s only got 17 at-bats across his last 14 games, but Blanco has swiped seven bags in that span. It’s scary to think what he could do if he actually plays, with Blanco stealing 92 bases in the last two years in the minors.
Saves Specialists
Gregory Santos (CWS)
Liam Hendriks and Kendall Graveman are both out of the picture, leaving Santos as the only option left. He’s got a 3.00 ERA and 1.26 WHIP this year, picking up the last three saves for the ChiSox.
Jason Foley (DET)
Andrew Lange was removed as the closer because of a rough month, and all the indicators say this is Foley’s job. The righty has two saves in his last three appearances, posting a 2.56 ERA and 1.18 WHIP on the year.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
