That was an unexpectedly fascinating week in MLB. The waiver deadline came out of nowhere, and the two Ohio teams decided to go nuts. Both of those squads bolstered their rosters with Angels cast-offs, and it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. Our streamers were solid once again, and we will go back to two of the guys we wrote up last week. With that in mind, let’s look at the favorable matchups and then dive into those streamers!
UPDATE: Many of these guys pitched on Saturday and Sunday, but those statistics aren’t included!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Arizona Diamondbacks (vs. COL, vs. CHC)
Cleveland Guardians (vs. MIN, at LAA)
Los Angeles Angels (vs. BAL, vs. CLE)
Tampa Bay Rays (vs. BOS, vs. SEA)
6 Games
Atlanta Braves (vs. STL, vs. PIT)
Baltimore Orioles (at LAA, at BOS)
Chicago White Sox (at KC, at DET)
Milwaukee Brewers (at PIT, at NYY)
New York Yankees (vs. DET, vs. MIL)
St. Louis Cardinals (at ATL, at CIN)
San Francisco Giants (at CHC, vs. COL)
Toronto Blue Jays (at OAK, vs. KC)
Pitching Streamers
Kyle Harrison, SF (vs. COL)
Going off of just two starts can be risky, but Harrison was unbelievable in his most recent outing. He allowed two runs across 3.1 innings in Philly in his debut last week but followed it up with 6.1 scoreless innings in his most recent start. More importantly, he struck out 16 batters across those 9.2 innings, which equates to an absurd 14.9 K/9 rate. This southpaw showcased that strikeout stuff throughout his minor league career, collecting 452 Ks across just 279 innings! That would make him a worthy option against anyone, but a home start against Colorado is fantastic. The Rockies rank last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and xwOBA on the road over the last three years! This is the largest projection from one of our streamers all season, with The Streamonator projecting Harrison to provide $42.2 worth of value.
Brandon Pfaadt, ARI (vs. COL)
We just talked about how much of a disaster Colorado has been on the road over the last three years, and it makes them an easy target for the remainder of the season. They’ve been the worst road offense over the last three years and are missing Kris Bryant, CJ Cron, and Randal Grichuk from this already lackluster lineup. We’d like Pfaadt if they were at full strength anyway because this prospect has been phenomenal since his most recent call-up. Before allowing five runs to the Dodgers in his most recent start, Pfaadt provided a 3.48 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across his previous seven starts. The Streamonator also adores Pfaadt, projecting him to provide $34.3 worth of value.
Mike Clevinger, CWS (at DET)
We had Clevinger as one of our streamers last week, and it’s about time he’s rostered in every league. This righty is unpopular for some off-field antics, but it’s difficult to overlook a player with a 3.38 career ERA and 1.19 WHIP. He’s actually been better than that recently, registering a 2.15 ERA and 1.01 WHIP across his last nine starts. The shellings have been limited all season, with Clevinger allowing four runs or fewer in all but one start. That should be easy to duplicate against Detroit, with the Tigers ranked bottom three in OBP, runs scored, and wOBA. Clevinger has had ownership of this organization throughout his career, compiling a 1.63 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 13 career starts against them.
Griffin Canning, LAA (vs. CLE)
It’s been a hellish season for the Angels, but Canning has quietly had an excellent second half. The righty has a 3.63 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 11.0 K/0 rate across his last 13 starts. That strikeout stuff is sensational, especially since one of those was a nightmarish road outing against the Dodgers. That LA offense has hurt numerous pitchers’ ERAs all year, but Cleveland is a beneficial matchup for anyone. The Guardians rank 24th in OBP, 26th in runs scored, and 27th in wOBA. We can’t overlook how dominant Canning’s stuff has been at home recently, too, tallying a 14.8 K/9 rate across his last four home starts.
Ryan Pepiot, LAD (at MIA)
Pepiot gets sent up and down from the minors every week, but the Dodgers are making moves to keep their team fresh. We fully expect Pepiot to take his turn in the rotation here, filling in for the injured Tony Gonsolin. Despite being held to five innings or fewer in all three starts, Pepiot has provided a 1.29 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and 9.0 K.9 rate in those outings. That’s a genuinely dominant stretch, and we’ve seen his pitch count climb to 84 pitches in his most recent start. That means we could flirt with the century mark here, making him one of the best streamers against Miami. The Marlins rank 21st in xWOBA and 28th in runs scored, with Pepiot posting one of his gems against them.
Darius Vines, ATL (vs. STL, vs. PIT)
Whatever you do, don’t watch Vines pitch if you’re going to use him as one of your streamers! This guy maxes out at 90 MPH, but he’s got an elite change-up to match with some sneaky sequencing. That’s what got him this promotion, with Vines tallying a 3.29 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 26 percent K rate in the minors since 2020. What really piqued my interest was his MLB debut, allowing just five baserunners across six innings in a Coors Field start! You have to take notice of a start like that, especially since Vine gets two favorable home matchups here. St. Louis has struggled with right-handers all year, while Pittsburgh is bottom four in runs scored, OBP, OPS, xwOBA, and K rate since the opening month. Not to mention, Vines will likely be a -200 favorite in both of these magical matchups!
Hitting Streamers
Tommy Pham, ARI (vs. COL, vs. CHC)
It feels like Pham is playing for a new team every month, but he’s found a home in Arizona. This team has chosen to bat Pham third every day, which is less surprising when looking at the rest of this lackluster lineup. That prominent lineup spot paired with these matchups makes TP one of the best hitting streamers of the week. The matchups are his most significant asset, with Colorado ranked 29th in ERA and WHIP while Chicago sits 16th in xwOBA. That looks even better since he has seven games at home and comes into this matchup with some fantastic form. Pham has a .282 AVG, .348 OBP, .498 SLG, and .846 OPS across his last 69 games while picking up 14 steals in that span!
Nolan Schanuel, LAA (vs. BAL, vs. CLE)
We had Schanuel in here last week, and we’re going right back to him. I don’t remember the last time I saw a rookie who was drafted two months ago come up and be so patient at the plate, but Schanuel is the everyday leadoff hitter for the Angels. His elite plate discipline in the minors earned him that spot, sporting a .505 OBP since getting drafted. That might look flukey, but Schanuel has a .293 AVG and .431 OBP through his first two weeks at this level! The power has yet to come around, but anyone getting on at this sort of clip atop a lineup needs to be rostered. Getting seven games against subpar pitching is the icing on the cake because Schanuel is expected to face six righties this week!
Davis Schneider. TOR (at OAK, vs. KC)
Schneider might go from being one of our streamers to a must-roster player if he keeps playing the way he is right now. In 15 games for Toronto, Schneider has a .412 AVG, .516 OBP, .863 SLG and 1.379 OPS. We don’t expect him to maintain monster averages like those, but it makes him impossible to fade for now. Getting at-bats was the only issue beforee, but with Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman on the IL, Toronto can’t keep him off the field. They also have him hitting second or third regularly, which is impressive since he faces two of the worst pitching staffs in baseball. Oakland is last in ERA and WHIP, while Kansas City sits 28th in ERA and 24th in WHIP.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Dairon Blanco (KC)
We’ve had Blanco in here numerous times as a speed substitute off the bench, but he’s starting games for the first time in his career. That’s led to Blanco recording 16 steals across his last 38 games despite getting just 65 at-bats in that span.
Parker Meadows (DET)
Meadows is one of the top prospects in Detroit’s organization and should be a good source of speed. The youngster has two steals over the last week and swiped 36 bases in the minors over the last two years.
Saves Specialists
Tanner Scott (MIA)
David Robertson has been removed as Miami’s closer, and we have to assume Scott will step in. He picked up the team’s most recent save and has a 1.36 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 12.2 K/9 rate since May 14.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
