The pitching streamers were full of mixed results last week, but our hitters went off. I’ve actually done a better job recommending hitters than pitchers this season, which is strange since I’m traditionally better with the arms. It’s hard to understand why but the landscape of baseball has to be playing a factor. Most of these pitchers have posted subpar averages all season, leading to some absurd offensive statistics. That’s scary because we haven’t even gotten into the warm weather yet and could see some historic fantasy seasons from some of these bats. With that in mind, let’s start by looking at the favorable team matchups for the week!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Arizona Diamondbacks (vs. COL, vs. ATL)
Colorado Rockies (at ARI, at KC)
Tampa Bay Rays (at CHC, at BOS)
6 Games
Atlanta Braves (at OAK, at ARI)
Chicago White Sox (vs. LAA, vs. DET)
Miami Marlins (vs. SD, vs. OAK)
San Francisco Giants (vs. PIT, vs. BAL)
Pitching Streamers
Bobby Miller, LAD (vs. WAS)
Miller is skyrocketing up the roster percentages, but he’s still below 50 percent on Yahoo. That won’t last much longer because he threw a gem against the Atlanta Braves in his debut. That’s quite the accomplishment and even more impressive since it was on the road. That dandy debut becomes less shocking when evaluating his minor league numbers, accruing 3.79 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 31 percent K rate at the minors. His stuff is what has fantasy managers salivating, with Miller flirting with a 100 MPH fastball, 90 MPH slider, and 80 MPH curveball in an impressive repertoire. A home meeting with Washington is only a bonus, with the Nats ranked 23rd in wOBACON, 21st in xwOBA, and 20th in OPS. That’s likely to have Miller entering this matchup as a -250 favorite at home, which has The Streamonator projecting him to provide $12.1 worth of value.
Edward Cabrera, MIA (vs. OAK)
Cabrera was rostered in every league when he was called up, but he was subsequently dropped when he decided to walk every batter he faced. We’ll pounce on that impatience because Cabrera is showing us why he’s one of the most touted prospects in this Marlins organization. The right-hander has walked one batter or fewer in three of his last four starts, generating a 13.2 K/9 rate over his last six outings. That’s what we’ve been waiting to see because this youngster is due for some positive regression behind his 3.94 xFIP. A matchup with Oakland should keep the ticker pointing in the right direction, with the A’s ranked 27th in OBP, 29th in runs scored, 28th in OPS, and 30th in xwOBA.
Brayan Bello, BOS (vs. CIN)
This is a weird reason to like someone, but Pedro Martinez mentoring this kid has me really encouraged. Pedro actually said Bello has better stuff than the Hall-of-Famer, and we can’t overlook a statement like that. BB is showing some flashes of that brilliance, boasting a 2.57 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 9.3 K.9 rate across his last five starts. We saw similar numbers in the minors, with Bello accumulating a 3.06 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 32 percent K rate since 2021. Getting to face Cincy is enticing, too, with the Reds ranked 29th in xwOBA. That’ll likely have Bello entering this matchup as a sizable favorite as well!
Alex Wood, SF (vs. PIT)
Wood has always been a great pick as one of our streamers, and it’s clear these MLB hitters struggle with his goofy mechanics. The southpaw has a 3.93 ERA and 1.20 WHIP since 2017. That’s a large sample size of solid pitching, and we love that he’s made San Fran home because it’s one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball. We also saw Wood allow just three hits across 5.2 innings in his most recent start, and that form should continue against the Pirates. Pittsburgh has just six wins over their last 25 games, averaging fewer than two runs per game in those 19 defeats. That’s obviously the worst mark in baseball, and there’s no chance it gets better in a place like Oracle Park. In 14 career starts against Pittsburgh, Wood has a 3.23 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 9.0 K.9 rate.
Hitting Streamers
Marcell Ozuna, ATL (at OAK, at ARI)
Ozuna isn’t the greatest guy off the field, but we’ll ride him as one of our streamers this week. People might forget this, but Ozuna was the best player in fantasy during the COVID season. He actually averaged 28 homers and 94 RBI a year headed into the COVID year and has shown glimpses of that power recently. Ozuna has a .366 AVG, .438 OBP, .789 SLG, and 1.266 OPS across his last 19 games played. That’s made him an everyday player once again, and he’s in a prime RBI spot in the second half of this bludgeoning Braves lineup. The matchups only add to his intrigue, facing an Oakland team that ranks last in ERA and WHIP while Arizona sits 21st in both of those statistics.
Jose Siri, TB (at CHC, at BOS)
Hey Siri, which Tampa bat do we want to stream this week? This Rays team has a new guy go off every week, and Siri’s been the guy as of late. This speedster has homered in three of his last four games, generating a .261 AVG, .598 SLG, and .905 OPS on the year. Those are quite the totals, and it looks even better since Siri has 18 steals over his last 132 games. A power-speed combo is just what we want from one of our streamers, especially when they’re scorching like this. The matchups are fantastic, too, avoiding Chris Sale in the Boston rotation while playing seven games this week.
LaMonte Wade, SF (vs. PIT, vs. BAL)
Late Night LaMonte is one of my favorite nicknames in baseball. What people don’t realize is that this guy can get it done no matter what time of day it is, which is nice since their games are finishing earlier and earlier. Wade is hitting atop this sneaky San Fran lineup, tallying a .405 OBP and .879 OPS since the opening week of the season. That’s 44 games of raking, and it’s hard to understand why Wade is sitting on most people’s waiver wires. It becomes even more baffling when considering these matchups, facing five righties this week and only one tough pitcher.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Jose Siri (TB)
We had Siri as one of our streamers, so we love him as a SAGNOF option. He had 14 steals last season and should have some good chances this week in these favorable matchups.
Willi Castro (MIN)
Castro has six steals over his last 10 games and has been skyrocketing up the Twins lineup with his recent play. He’s been batting fifth and sixth recently and becoming an everyday player with multi-position eligibility.
Saves Specialists
Mark Leiter Jr (CHC)
The Cubs haven’t had many save chances recently, but it appears Leiter has locked up the ninth inning. He picked up Chicago’s most recent save and has a 1.86 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 13.5 K/9 rate on the year.
Kendall Graveman (CWS)
It’s hard to understand what’s going on with Liam Hendriks because he appears healthy but still isn’t ready to go. In any case, we’ll ride Graveman until he’s ready to return, picking up four saves over his last six appearances while going scoreless in nine straight outings.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
