We had a rough showing in Week 8, but we bounced back big time last week. Almost every one of our streamers performed well, and that’s something that rarely happens. That has me excited to keep chugging along because the waiver wire is calling to me right now. With that in mind, let’s look at the favorable matchups and then dive into those streamers!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Cincinnati Reds (at COL, vs. CHC)
Colorado Rockies (vs. CIN, at STL)
St. Louis Cardinals (at HOU, vs. COL)
San Diego Padres (at LAA, vs. ARI)
Toronto Blue Jays (vs. BAL, at OAK)
Washington Nationals (vs/ NYM, vs. ATL)
6 Games
Atlanta Braves (at BOS, at WAS)
Boston Red Sox (vs. ATL, at CWS)
Chicago Cubs (vs. CWS, at CIN)
Cleveland Guardians (vs. KC, at MIA)
Houston Astros (vs. STL, at LAA)
Los Angeles Dodgers (at PIT, at NYY)
Seattle Mariners (at OAK, at KC)
Pitching Streamers
Lance Lynn, STL (vs. COL)
Lynn has been one of our streamers numerous times over the last few years, mainly because he’s an inconsistent pitcher. Many people might forget that this was one of the most reliable pitchers in baseball before that, generating a 3.28 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 28 percent K rate between 2020 and 2022. We’ve seen glimpses of that in his reunion with the Cardinals, compiling a 3.45 ERA and 1.34 WHIP this year. He also hasn’t allowed more than four runs in any start and should be able to mow down Colorado. The Rockies have ranked last in runs scored, OPS, and wOBA on the road in three of the last four years!
Streamonator Valuation: $48.6
Jameson Taillon, PIT (vs. CWS)
Taillon is another common selection as one of our streamers, but it’s easy to understand why. The righty has a 2.84 ERA and 1.26 WHIP this season, allowing three runs or fewer in all eight starts. There aren’t many pitchers in baseball who have accomplished that, but we’re talking about a guy who had a 3.84 ERA and 1.21 WHIP before a disappointing 2022-23 season. That stretch should continue in a home matchup with Chicago because Taillon has totaled a 2.11 ERA and 1.13 WHIP at home this year! The White Sox also rank last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA and xwOBA!
Streamonator Valuation: $20
Matt Waldron, SD (at LAA, vs. ARI)
We haven’t had many knuckleball pitchers as streamers, but Waldron has looked wonderful recently. That knuckleball has been dancing, with Waldron posting a 1.96 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 12.1 K/9 rate across his last four starts. That strikeout stuff is no surprise when you watch this guy pitch and it makes him an excellent option in a two-start week. It’s not like these matchups will stray us away, with LA ranked 18th in runs scored, 24th in OBP, and 19th in K rate, while Arizona sits 17th in wOBA.
Streamonator Valuation: $-7.8
Aaron Civale, TB (at MIA)
Civale had one nightmarish three-start stretch, and that’s the only reason his numbers look so poor. He allowed 18 total runs in that horrific stretch at the end of April but has a 3.77 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 9.2 K/9 rate if you take out that nightmarish two-week span. That’s the pitching we’ve become accustomed to, with Civale collecting a 3.92 ERA and 1.17 WHIP coming into the year! Tampa is smart enough that they’ll be able to fix Civale, and we’d expect them to do just that. A matchup with Miami is a great way to keep him on the right path, with the Marlins ranked 28th or 29th in runs scored, OBP, and wOBA.
Streamonator Valuation: $20.3
Hunter Brown, HOU (at LAA)
Brown and Civale are having very similar seasons. Both players were sneaky picks at the end of fantasy drafts but both guys got off to terrible starts. Just like Civale, Brown is starting to turn his season around. The Houston pitcher has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his last five starts, tallying a 3.42 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 9.9 K/9 rate in that span. That’s what fantasy managers wanted to see all season, but we’ll use him as one of our streamers since he’s on nearly every waiver wire out there! One of those starts was against the Angels, allowing just five baserunners and two runs across six innings. That’s no surprise since LA is missing Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon.
Streamonator Valuation: $13.9
Hitting Streamers
Charlie Blackmon, COL,(vs. CIN, at STL)
As someone who lives in Colorado, I am embarrassed to say that Blackmon has been one of our best bats over the last decade. That doesn’t sound like a glowing endorsement but Blackmon has been a fantasy asset at times in the past. He’s better off as one of our streamers in the back end of his career, but the splits are what encourage us this week. Colorado is one of the few teams that has seven games, and six of them are against right-handers! This former All-Star always bats leadoff against righties, registering a .350 OBP and .841 OPS against them. It’s no murderer’s row of righties either, facing Frankie Montas, Graham Ashcraft, Hunter Greene, Kyle Gibson, Andre Pallante, and Sonny Gray. We love that when seeing Blackmon’s recent form, providing a .423 OBP and 1.032 OPS across his last seven outings!
Jake Meyers, HOU (vs. STL, at LAA)
The Stros have struggled mightily but it looks like they’ve stumbled into a gem in Meyers. This guy has developed into an everyday player and has been moved up to the five-hole in this lineup. It’s easy to see why he’s earned that promotion, posting a .349 AVG, .431 OBP, and .954 OPS across his last 18 outings. There aren’t many players with averages like those, and he doesn’t face a tough pitcher all week. His matchups include Reid Detmers, Tyler Anderson, Griffin Canning, Kyle Gibson, Andre Pallante, and Miles Mikolas!
TJ Friedl, CIN (at COL, vs. CHC)
Friedl was a must-roster player last season but he’s sitting on a ton of waiver wires because of his early-season injuries. The Reds leadoff hitter has struggled so far this season, but an eight-game sample size is not even worth looking at. What we do trust is his sensational 2023 numbers, providing a .279 AVG, .352 OBP, and .819 OPS while collecting 18 homers and 27 steals. That’s a Top 100 player in every format and it appears some fantasy managers are sleeping on him because of the lengthy absence. This is the week to break out because he gets three games in Coors Field against the worst pitching staff in baseball and another four games against a struggling Chicago staff at Gream American Smallpark.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
TJ Friedl (CIN)
Friedl has spent most of the season on the IL, but he returned this week. They also moved him up to the leadoff spot, which is no surprise since he had two steals through his first six games before landing on the IL. He also had 27 swipes last season and should get plenty of chances atop this sneaky Cincy lineup in two of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball.
Jorge Mateo (BAL)
We had Mateo in this section last week, and we’re going right back to him. He has 77 steals since the start of the 2022 season, recording five of those over his last 11 games. What we really care about is that he’s playing every day because this guy will run whenever he gets on base!
Saves Specialists
Jeff Hoffman (PHI)
With Jose Alvardo struggling, Hoffman has the last four saves for the Phils. He’s earned it, amassing a 1.09 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, allowing just one run since April 9. This is your last chance to pick up Hoffman!
Reed Garrett (NYM)
With Edwin Diaz on the IL, Garrett could take over as the closer. He has the two most recent saves for this terrible team and had a 0.72 ERA and 14.8 K/9 rate through May 20. Some poor games recently have hurt his averages, but he should still get the next opportunity!
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
