I’ve yet to have a bad showing in any of my articles this season, but last week was a miss. It’s frustrating to have such a weak week of streamers, but it’s inevitable with how volatile these pitchers can be. We have to chalk it up to the Rockies having their best week of the season because that’s just how things go in baseball sometimes. The good news is that the Rockies will start losing again soon, so we’re about to have a bounce-back week with these streamers. With that in mind, let’s look at the matchups and then dive into those streamers!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Chicago Cubs (at PHI, vs. PIT)
Milwaukee Brewers (vs. ATL, vs. STL)
6 Games
Atlanta Braves (at MIL, vs. COL)
Houston Astros (vs. CWS, vs. MIN)
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. CHC, vs. TOR)
San Francisco Giants (at COL, at LAD)
Texas Rangers (at MIN, vs. CWS)
Pitching Streamers
Jeffrey Springs/JP Sears, ATH (at LAA)
These two have hated pitching in Sacramento this season, but a road matchup with the Angels should have them in line for two stupendous starts. Let’s start with the opposition because LA has one of the worst lineups in baseball. The Angels rank 24th in wOBA, 28th in OBP, and 29th in K rate.
Now that we have the matchup out of the way, let’s discuss these streamers. We’ll start with Springs, who has a 3.66 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in his last seven starts. That includes a six-run shelling in Toronto, but Springs had a 2.45 ERA and 0.97 WHIP through his first six road starts.
Sears was obliterated in Houston two weeks ago, but he’s been awesome outside of that, too. In his other seven road starts this season, Sears has a 3.15 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. That’s closer to the 4.38 ERA and 1.22 WHIP we saw last season, with Sears allowing just two total runs in his two starts against the Angels last year.
Streamonator Valuation: $-12.3/$-14.3
Bryce Elder, ATL (vs. COL)
I was all set to write up Elder as one of our streamers before Saturday’s start, but he’s a must-roster player now. It’s bizarre that it took a Smith-Shawver injury for Elder to be part of this rotation because the righty has a 4.08 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. The recent return to the rotation is what has us most excited, with Elder throwing eight one-run innings while striking out 12 batters in a start on Saturday. That’s the best showing of this guy’s career, but it’s no surprise since he has a 2.98 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across his last seven starts. Facing the Rockies outside of Coors Field couldn’t be a better matchup either, with Colorado ranked last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and K rate. Don’t be surprised to see Elder enter this matchup as a -300 favorite as well.
Streamonator Valuation: $29.5
Jameson Taillon, CHC (vs. PIT)
Taillon has been one of our most popular streamers over recent years, and we’re going right back to him. The righty is having another solid season in Chicago, tallying a 3.54 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. It’s nearly impossible to find a WHIP below 1.00 on the waiver wire, especially from a guy with a 3.27 ERA and 1.13 WHIP last season. That makes Taillon a tantalizing option against most teams, but facing the Pirates is brilliant. We’ll discuss their nightmarish offensive statistics in the next section, but we saw Taillon throw seven scoreless innings in his most recent start against them last September.
Streamonator Valuation: $13.7
Edward Cabrera, MIA (at PIT)
It’s always fascinating to hear about a talented pitcher changing something mechanically and immediately getting results. That’s what’s happening for Cabrera, because an arm slot adjustment has completely changed his season. That alteration has led to Cabrera allowing three runs or fewer in seven straight starts, compiling a 3.01 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in that span. We’ve seen this talented youngster perform like that in the past, and he should be able to continue it in a road matchup with the Pirates. Not only is PNC one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the sport, but the Pirates rank 27th in wOBA, 29th in runs scored, and 24th in K rate.
Streamonator Valuation: $-2.2
Mitch Keller/Bailey Falter, PIT (vs. MIA)
Keller is one of those streamers who’s on and off the waiver wire all year, but this is one of those weeks to go swoop him up. Despite a nightmarish 1-8 record, Keller has collected a 4.13 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. It’s really only two duds against the Yankees and Astros that have destroyed his numbers, posting a 2.98 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across his other 11 starts. That’s the talent we’ve become accustomed to, and it looks even better since Keller has a 3.35 ERA and 1.17 WHIP at home over the last three years.
Falter doesn’t have the best stuff in baseball, but he just continues to get the job done. The lefty has actually allowed no runs in five starts this season, generating a 3.49 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 13 total starts. He also had one stinker against the Yankees, but has a 1.73 ERA and 0.80 WHIP at home outside of that. We can’t overlook that in one of the best possible matchups, with Miami ranked bottom five in runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA since the start of last season.
Streamonator Valuation: $12.6/$-8.3
Hitting Streamers
Michael Busch, CHC (at PHI, vs. PIT)
Busch got off to a slow start, but he’s been one of the best corner infielders in MLB since then. Over his last 49 games, Busch has a .285 AVG, .389 OBP, .557 SLG, and .943 OPS. That has him hitting in the heart of one of the best lineups in baseball, and this Cubs team is one of the only clubs with seven games this week. That makes Busch one of the safest streamers out there, providing a .455 OBP and 1.157 OPS across his last 17 outings. Matchups against Philly and Pittsburgh won’t stray us away from Busch either, because he’s fading Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola in the Phils rotation.
Rhys Hoskins, MIL (vs. ATL, vs. STL)
Many people forget this, but Hoskins was a fantasy beast just a few years ago. Some injuries have forced him to the waiver wire over recent years, but it’s time to go back to the Hoskins well. The slugger has been carrying the Brewers offense recently, registering a .287 AVG, .368 OBP, .510 SLG, and .878 OPS across his last 46 games. That becomes even more attractive since Milwaukee is one of the few teams with seven games, and all of them are at home. Hoskins has a .340 OB3 OBP, .528 SLG, and .871 OPS in Milwaukee this season.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Matt Shaw (CHC)
Shaw has multi-position eligibility and has recorded seven steals in his last 16 outings, which is sensational considering Chicago is playing seven games this week.
Victor Scott II (STL)
Scott was picked up and swiftly dropped across most formats in the opening months, but he’s still a superb steals specialist. The speedster is up to 17 steals this season, after recording 138 across 244 minor league games.
Saves Specialists
Calvin Faucher (MIA)
We haven’t really figured out who’s closing games in Miami all year, but Fauchner is starting to look like the guy. He finished as the team’s closer last year and has recorded two saves over his last three outings.
Robert Garcia (TEX)
This is playing with fire since Garcia blew his most recent save opportunity. The fact that he got that chance makes us excited because we believe they’ll go back to him at least once more. The lefty has two saves over his last three appearances before that dud, posting a 2.01 ERA and 0.90 WHIP since March 30.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
