Fantasy Baseball Streamers at Razzball.com

I think many people look at the All-Star break as a time to recharge their batteries and get ready for the stretch run, but that’s not me. I actually hate when we take a week off because I don’t know what to do with myself. The fiend in me needs that baseball every day because examining the box scores and finding streamers is what I live for. With that in mind, let’s feed my fix and dive into these streamers in the first week back from the break!

Favorable Team Matchups

7 Games

Baltimore Orioles (at CLE, vs. COL)

Cleveland Guardians (vs. BAL, at KC)

Houston Astros (at ARI, vs. ATH)

St. Louis Cardinals (at COL, vs. SD)

6 Games

Chicago Cubs (vs. KC, at CWS)

Colorado Rockies (vs. STL, at BAL)

Tampa Bay Rays (vs. CWS, at CIN)

Texas Rangers (vs. ATH, vs. ATL)

Pitching Streamers

Cade Horton, CHC (vs. KC, at CWS)

Horton has quietly been a sneaky starter for the Cubbies this year, and we’re going to rock with him as one of our streamers in this sensational two-start week. Let’s start there because you couldn’t ask for two better matchups. The White Sox rank in the bottom three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and xwOBA since the start of last season, while the Royals rank 26th in wOBA and 29th in runs scored this year! That’s a recipe for a wonderful week because Horton will likely be a -200 favorite in both of these matchups with the way the Cubs are playing right now. Horton is no slouch either, providing a 3.47 ERA and 1.10 WHIP through his first seven starts. The last four haven’t been quite up to par, but a seven-run shelling against Houston is nothing to be concerned about when seeing these magical matchups.

Streamonator Valuation: $-25.7

Michael Wacha, KC (vs. CLE)

There are a handful of streamers who have been in this article every season since I started at Razzball in 2019, and Wacha seems to be one of them. This guy was actually one of my favorite young pitchers in St. Louis, and he’s quietly carved out a solid career since then. The righty has a 3.74 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in another stellar season, but those are his worst averages since 2021. That’s a good indicator of how reliable Wacha has been over recent years, generating a 3.39 ERA and 1.18 WHIP since 2021.

Our favorite part about this is that he has a home matchup against the Guardians, with Wacha posting a 2.72 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 8.5 K/9 rate at home this year. That’s concerning for Cleveland, ranked 26th in runs scored, 29th in OBP, 28th in wOBA, and dead last in xwOBA. Not to mention, Wacha has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six matchups with the Guardians!

Streamonator Valuation: $0.1

Trevor Rogers, BAL (vs. COL)

Rogers is steadily getting picked up in every league out there, and this will likely be our last chance to call him one of our streamers. The southpaw struggled mightily last season and then carried that form into Triple-A, but something has changed since his call-up. Rogers has allowed three runs or fewer in all six starts, sporting a 1.53 ERA and 0.82 WHIP. It’s hard to understand how that happened, but we’re talking about a guy who had a 2.64 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in a superb sophomore season. The talent and recent form make him nearly impossible to avoid in a home matchup with Colorado. The Rockies are always worse outside of Coors Field and rank 26th in wOBA, 27th in runs scored, 29th in xwOBA and last in K rate!

Streamonator Valuation: $26

Quinn Priester, MIL (vs. MIA)

Priester has been piggybacking at times when he doesn’t start, but he’s been effective in whatever role the Brewers ask him to play. The righty has allowed one run or fewer in nine of his last 13 appearances, posting a 2.52 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in that span. All but one of those have been at least 4.2 innings, with Prietser providing a 2.04 ERA and 0.88 WHIP at home in that span. Throwing in Milwaukee against this Miami lineup couldn’t be a better option for one of your streamers because the Marlins rank bottom 10 in runs scored, OBP, OPS and wOBA since the start of last season. That’s why he’ll likely be a -200 favorite after striking out 10 Dodgers across six scoreless innings in his return from the break.

Streamonator Valuation: $NA

Eduardo Rodriguez, ARI (at PIT)

I don’t have any data to back this up, but I just feel like E-Rod always performs when he faces weak competition. To say he’s facing a poor Pittsburgh lineup would be an understatement because this has been the worst lineup in baseball at times this season. In fact, the Pirates rank 28th in K rate, 29th in wOBA and 30th in runs scored. Those averages have been even worse over the last two months, and some positive regression could hit Rodriguez here. Despite posting an ugly 5.94 ERA and 1.67 WHIP, E-Rod has a 3.94 xFIP. That’s more in line with the guy we’ve seen in the past, with Rodriguez registering a 3.30 ERA and 1.15 WHIP just two years ago. These numbers have to regress back to the mean, and a strong second half seems likely for a talented pitcher like this.

Streamonator Valuation: $NA

Hitting Streamers

Noelvi Marte, CIN (at WAS, vs. TB)

Many fantasy managers overlook Marte because of his lengthy suspension and injuries, but this guy is a stud whenever he’s on the field. The third baseman has re-established himself as an everyday player in Cincinnati, collecting a .284 AVG, .547 SLG, and .884 OPS across 24 games this year. That’s not far off from the stud we saw in the minors, with Marte maintaining a .272 AVG and .785 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A. We didn’t even mention that he had 13 homers and 22 steals across those 120 minor league games, which is right on par with his 13 homers and 20 steals across 120 games at this level.

That’s an elite power-speed combo, complemented by a strong batting average, and all the advanced metrics support the notion that this is one of the most talented hitters in the game. Marte could become a must-drop player again, but there’s also a chance he develops into a Top 50 player behind his phenomenal profile. These matchups are middle of the pack, but this might be your last chance to pick up Marte if he develops into a second-half league-winner.

Ryan O’Hearn, BAL (at CLE, vs. COL)

Did you guys see O’Hearn with his wife at the All-Star festivities this weekend? Bless this man! You have to be a baller to bring her to the All-Star game, and O’Hearn is just that. This outfielder has been a pleasant surprise for a struggling Orioles team, tallying a .286 AVG, .382 OBP, and .840 OPS. That’s all you can hope for from one of your streamers, especially since O’Hearn is always in the heart of the O’s lineup against a righty.

That becomes a massive bonus this week because Baltimore matches up with six right-handers in this seven-game week! That’s a rare occurrence, but it’s outstanding since O’Hearn has a .395 OBP and .892 OPS against righties this season! We didn’t even mention that the Rockies rank last in ERA and WHIP while Cleveland sits 20th in xwOBA and 24th in WHIP.

SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)

Steals Specialists

Evan Carter (TEX)

Carter has a .785 OPS across his last 11 outings, recording six steals in that span!

Chandler Simpson (TB)

Simpson has been one of the best base stealers all season, picking up 26 steals across just 53 games.

Saves Specialists

Matt Strahm (PHI)

Jordan Romano has to be out of the picture at this point, with Strahm pitching the ninth inning exclusively over the last month. He has four saves over his last 11 outings as well.

Ronny Henriquez (MIA)

There’s no doubt that Henriquez is the best reliever in this pen, totaling a 2.60 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 12.6 K/9 rate. That’s led to Hernandez picking up four saves and two wins over his last 10 outings.

Shelby Miller (ARI)

I actually dropped Miller in all of my leagues when he went on the IL due to an elbow issue, but he’s resumed a throwing program. He was the Diamondbacks closer before going on the IL and will likely resume that role if he’s able to return soon.

Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!