Outside of a stinker from Michael McGreevy, I was really pleased with last week’s streamers. This is one of the toughest times to pick streamers because these teams are doing some bizarre things with their rotations and lineups. What is easy to figure out are these matchups because there’s a handful of lineups we want to use streamers against every week. Teams like the Pirates, Rockies, Nationals and White Sox will be regulars over the closing weeks, so let’s go ahead and dive into this week’s streamers!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Chicago White Sox (at MIN at DET)
Los Angeles Angels (at KC, vs. ATH)
Minnesota Twins (vs. CWS, vs. KC)
6 Games
Arizona Diamondbacks (vs. TEX, vs. BOS)
Chicago Cubs (vs. ATL, vs. WAS)
Colorado Rockies (vs. SD, vs. SD)
Kansas City Royals (vs. LAA, vs. MIN)
Los Angeles Dodgers (at PIT, at BAL)
San Diego Padres (vs. BAL, at COL)
San Francisco Giants (at COL, at STL)
Pitching Streamers
Jeffrey Springs, ATH (at STL)
Springs has been one of our streamers numerous times this season, and it’s usually under one specific circumstance. If you’re a regular listener of the program, you know we love to use Springs whenever he’s outside of Sacramento. That park has killed these A’s starters all year, with Spring accruing a 3.66 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 15 road starts this season. That’s a must-roster pitcher, but it’s no surprise since Springs has a 3.22 ERA and 1.12 WHIP since 2021. The lefty also comes into this matchup rolling, registering a 4.14 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across his last seven fixtures. Squaring off with St. Louis is far from scary, with the Cardinals ranked 22nd in xwOBA and 23rd in OPS.
Streamonator Valuation: $1.8
Ryan Bergert, KC (vs. LAA)
Why is nobody talking about Bergert? This guy is still below 20 percent rostership on Yahoo, but he’s been one of the better pitchers in the AL over the last month. The righty has made 12 starts and four relief appearances, surrendering three runs or fewer in all 16 outings this season. Becoming a starter hasn’t altered his success, sporting a 2.85 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 8.6 K/9 rate in that role. Getting a home start against the Angels is the icing on the cake for Bergert, with LA ranked 27th in OBP and dead-last in K rate (26 percent). We also wouldn’t be surprised if Bergert is a -150 favorite since KC is fighting for its playoff lives.
Streamonator Valuation: $-1.2
Emmet Sheehan, LAD (at PIT)
Sheehan has always had the ability to be an elite pitcher, and we finally saw glimpses of it last week. The young righty struck out a career-high 10 batters across seven scoreless innings in a matchup with the Reds. That brings him to a 3.56 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 rate. That’s on par with the 2.77 ERA and 0.98 WHIP he had in the minors, and we know just how amazing the Dodgers can be at developing pitchers. The best part about using Sheehan as one of our streamers is this matchup with Pittsburgh. The Pirates rank dead-last in runs scored and wOBA while sitting 27th in K rate. We also might see Sheehan enter this matchup as a -300 favorite against a pitiful Pittsburgh team.
Streamonator Valuation: $18.8
Javier Assad, CHC (vs. WAS)
Assad has only made three starts this season, and it feels like the fantasy community has forgotten how reliable he can be. He’s got a 1.80 ERA and 0.90 WHIP since his season debut while generating a 3.42 career ERA. A few stinkers at the end of last season also made fantasy managers forget how special Assad can be, accumulating a 3.14 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through his first 26 starts. That sort of ERA reliability looks even better when evaluating Assad’s home statistics, amassing a 2.42 ERA at Wrigley since last season. Facing Washington’s woeful offense is wonderful too, with the Nationals ranked 22nd in runs scored, 23rd in OPS and 24th in wOBA. Those numbers have been even worse in the second half, and Assad is another guy who might be a -200 favorite or higher.
Streamonator Valuation: $4.2
Quinn Priester, MIL (at PIT)
Quality organizations always go through these stretches where they turn every call-up starter into a stud, and Milwaukee is one of those. That’s just what they’ve done with Priester, posting a 3.44 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in a breakout campaign. He’s also allowed three runs or fewer in 20 of 24 outings this year, while allowing two runs or fewer in seven of eight starts. We have already discussed how poor Pittsburgh’s offense has been, and those numbers worsen at home, as PNC Park has developed into a pitcher’s haven. In Priester’s lone start against the Pirates, he threw six one-run innings while striking out seven batters.
Streamonator Valuation: $-11.3
Zebby Matthews, MIN (vs. CWS)
The 5.06 ERA and 1.48 WHIP are honestly horrific, but Zebby’s strikeout stuff always has us intrigued. His volatility is why he’s an interesting choice as one of our streamers because he’s one of the only guys on the waiver wire who can drop double-digit strikeouts. Despite those ugly peripherals, Matthews has a 3.38 xFIP and an 11.4 K/9 rate. Those are averages you’d typically see from an All-Star, and it’s a good sign of some positive regression or a potential breakout next season. We’ll bet on that mini breakout starting against Chicago, because the White Sox rank in the bottom five in runs scored, OPS and xwOBA since the start of last year. We didn’t even mention Zebby’s splits, tallying a 4.07 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 10.7 K/9 rate at home this year.
Streamonator Valuation: $24.5
Hitting Streamers
Kyle Teel, CWS (at MIN at DET)
It’s bizarre how many catchers have become fantasy-relevant this season because it’s typically been a wasteland for fantasy purposes. Teel looks like another great option off the waiver wire, hitting third and fourth since his call-up. This backstop has earned that prominent lineup spot thanks to his .385 OBP and .803 OPS. That’s on par with the .403 OBP and .864 OPS Teel tallied throughout his minor league career. That sort of ability is backed by an amazing schedule because the White Sox are one of the few teams who has seven games this week. The four games against Minnesota are the real bonus, with the Twins ranked 22nd in ERA and 23rd in wOBA.
Luke Keaschall/Royce Lewis, MIN (vs. CWS, vs. KC)
Keaschall is rostered in about half the leagues on Yahoo, and we need to get that number out of streamers’ range. He’s simply been their best hitter since the trade deadline, posting a .337 AVG, .425 OBP, .551 SLG and .976 OPS. That’s why the Twins stick him in their three-hole every day, with Keaschall collecting four homers and seven steals across 27 games. That equates to 24 homers and 42 steals across a full year, and that sort of power-speed combo is impossible to find on the waiver wire.
Unlike Keaschall, Lewis has made opposite waves on the wire. After being drafted universally, Lewis was shifted to every waiver wire after a nightmarish start to the season. The good news is that he’s finally turning things around, totaling a .903 OPS across his last seven outings. That’s a tiny sample size, but Lewis had a .268 career AVG, .497 SLG and .825 OPS coming into the year. The potential is there for this to be one of the best power bats over the final month, and a seven-game week against these pitching staffs is a good way to showcase that. The White Sox rank 19th in ERA and 28th in xwOBA while avoiding Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo in the Royals’ rotation.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Jared Triolo (PIT)
Triolo has been an everyday player in Pittsburgh, providing four steals over his last 11 outings. We also love that he has multi-position eligibility.
Jose Lowe (TB)
Lowe has 73 steals since 2023 and comes into this matchup with 10 steals across his last 24 outings.
Saves Specialists
Abner Uribe (MIL)
With Trevor Megill landing on the IL, Uribe looks like the best option for saves. He has a 1.71 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 11.1 K/9 rate while recording the Brewers most recent save.
Ryan Walker (SF)
With Camilo Doval being traded and Randy Rodriguez landing on the IL, Walker is back to closing duties. He had a 1.91 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 10 saves last year and picked up the most recent San Fran save. Walker has also only allowed one run since July 22.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
