It’s hard to believe, but we have less than a month remaining in the baseball season. It’s always funny how the season feels like it’s crawling along, and then it’s just randomly over one day. It always makes me sad when that happens because the everyday grind of baseball is probably my favorite aspect of the sport. There’s something about it that mimics everyday life, and it’s genuinely a day-by-day process that we’re all trying to improve. I hope we’ve done that with our streamers, and we will look to finish the final month strong!
With that said, let’s dive into the matchups and then the streamers!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Pittsburgh Pirates (at CHC, vs. WAS)
Seattle Mariners (at OAK, at STL)
Tampa Bay Rays (vs. MIN, at BAL)
Texas Rangers (vs. NYY, vs. LAA)
6 Games
Atlanta Braves (vs. COL, vs. TOR)
Baltimore Orioles (vs. CWS, vs. TB)
Milwaukee Brewers (vs. STL, vs. COL)
New York Yankees (at TEX, at CHC)
Pitching Streamers
Nick Pivetta/Bryan Bello, BOS (vs. CWS)
We rarely recommend two players together on the same team, but we’d use any one of our streamers against the White Sox. This team will struggle to get to 40 wins, sitting last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA. They’re lapping the field in all those statistics, and it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to do anything against pitchers like these.
Let’s start with Pivetta, who provides a 3.48 xFIP, 1.16 WHIP, and a 30 percent K rate. He comes into this matchup struggling, but he has an elite 11.9 K/9 rate over the last two months. He also threw seven scoreless innings in his last matchup with Chicago, striking out seven batters in that gem. Bello is coming off a masterpiece of his own, throwing eight scoreless innings against Toronto. He also allowed just two hits while striking out nine batters and has now allowed one run or fewer in three of his last four starts.
Streamonator Valuation: $35.7/$28
Cody Bradford/Andrew Heaney, TEX (vs. LAA)
Let’s keep the two-pitcher trend going with this pair of Texas arms. Bradford has quietly been one of the best pitchers in the AL when fully healthy, allowing three runs or fewer in all nine of his starts. The lefty also has a 2.49 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in those outings despite facing some of the best offenses in baseball. Heaney has also stepped up in the second half, sporting a 3.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 9.4 K/9 rate across his last 13 starts.
All of that makes these Texas pitchers some enticing streamers, but a home matchup with the Angels is the icing on the cake. Los Angeles ranks 26th or 27th in runs scored, OBP, and wOBA. That should also have both of these guys entering these matchups as massive favorites, with both guys likely being -200 favorites against a team missing Mike Trout and Luis Rengifo.
Streamonator Valuation: $12.6/$13.1
MacKenzie Gore, WAS (at MIA)
Gore was a must-roster player when he had a 2.91 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 11.0 K/9 rate through the first two months of the season, but a midseason swoon forced him to almost every waiver wire out there. The good news is that he’s starting to find it again, and we’re willing to ride him as one of our streamers. The southpaw has allowed two runs or fewer in three of his last four starts, posting a 2.25 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in his two most recent outings. That’s a small sample size, but we’re willing to bet it will continue in a road matchup with Miami. Not only is Marlins Park one of the best pitcher’s parks in baseball, but Miami ranks 29th in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA. In their one matchup, Gore struck out 10 batters across seven one-run innings.
Streamonator Valuation: $16.7
Frankie Montas, MIL (vs. COL)
Montas wasn’t great through the opening month of the year, but something happened once he was traded to Milwaukee. Since that trade, the righty has allowed four runs or fewer in six straight starts, generating a 3.33 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 9.3 K/9 rate in five starts with his new club. That’s closer to the guy we’ve seen over recent years, with Montas maintaining a 3.86 ERA and 1.26 WHIP since 2019. The best part about this is a home matchup with Colorado. The Rockies rank 26th in xwOBA and 29th in K rate while ranked last in nearly every road statistic over the last five years. He’s gone at least seven innings in both matchups with the Rockies this year, posting a 3.21 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 10.3 K/9 rate.
Streamonator Valuation: $53.1
JP Sears, OAK (vs. SEA)
Sears’ numbers at the end of the season will always make him look like a league-average pitcher, but this guy seems to pitch well in good matchups. That’s what we have here because Seattle sits 26th in runs scored, 27th in OBP, 28th in wOBA and last in K rate. They’re on pace to tie the worst strikeout rate in MLB history, and Sears can be successful against a lineup like that. He’s allowed at least five runs in five games against Houston, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Cleveland, but he has a 2.69 ERA and 1.06 WHIP if you take out those stinkers. We’re willing to do that since he squares off with Seattle, especially since Sears has a 1.86 ERA and 1.01 WHIP and six starts against them!
Streamonator Valuation: $-0.3
Hitting Streamers
Whit Merrifield, ATL (vs. COL, vs. TOR)
This is one of the worst weeks for hitting streamers we’ve had all season, but Merrifield is an interesting option. This guy has played for four teams over the last three years but has found a home in ATL. The speedster has been the Braves leadoff hitter for the last two weeks, providing a .427 OBP, .450 SLG, and .877 OPS in his first 25 games with his new team. The last few days have been terrible, but we’re talking about a guy who averaged nearly 30 steals per year as a Top 50 player in his days with KC. We believe he can keep that form going in these matchups, facing a Colorado team that ranks last in ERA and WHIP while Toronto ranks 25th in ERA.
Ryan O’Hearn, BAL (vs. CWS, vs. TB)
O’Hearn is always an intriguing option whenever Baltimore has a schedule full of righties, which we have this week. The Orioles have five of their six games against right-handers, facing a Chicago team that ranks 29th in ERA and WHIP. Tampa is also far from terrifying, trading away many of their good pitchers at the trade deadline. We love that when examining O’Hearn’s splits, sporting a .284 AVG, .339 OBP, and .801 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor since the start of last season. That’s why he typically bats between fourth and sixth in these circumstances, and we didn’t even discuss his consistency. The southpaw slugger has not been below a .773 OPS since the opening week.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Jose Caballero (TB)
Caballero has started in nine of the last 10 games and has been creeping to the close of the heart of the Rays lineup. That’s massive since he’s one of the league leaders with 37 steals!
Victor Robles (SEA)
Robles has been hitting leadoff a ton for Seattle, swiping 15 bases over his last 33 games. That’s superb since Seattle has one of the best schedules of the week!
Saves Specialists
Jason Foley (DET)
Foley fell out of favor in the middle of the season, but he’s recaptured the closer’s gig in Detroit. The righty hasn’t allowed a run since August 1, recording four saves over the last two weeks!
Calvin Fauchner (MIA)
This guy is still rostered in only 20 percent of leagues, and it’s hard to understand why. Fauchner has recorded every save since the Tanner Scott trade, including five saves in his last 11 appearances!
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
