There are very few weeks when I feel uncomfortable with our streamers, but this is one of them. There just weren’t many great options this week for whatever reason, so we’re diving deeper than usual. That will leave us some risky streamers, but it should be fun to see how things play out. Our streamers have been stepping up all season, but the nature of streaming is naturally risky. These guys are on the waiver wire for a reason, so show some caution when riding streamers this week. With that in mind, let’s look at the favorable matchups and then dive into those streamers!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Baltimore Orioles (at MIA, vs. ATH)
Chicago Cubs (vs. CIN, at TEX)
Miami Marlins (vs. BAL, vs. WAS)
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. ATH, vs. COL)
6 Games
Los Angeles Angels (vs. COL, at TOR)
Minnesota Twins (at WAS, at CLE)
New York Mets (at COL, at ARI)
Seattle Mariners (vs. ATL, at CWS)
Toronto Blue Jays (at TEX, vs. LAA)
Pitching Streamers
Bailey Ober, MIN (at WAS)
Ober used to be a fantasy darling in the past before playing Home Run Derby throughout the last few seasons, but it appears he’s recaptured some of that form. The right-hander has allowed four runs or fewer in all seven starts this season while sporting a 3.55 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He’s also surrendered just four dingers all year, which is really encouraging since he has a 1.47 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across his last three starts.
Anytime you get a former must-roster player performing like this, he needs to be on your streamers’ radar because Ober could become a must-roster player if this continues. Matching up with Washington looks scary on the surface, but this lineup was one of the worst in baseball last season. Most of these Nats bats haven’t even seen Ober, with righty allowing just one run across 5.2 innings in their only matchup over the last five years! Not seeing a pitcher’s stuff is always a beneficial factor for one of our streamers.
Streamonator Valuation: $5.1
German Marquez/Griffin Canning, SD (at SF)
I might be an idiot, but I believe in Marquez to some extent. As someone who lives in Colorado and watches the Rockies regularly, he was their best pitcher over the last decade. The numbers didn’t always prove that, but signing with San Diego seems like the perfect landing spot. He had a 4.40 ERA and 1.26 WHIP between 2018 and 2023, despite dealing with the nightmarish conditions in Coors Field. People forget that, since he was blasted in his final season with the Rockies, but the stuff is there to be a solid pitcher in San Diego. He had a 3.31 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across four starts before getting blown up in his last outing, and we believe he can recapture that here.
Canning is not necessarily a great option as one of your streamers this week, but he could be a sneaky add. He’s projected to return from the IL this week, and he’s been a must-roster player in the past. He had a 2.90 ERA and 1.32 WHIP through 12 starts last season but missed most of the year due to an Achilles tear. The good news is that he’s fully healthy now, tallying a 3.60 ERA and 10.8 K/9 rate through five starts during his minor league rehab assignment. We love that since he faces a minor league-type lineup in San Fran here, with the Giants ranked 29th or 30th in OBP, wOBA, xwOBA and runs scored.
Streamonator Valuation: -19.8$/$NA
Keider Montero, DET (at KC)
We had Montero as one of our streamers two weeks ago, and we’re going right back to the well. This Tigers righty has allowed four runs or fewer in all five starts en route to a 4.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. What makes that even more impressive is that Montero has a 2.36 xERA and 2.93 FIP. That tells us he could be even better as we advance, and we love this matchup with Kansas City. The Royals rank 17th in K rate, 20th in wOBA and 23rd in runs scored. Montero has also had success against them throughout his career, compiling a 4.08 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in three starts against them. We don’t expect anything special from Montero, but he’s one of the best bets to throw a quality start from the available streamers.
Streamonator Valuation: $-10
Janson Junk, MIA (vs. WAS)
Junk was aptly named when he had a 6.75 ERA and 1.77 WHIP through his first four seasons, but that’s a thing of the past. He had those atrocious averages across just 40 innings, but something has changed since the start of last season. Junk had a 4.17 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in a breakout campaign last year and has backed that with a 3.00 ERA and 1.06 WHIP this season. His recent form is even more ridiculous, throwing 11 scoreless innings across his last two starts. That’s quite the run against teams like the Dodgers and Cardinals, so it’s clear Junk has found something in his arsenal. Toeing the rubber in a pitcher’s park like Loan Depot only adds to his intrigue, especially since he allowed just two hits across 5.2 scoreless innings in a matchup with Washington last year.
Streamonator Valuation: $-14.3
Tyler Mahle, SF (vs. PIT)
The numbers from Mahle are far from impressive, but he’s always a viable pick as one of our streamers. We say that because he had a 3.61 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP from 2020 to 2025. He also had a 2.18 ERA and 1.13 WHIP last season with Texas, so signing with San Fran looked like a sexy spot since it’s one of the most spacious parks in baseball. That hasn’t proven to be the case yet, but there are some signs.
Mahle has completed at least 5.2 scoreless innings in two of his last four starts, doing that damage against the Dodgers and Phillies. It’s no surprise that both of those were in spacious San Fran, with Mahle amassing a 1.84 ERA and 1.14 WHIP at home over the last three years. There’s something special about sleeping in your own bed before your start, and we’re not worried about a Pittsburgh team that was one of the worst offenses in baseball last season.
Streamonator Valuation: $12.2
Hitting Streamers
Brandon Marsh, PHI (vs. ATH, vs. COL)
Randy’s clearly excited about Brandon’s potential this week, but let’s clean things up a little. We can’t get Marsh’s beard too messy because we need another big week as one of our streamers. He’s quietly been one of the Phillies best bats through the opening month, providing a .303 AVG and .809 OPS. That’s all you can hope for from one of your hitting streamers, especially since Marsh has catapulted up to the heart of this dangerous lineup. The best part about all of this is that he matches up with the Rockies and A’s in seven home starts. Those are two of the worst pitching staffs in baseball, and it’ll likely have the Phillies as the highest-projected lineup of the week. They’ll likely be projected to score 35 runs in this seven-game week, and Marsh doesn’t sit against southpaws anymore, either.
Jorge Soler, LAA (vs. CWS, vs. TOR)
Most fans only realize that Soler is on the Angels because Reynaldo Lopez was trying to inject a baseball into his brain a few weeks ago, but he’s quietly had a bounce-back season for the Halos. The former top prospect for the Cubs has an .809 OPS as their everyday cleanup hitter. It’s actually the third time he has a .780 OPS over the last four seasons. Soler also has a .339 OBP, .515 SLG and .855 OPS across his last 26 outings. That’s quite the start, and we love that he has six games at home against two favorable pitching staffs. Not only does he face two lefties, but Chicago ranks 23rd in ERA and 24th in xwOBA, while Toronto ranks 20th in ERA.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Cedric Mullins (TB)
Mullins was a fantasy stud at times in the past, and he’s showing why in Tampa. He has six steals over his last 20 games, despite posting a .211 OBP in that span. Imagine how much he’d steal if he actually got hot!
Oswald Peraza (LAA)
We already talked about how we love LA’s schedule, and it’s encouraging to see Peraza play every day. That has allowed Peraza to record a steal in four of his last 13 fixtures while hitting .297 in that span.
Saves Specialists
Tyler Phillips (MIA)
With Pete Fairbanks landing on the IL, Phillips is the next man up. He slapped himself in the face a few times and picked up a clean save over the Dodgers in his most recent outing. Those slaps clearly work, with Phillips providing a 1.47 ERA.
Kirby Yates (LAA)
This Angels bullpen has been one of the worst in the history of baseball, and they need Yates to come in and save the day. He’s close to returning from his rehab assignment and had 33 saves with the Rangers just two years ago.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions! Also, feel free to check out my Waiver Wire article from yesterday!
Which SP do you like ROS: Tolle or Vasquez? Thanks
2 starts for Junk next week