Last week’s article had some hits and misses, but that’s to be expected when recommending streamers. These recommendations are always naturally speculative, simply because most of these guys are on the waiver wire. There’s a reason nobody was rostering them in the first place or dropped them altogether. That’s what we love about streamers, though, because finding those diamonds in the rough to help you win a week is one of the best fantasy baseball feelings. With that said, let’s take a look at the favorable matchups for this week and then get into the streamers!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Arizona Diamondbacks (vs. SF, vs. COL)
Atlanta Braves (at MIA, vs. WAS)
Colorado Rockies (vs. TEX, at ARI)
Los Angeles Angels (vs. ATH, vs. TEX)
New York Mets (at WAS, at MIA)
New York Yankees (vs. TOR, vs. TB)
6 Games
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. CIN, vs. CLE)
San Francisco Giants (at ARI, vs. CWS)
Seattle Mariners (vs. CWS, at KC)
Tampa Bay Rays (vs. BAL, at NYY)
Texas Rangers (at COL, at LAA)
Pitching Streamers
Arizona Diamondbacks Rotation (vs. SF, vs. COL)
(Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Mike Soroka)
I’ve never done this with my streamers, but this is a unique situation. Not only are all five of these guys fringe options in nearly every fantasy league, but they have the best possible schedule this week. The Diamondbacks have seven home games against the San Fran and Colorado. The Rockies have ranked dead-last in nearly every offensive road statistic over the last 10 years, while the Giants rank either 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA this season. That’s a recipe for Arizona to have a monster week and for these pitchers to boost their numbers.
Gallen and Nelson are the two best options because those guys have two starts this week. Nelson is the best of the bunch, posting a 2.33 ERA and 0.67 WHIP across his last three starts. Gallen has been horrific all season, but this is still a guy who had a 3.58 career ERA and 1.16 WHIP coming into the year. E-Rod has been one of the biggest surprises for this rotation, registering a 2.25 ERA and 1.21 WHIP this season. Kelly is coming off a complete game against the Rockies, while Soroka gets to face them this week. Soroka had one dud against the Brewers but has a 2.01 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 rate across his other seven starts this season.
Streamonator Valuation: $4.5/$45.1/$43.7/$13.7/$44.8
Luis Severino, ATH (at LAA)
If you’ve been following Severino’s tenure with the A’s, you know when to ride him as one of your streamers. This is one of those spots because Severino squares off against a subpar lineup on the road. Something about Severino’s mindset changes when he leaves Sacramento, with the righty totaling a 3.02 ERA and 1.07 WHIP on the road last season. He’s also allowed two runs or fewer in five of six road starts this season while allowing just five total runs across his last four starts. That’s a perfect recipe against a lineup like this because Los Angeles has the worst K rate in baseball since the start of last season. He had two starts against the Angels last year, amassing a 4.09 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 9.8 K/9 rate in those matchups.
Streamonator Valuation: $1.1
Keider Montero, DET (vs. CLE)
Montero has been a regular in my streamers’ piece this season, and it’s difficult to understand why everyone is sleeping on this guy. He’s by no means a special pitcher, but there aren’t many better streamers who can provide an elite WHIP like this guy. Montero has maintained a 3.65 ERA and 0.99 WHIP through eight starts this year. It’s bizarre to find a pitcher with a sub-1.00 WHIP on the waiver wire, especially one who pitches in one of the most spacious ballparks in baseball. Montero has a 3.14 ERA and 0.94 WHIP at home this year while throwing 6.1 scoreless innings in his only career matchup with Cleveland. Not to mention, the Guardians rank 22nd in xwOBA so far this year.
Streamonator Valuation: $-12.0
Lucas Giolito, SD (vs. ATH)
This isn’t so much a streamer’s recommendation for this week as much as it’s a reminder to keep an eye on this guy. Giolito was a must-roster player in the past, and landing in a pitcher’s park could be just what Giolito needs to get back on track. It’s not like he was off-roading too far anyway, with Giolito generating a 3.49 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with the Red Sox last season. He also showcased some nasty stuff throughout his minor league rehab assignment, allowing just three baserunners and one run across six innings in his final tune-up start. The A’s are also far from a scary lineup outside of Sacramento, projected to score only four runs in this game. This might bomb in your face, but it’s also possible that Giolito will be rostered in every fantasy league three weeks from now, if he gets off to a hot start.
Streamonator Valuation: $NA
Trevor McDonald, SF (vs. CWS)
I honestly didn’t know much about this guy until I saw him throw a solid game against the Dodgers. What really piqued our interest was his first start, though, allowing just two hits across seven one-run innings in a matchup with the Padres. Those two starts have McDonald sitting with a 2.92 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. That’s quite the start to his career, but McDonald had a 1.80 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across three starts last year. These good games are starting to turn into consistency, and it should continue in a matchup with Chicago. The White Sox rank bottom five in runs scored, OBP, xwOBA and K rate since the start of last season, with San Fran having one of the best pitcher’s parks in MLB.
Streamonator Valuation: $-5.1
Hitting Streamers
Trent Grisham, NYY (vs. TOR, vs. TB)
Grisham has been an intriguing option as one of our streamers ever since he joined the Yankees last season. The most important variable for Grisham is how many righties he faces in a week, and that’s why he’s an optimal streamer this week. Not only do the Yankees have seven games, but six of them are against right-handers! That means Grisham will be a leadoff hitter for one of the best lineups for six games this week! That’s no surprise when seeing his stupendous splits, sporting a .364 OBP and .869 OPS against righties last year. We’re starting to see some glimpses of a surge, too, with Grisham generating a .822 OPS across his last 12 outings.
JJ Bleday, CIN (at PHI, vs. STL)
Why is Bleday still available in so many leagues? I’m not so sure he’ll keep this ridiculous run going for more than another month, but Bleday needs to be rostered in every league until we see him cool off. This outfielder has now played 17 games this season while providing a .465 OBP and 1.241 OPS. Those are averages you’d usually see from Barry Bonds, but we’re getting them from one of our streamers! The major concern has been his playing time, but Bleday has now played in 16 straight games while hitting between second and cleanup in this dangerous Reds lineup. That proves Cincy trusts this guy right now, and we love that he has seven games this week in two hitters’ havens.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Esteury Ruiz (MIA)
Ruiz has been a SAGNOF darling in the past, and it’s funny he’s back in fantasy relevance. He had an absurd 67 steals for the A’s in 2023 and has six steals over his last eight outings.
Nasim Nunez (WAS)
Nunez has been a regular in this article all season, recording 18 steals so far this year. He won’t provide much else, but he looks to be on pace for 50 steals this year.
Saves Specialists
Rico Garcia (BAL)
Ryan Helsley is projected to return in two weeks, but Garcia is an elite option for saves until then. Garcia has a 0.47 ERA and 0.42 WHIP while recording two of the last three saves for the O’s.
Gregory Soto (PIT)
Soto has stolen the Pittsburgh closer’s gig from Dennis Santana. This southpaw has three wins and three saves over his last nine appearances while posting a 2.42 ERA and 0.85 WHIP this year.
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!
