I’ve been crushing these streamers since the All-Star break but last week was terrible. It was easily one of my worst weeks of the year, and that’s simply going to happen at times with the volatility of baseball. I was a bit hesitant picking streamers last week, but that’s certainly not the case here. Those crappy recommendations have me locked in and ready to provide you with some great plays this week. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with the arms!
Pitching Streamers
Jose Quintana, STL (vs. COL, at ARI)
Quintana has revived his career this season, and it’s hard to understand what’s happened over recent years. This former stud has been a gas can since 2018, but he’s got a 3.37 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in what’s been a resurgent 2022 season. That’s the guy we saw before 2018, and St. decided to take a swing on him at the trade deadline. He’s rewarded them with some pristine pitching, providing a 1.09 ERA and 0.89 WHIP across his last four starts. That makes it hard to understand why he’s so widely available, and we couldn’t ask for better matchups. Colorado is always one of the worst offenses in baseball outside of Coors Field, while Arizona ranks 24th in OBP, 22nd in OPS, and 23rd in xwOBA. It’s also two pitcher-friendly ballparks, and it has Quintana projected to provide over $20 worth of value, according to The Streamonator.
Justin Steele, CHC (at WAS)
Pitchers on crappy teams always go overlooked at this time of the year, but Man of Steele looks like one of the best streamers of the year. The Chicago southpaw has allowed three runs or fewer in 11 of his last 12 starts, generating a 2.48 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 8.8 K/9 rate across his last 11 outings. He’s had the benefit of facing some easy teams in that superb stretch, but this Nationals lineup might be the worst in baseball. They lost Josh Bell and Juan Soto at the trade deadline, sitting 26th in runs scored and 23rd in OPS. Those numbers are inflated by those All-Stars, and we saw Steele slice them up with nine Ks across six two-run innings on August 10.
Alex Cobb, SF (vs. ARI)
Cobb has probably taken the crown for my most used streamer of the season, and it’s difficult to understand why fantasy managers have been sleeping on this guy. He’s been a beast for two months now, tallying a 3.06 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 8.9 K/9 rate across his last 11 starts. His advanced numbers back up that stretch, posting a 2.83 xFIP, 3.10 SIERA, and 25 percent K rate this year. Those are numbers you typically see from an All-Star, let alone a guy sitting on most waiver wires. We already discussed how atrocious Arizona has been this season, and they’re only going to be projected for 3.5 runs at Oracle Park. The Streamonator sees that too, projecting Cobb to provide $29.6 worth of value.
Aaron Civale/Cal Quantrill, CLE (vs. DET)
Both of these Cleveland arms are in fantastic spots. Anyone facing Detroit is tough to avoid, with the Motor City Kitties ranked 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA. That will have them as massive underdogs in both games, with both of these guys being great bets for quality starts.
Let’s start with the riskier of the two, which happens to be Civale. The season-long numbers from this former top prospect are horrendous, but a 2.25 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 8.3 K/8 rate across his last three starts is a really encouraging sign. That’s the guy we saw in 2019 and 2021, and it looks like a trip to the IL is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Quantrill has been much more reliable all season, registering a 3.67 ERA and 1.22 WHIP for the year. He’s also entering this matchup after shutting out the Blue Jays and Astros in his two most recent outings, so he should destroy this disastrous Detroit lineup.
Streamers to Consider
Graham Ashcraft, CIN (at PIT)
Ashcroft has nasty stuff, and it’s going to be tough for a 28th-ranked Pittsburgh offense to get anything going off of him.
Marco Gonzales, SEA (at OAK)
The A’s have the worst offense in baseball, and a quality start machine like Marco can definitely hold them at bay.
Hitting Streamers
Daniel Vogelbach, NYM (at ATL, at PHI) 8 Games
I rarely recommend a hitter with such tough matchups, but there’s a lot in favor of Vogelbach here. His biggest asset this week is the eight-game schedule because no one else in baseball gets eight games this week. He’s the only player in the heart of this order that’s widely available, and he also gets the benefit of facing seven righties this week! That means the beefy stud should be in the lineup almost every game, totaling a .280 AVG, .390 OBP, .547 SLG, and .937 OPS against right-handers this year. We love that with his recent form, amassing a .341 AVG, .471 OBP, and 1.056 OPS across his last 14 games played. Get your milkshakes ready!
Joc Pederson, SF (vs. ARI, at COL) 7 Games
Pederson has been mired in a slump for nearly two months now, but this dude could thrive in matchups like these. He was clearly hampered by injury in his midseason slump, but a hit in five of his six games since coming off the IL is a promising sign. We’re still talking about a slugger who slaughters right-handed pitching, accumulating a .337 OBP, .500 SLG, and .837 OPS against them this year. That’s big news since he faces five righties this week in two of the worst pitching staffs in baseball. In fact, Colorado ranks 28th in ERA and 29th in WHIP, while Arizona is 22nd in ERA and 23rd in wOBA. We obviously don’t mind that he also has three games at Coors!
Josh Naylor, CLE, (vs. DET, vs. CWS) 7 Games
I always think this guy’s name is Joey Naylor whenever I see J Naylor in the box score and if you’re familiar with the film Thank You for Smoking, you know where that comes from. In any case, this is Josh, and he mashes baseballs! While he’s rarely in the lineup against left-handers, Naylor always hits cleanup against righties. That’s wonderful for this week, with the Guardians projected to face six righties in their seven games. They’re certainly not scary righties either, facing guys like Drew Hutchinson, Garrett Hill, Lance Lynn, Johnny Cueto, and a Triple-A arm for Detroit. With the platoon advantage in his favor, Naylor has a .297 AVG, .553 SLG, and .884 OPS. If you get numbers like those for six games this week, you have one of the best streamers of the season!
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
