I’m going to approach this article a little differently this week. Before writing this piece, I always formulate a list of streamers that I like for the next week, and I had more names listed than ever before. In fact, I had nearly 20 pitchers marked down as potential streamers! I’m going to provide my usual write-up for the two-start guys, but I’m going to do short clips of all the one-start guys I love as well. I have reason to believe that all of these pitchers can be successful this week, and I’ll let you guys pick and choose among the bunch.
Two Start Streamers
Touki Touissant, ATL (at MIA, at BAL)
It took about 14 injuries for Touki to get his shot, but he’s doing work in this rotation and is now one of the best streamers out there. Outside of one atrocious start against Milwaukee, Touki has a 2.35 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 8.6 K/9 rate. That’s the stud we’ve been waiting to see, with Touissant tallying a 3.48 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 9.8 K/9 rate at Double-A and Triple-A. We believe he can maintain those averages in matchups like these, facing two of the worst offenses in baseball. Miami currently ranks dead-last in xwOBA while Baltimore sits 25th in OBP and 21st in xwOBA. We also don’t mind the fact that Touki gets out of a hitter’s haven like SunTrust Park, generating a 2.19 ERA and 0.97 WHIP on the road this year.
Cal Quantrill, CLE (at MIN, vs. LAA)
Quantrill was a guy that I used to stack against in DFS, but he looks like a different pitcher right now. While he struggles to strike batters out, Quantrill has a 1.71 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over his last seven starts. That’s an incredible run, and it’s no surprise with the way Cleveland churns out starters. Based on some statistics, the matchups might look tough, but they’re not the same offenses that we saw earlier in the year. Minnesota is missing Nelson Cruz and Byron Buxton, while Los Angeles is playing without Anthony Rendon and Mike Trout. That’s a lot of scary hitting out of those lineups, and it should allow Quantrill to build off of his impressive run.
David Price, LAD (vs. PIT, vs. NYM)
Price is probably the highest-owned pitcher of this group of streamers, but he’s still available in well over half the leagues out there. That’s a huge surprise considering we’re talking about a former All-Star who’s slinging the ball for the Dodgers. He’s been all over the place as a reliever, but his numbers as a starter are hard to argue with. Since the end of June, Price has a 3.26 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. That’s the stud we saw in the past, and pitching in a place like Dodgers Stadium should be even more beneficial to his impressive arsenal.
The matchups are simply a bonus, with Pittsburgh ranked 28th in xwOBA, dead-last in runs scored, and 29th in both wOBA and OPS. New York isn’t much better, sitting 28th in scoring and 23rd in xwOBACON. This happens to be the best bet from The Streamonator this wee too, projecting him to provide a 3.36 ERA and 1.10 WHIP en route to $25.8 worth of value.
One-Start Streamers
Ranger Suarez, PHI (at ARI)
Suarez was a dominant reliever for the Phils, and it looks like he might be a dominant starter. He’s now down to a 1.07 ERA and 0.87 WHIP after 4.1 one-run innings in his last start, indicating that he’s getting close to a full workload. We love that against an Arizona team that ranks 21st in OBP, 20th in K rate, 26th in OPS, and 29th in xwOBA.
Nestor Cortes, NYY (vs. MIN)
Cortes is another guy that’s been shifted from the bullpen to the rotation, and it’s done wonders for his fantasy value. The southpaw is pitching to a 2.70 ERA and 1.06 WHIP this year and gets a good matchup here. Minnesota is now without Cruz and Buxton, sitting 17th in OBP and struggling to limp to the finish line.
Steven Matz, TOR (vs. DET)
Matz has allowed four runs or fewer in 11-straight starts, generating a 3.91 ERA and 9.2 K/9 rate in that span. His WHIP is ugly in that stretch, but that shouldn’t be a major issue in this matchup with Detroit. The Motor City Kitties rank 22nd in OBP and 26th in K rate. This is one of The Streamonator’s favorite picks of the week, too, projecting Matz to provide $10.8 worth of value.
Tarik Skubal, DET (vs. LAA)
Skubal has quietly had a really nice season for Detroit, pitching to a 3.79 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 10.1 K/9 rate since the opening week of the season. That’s fantastic news since he hasn’t allowed a run over his last two outings, which could happen again versus the Angels. LA’s stats don’t tell the story, but missing Rendon and Trout should give you a good idea of how weak this lineup is.
Vladimir Gutierrez, CIN (vs. CHC)
This is one of my favorite streamers of the week. Vlad has actually gone at least six innings in four straight starts, allowing two runs or fewer in each of them. That’s led to a 1.78 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in that span, and we certainly don’t expect a Cubs lineup that traded Javy Baez, Kris Bryant, and Anthony Rizzo to get to him.
Huascar Ynoa, ATL (at MIA)
Don’t look now, but it looks like Atlanta is getting back another solid starter! Ynoa was one of the breakouts of the first month and he should be sitting on a ton of waiver wire. We can’t ask for anymore, considering that he faces a 27th-ranked Marlins offense in one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in baseball.
Dylan Bundy, LAA (at DET)
There’s some talk about how Bundy has changed his mechanics, and it’s hard to overlook a guy this talented trying to turn things around. Since his adjustment, Bundy has a 3.45 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over his last four appearances, and we certainly don’t mind that he gets a matchup with the Motor City Kitties.
Brad Keller, KC (at CHC)
In his most recent start, Keller just got bombarded by the Cardinals, but he appeared to be pitching much better before that. In fact, BK had a 2.93 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 8.5 K/9 rate in his previous five starts, which is on par with what he did last year. We also love that he faces the Cubs, ranked 26th in xwOBA and dead-last in K rate.
Michael Pineda/Griffin Jax, MIN (vs. CLE)
We’ve discussed Pineda in numerous articles, so we don’t really need to go over his exploits. On the other hand, Jax has not been discussed much, but 10 Ks and a quality start against the White Sox is hard to neglect. That gives him a 2.66 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 8.0 K/9 rate since his most recent call-up. We love that against the Indians, and we’ll discuss that in the next write-up.
Jaime Barria, LAA (at CLE)
Let’s kick things off by talking about Cleveland. The Indians currently rank 29th in OBP, 23rd in OPS, and 21st in runs scored, making them one of the best matchups in baseball right now. That’s bad news with the way Barria is bludgeoning bats, pitching to a 2.90 ERA and 0.89 WHIP since struggling in his opening start.
Tyler Anderson/Chris Flexen/Marco Gonzales, SEA (at TEX)
All three of these guys are attractive options against the Rangers. Texas currently ranks dead-last in OBP, OPS, and wOBA. That makes anyone intriguing against them, but all three of these guys have been great. Anderson has allowed three runs or fewer in all but three starts this year, while Marco threw a one-run complete game against them over the weekend. Flex is right there with him, owning a 0.69 ERA and 0.62 WHIP in his last two starts against the Rangers.
Adbert Alzolay, CHC (vs. KC)
This dude was terrible on Friday night, but he’s still got loads of potential. The right-hander has a 1.16 WHIP and gets to face a 24th-ranked Royals offense here.
Feel free to comment me here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
