LOGIN

All five streamers performed admirably last week! That’s been the case throughout the year, though, and I’m ready to keep riding the wave here. With that said, the one-start streamers are much more trustworthy than the two-start guys this week, so don’t be afraid to ride those pitchers harder this week. Haha, that sounds funny, but you know what I mean.

Two-Start Streamers

Cole Irvin, OAK (vs. SEA, vs. LAA)

This southpaw has been yet another beautiful find by Billy Beane. After struggling in Philly last season, Oakland chose to give this guy a chance in Spring Training, and he had some of the best numbers in Arizona. That form earned him a spot in this rotation, generating a 3.02 ERA and 1.07 WHIP before struggling against the Astros in his last start. Many pitchers are coping with that lineup right now, though, so we can omit that with such tasty matchups this week.

The first one against Seattle is sensational. The Mariners currently rank 26th in K rate, 27th in xwOBA, and dead-last on OBP. That’s no surprise when you look at this lackluster lineup, and they’ve been even worse against lefties. The second matchup against the Angels isn’t quite as easy, but now that Mike Trout is out, we certainly aren’t worried about it. They currently rank 19th in xwOBA, and a lot of that is boosted because of Trout’s tremendous averages. We also love that Irvin gets two starts at Oakland Coliseum, one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in baseball. The Streamonator likes him too, projecting him to provide $20.8 worth of value.

Cole Irvin Streamers

Matt Shoemaker, MIN (vs. BAL, vs. KC)

Shoemaker has been inconsistent at times this season, to say the least, but that’s not the norm for this bearded wonder. We’re talking about a guy who had a 3.86 ERA and 1.18 WHIP through the first eight years of his career. Those are numbers that are hard to find from one of your streamers, and it can allow us to overlook a slow start to the season. He’s still had three great starts this year against poor offenses, and that’s certainly going to be the case for him this week.

Let’s kick things off by talking about the Orioles. This team has been a nightmare ever since the Mark Trumbo, Adam Jones, and Manny Machado days, ranked 23rd in OPS, 27th in OBP, and 25th in xwOBA. It’s not like the Royals have been much better, sitting 23rd in OBP, 22nd in OPS, and 21st in wOBA. The best part of this might be that he gets two home starts, which should make him a decent bet for at least one win as well.

One-Start Streamers

Yusei Kikuchi, SEA (vs. TEX)

Guys, C’Mon! Kikuchi is still available in a quarter of leagues on CBS and Fantrax and is about 50 percent owned on Yahoo! This is absolutely criminal because Yusei needs to be owned in every league out there! He’s actually been one of our streamers in nearly every article this year, and his numbers show that we’re doing something right. The left-hander has a 4.22 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 9.5 K/9 rate through eight starts, with his only two duds coming against the Astros and Red Sox.

That’s backed by an even more impressive 3.40 xFIP, which is scary since he’s gotten his velocity north of 95 MPH on his fastball. The best part of this play is the matchup, though, with Texas ranked 23rd in K rate, 22nd in OBP, and 21st in xwOBA. The Streamonator loves Kikuchi, too, projecting him to provide $25.2 worth of value, one of the highest totals of any of our streamers all year.

Rich Hill, TB (vs. KC)

Hill has also been a regular in this article, and he’s yet another guy that needs to be universally owned. He’s been nothing but productive for six years now, pitching to a 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 26 percent K rate in that span. Those are All-Star caliber numbers, and it’s just the health aspect that’s kept him from being a fantasy ace. He looks healthy this year, though, throwing over 100 pitches in his last starts and owning a 0.98 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 10.1 K/9 rate over his last five starts. Those are Jacob deGrom-like numbers, and it appears Tampa has found yet another diamond in the rough. We already discussed how good of a matchup KC is, so that obviously adds to his intrigue.

David Peterson, NYM (vs. COL)

As someone who lives in Denver and watches enough Rockies baseball to make anyone crazy, I can tell you that this is one of the worst offenses I’ve seen. They’ve been particularly bad on the road, owning a .573 OPS. Yes, you read that correctly. That’s backed up by the fact that they sit dead-last in BA, runs scored, and OBP as well, regularly scoring 1-2 runs on a nightly basis. That makes Peterson one of the best streamers of the week, with the southpaw owning a 3.97 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 10.9 K/9 rate since struggling in the opener. He’s obviously got better splits at home too, which is no surprise when you look at the spacious dimensions of Citi Field. The Streamonator agrees with our assessment, projecting DP to provide $20.9 worth of value.

Jon Gray, COL (at PIT)

People outside of Colorado may not realize this, but Gray has had a really nice year. Gray had a 2.93 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 8.6 K.9 rate before struggling against San Diego in his last start. That’s far from concerning when you see the drop-off in competition here, facing a putrid Pirates lineup. In fact, Pittsburgh ranks 24th in OBP, 28th in OPS, and dead-last in wOBACON. Getting out of Coors Field makes Gray even more enticing, with PNC Park being one of the best pitchers parks in baseball too. Riding Rockies pitchers as streamers is always a risky proposition, but this is one of the few times I’m willing to grab the paddle.

Streamers to Consider

Spencer Turnbull, DET (vs. CLE, vs. NYY)

Turnbull just threw a no-hitter and should be a solid bet against two decent matchups. With that said, the Yankees matchup terrifies me with Giancarlo Stanton returning, which is why he didn’t get a write-up. We’ll give him a fun picture, though!

Vince Velasquez, PHI (at MIA)

Velasquez was in this article in the same matchup last week, so we’re going right back to the well.

Alex Cobb, LAA (vs. TEX)

Cobb has had a handful of brilliant starts this season and could continue that against this terrible Texas lineup.

JT Brubaker, PIT (vs. COL)

The Rockies have the worst road numbers in MLB and will likely struggle against a talented rookie like Brubaker.

Feel free to comment me here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!