There are very few weeks when I feel uncomfortable with our broadcasters, but this is one of them. There weren’t many great picks this week for whatever reason, so we’re diving deeper than usual. That will leave us with dangerous broadcasters, but it should be fun to see how things go. Our broadcasters have been stepping up all season, but the nature of streaming is inherently dangerous. These guys are on the waiver wire for a reason, so be careful when you ride the broadcasters this week. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the favorable matchups and get into that broadcast!
Popular Team Games
7 Games
Baltimore Orioles (at MIA, vs. ATH)
Chicago Cubs (vs. CIN, in TEX)
Miami Marlins (vs. BAL, vs. WAS)
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. ATH, vs. COL)
6 Games
Los Angeles Angels (vs. COL, in TOR)
Minnesota Twins (WAS, CLE)
New York Mets (COL, ARI)
Seattle Mariners (vs. ATL, in CWS)
Toronto Blue Jays (at TEX, vs. LAA)
Throwing Streamers
Bailey Ober, MIN (at WAS)
Ober was a hot favorite before hitting the Home Run Derby a few seasons ago, but he seems to have 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 also gave up four dingers on the year, which is really encouraging considering he has a 1.47 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over his last three starts.
Anytime you get a former player who should play like this, you need to be on your broadcasters’ radar because Ober could be the player of choice if this continues. Pairing up with Washington seems daunting on the surface, but this lineup was one of the worst in baseball last season. Most of these Nats bats have never seen Ober, allowing just one run over 5.2 innings in his only game in the last five years! Not seeing the pitcher’s stuff is always an advantage for one of our broadcasters.
Streaming Average: $5.1
German Marquez/Griffin Canning, SD (at SF)
I may be an idiot, but I believe in Marquez to some extent. As someone who lives in Colorado and watches the Rockies regularly, he has been their best pitcher for the past decade. The numbers haven’t always borne that out, but signing with San Diego looks like a good landing spot. He had a 4.40 ERA and 1.26 WHIP between 2018 and 2023, despite facing terrible conditions at Coors Field. People forget that, as he was blown out in his final season with the Rockies, but the things are in place for a strong outfield in San Diego. He had a 3.31 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in four starts before getting blown out in his last outing, and we believe he can repeat that here.
Canning isn’t a great option as one of your broadcasters this week, but he can be a tricky addition. He is expected to return to IL this week, and is a player to be selected early. He had a 2.90 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 12 starts last season but missed most of the year with a torn Achilles. The good news is that he’s fully healthy now, posting a 3.60 ERA and 10.8 K/9 average through five starts in his minor league reassignment. We like that as he faces a minor league type team in San Fran here, with the Giants ranking 29th or 30th in OBP, wOBA, xwOBA and runs scored.
Stream Rate: -19.8$/$NA
Keider Montero, DET (at KC)
We’ve had Montero as one of our hosts for the past two weeks, and we’re going right back to the source. The Tigers righty allowed four or fewer runs 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 can only get better as we progress, and we love this matchup against Kansas City. The Royals ranked 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 is one of the best bets to make a quality start in the available broadcasters.
Streaming Rate: $-10
Janson Junk, MIA (vs. WAS)
Junk was aptly named when he had a 6.75 ERA and 1.77 WHIP in his first four seasons, but that is a thing of the past. He had that brutal average in just 40 innings, but something has changed since last season. Junk had a 4.17 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in last year’s breakout campaign and has backed that up with a 3.00 ERA and 1.06 WHIP this season. His recent form has been ridiculous at best, throwing 11 scoreless innings in his last two starts. That’s a game against teams like the Dodgers and Cardinals, so it’s clear Junk’s got something in his arsenal. Sounding the rubber in a pitcher’s park like Loan Depot can only add to his charisma, especially since he allowed just two hits in 5.2 scoreless innings in a matchup against Washington last year.
Average Stream: $-14.3
Tyler Mahle, SF (vs. PIT)
Mahle’s numbers aren’t great, but he’s always been chosen as one of our broadcasters. 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 seemed like a sexy place since it’s one of the most open parks in baseball. That doesn’t seem to be the case yet, but there are some signs.
Mahle has gone at least 5.2 scoreless innings in his last four starts, doing that damage against the Dodgers and Phillies. Not surprisingly, both of those were in the San Fran opener, with Mahle amassing a 1.84 ERA and 1.14 WHIP at home over the past three years. There’s something special about laying in your bed before your start, and we’re not worried about a Pittsburgh team that was one of the worst offenses in baseball last season.
Average Stream: $12.2
Hitting Streamers
Brandon Marsh, PHI (vs. ATH, vs. COL)
Randy is clearly happy with Brandon’s strength this week, but let’s clear things up a bit. We can’t make Marsh’s beard too bad because we need another big week as one of our hosts. He has been one of the Phillies’ best bats in the first month, providing a .303 AVG and .809 OPS. That’s all you can hope for from one of your hitters, especially since Marsh has reached the heart of this dangerous lineup. The best thing about all of this is that he’s matched the Rockies with the A’s in seven home starts. These are two of the worst bats in baseball, and will likely have the Phillies as the highest projected roster of the week. They will be tested for 35 runs in this week’s seven games, and Marsh is no longer sitting against the southpaws.
Jorge Soler, LAA (vs. CWS, vs. TOR)
Most fans only know Soler is in the Angels because Reynaldo Lopez has been trying to inject baseball into his brain for the past few weeks, but he’s had a quiet bounce back season for the Halos. The Cubs’ top prospect has an .809 OPS as their everyday cleanup hitter. It’s actually the third time he’s had a .780 OPS in the last four seasons. Soler also has a .339 OBP, .515 SLG and .855 OPS over his last 26 outings. That’s quite a start, and we like that he has six games at home against two favorable bats. 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 No Face)
Theft Specialists
Cedric Mullins (TB)
Mullins was a legend last season, and he’s showing why in Tampa. He has six steals in his last 20 games, despite posting a .211 OBP in that span. Imagine how much money he could steal if he was really burned!
Oswald Peraza (LAA)
We’ve talked before about how much we love the LA system, and it’s encouraging to see Peraza play every day. That allowed Peraza to record a steal in four of his last 13 games while hitting .297 in that span.
Keeps Professionals
Tyler Phillips (MIA)
With Pete Fairbanks coming to IL, Phillips is the next man up. He hit himself in the face a few times and picked up a clean save against the Dodgers in his most recent outing. Those pitchers are clearly working, and Phillips is putting up a 1.47 ERA.
Kirby Yates (LAA)
This Angels bullpen has been one of the worst in baseball history, and it needs Yates to step in and save the day. He is coming back from his rehab assignment and had 33 saves for the Rangers just two years ago.
Feel free to comment here or contact me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions! Also, feel free to check out my Waiver Wire article from yesterday!
