I’ve had different hosts for the past week, and I’ve had mixed results. What surprised me last week was all the injuries throughout MLB. The worst aspect of fantasy baseball is dealing with injuries, especially when they pile up like they are now. There’s always a month like this every year, but it’s important to hold things together and ride the streamers to make up for that absence. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the favorable schedule and get into those streams!
Popular Team Games
7 Games
Baltimore Orioles (vs. TB, vs. TOR)
Chicago White Sox (vs. MIN, vs. DET)
Houston Astros (at TEX, vs. MIL)
Minnesota Twins (CWS, PIT)
Texas Rangers (vs. HOU, vs. KC)
Toronto Blue Jays (vs. MIA, BAL)
6 Games
Cleveland Rangers (vs. WAS, vs. BOS)
Detroit Tigers (vs. LAA, CWS)
Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. COL, vs. PHI)
New York Yankees (KC, ATH)
San Francisco Giants (vs. ARI, in COL)
Seattle Mariners (at ATH, vs. ARI)
Tampa Bay Rays (at BAL, vs. LAA)
Throwing Streamers
Jack Flaherty, DET (vs. LAA)
I’m embarrassed to say this, but I was actually interested in Flaherty coming into the year. That’s been the worst call so far, but now that he’s on multiple layoffs, this is a great week to get him back as one of our hosts. What’s encouraging is that we’ve seen some good hitting from Flaherty in recent weeks, posting an 11.5 K/9 average over his last four starts. That’s encouraging as Flaherty has a career xFIP of 3.78 to go along with a 10.3 K/9 rate. That kind of hit stuff makes him one of the best broadcasters of the week just because of this matchup. The Angels had the worst K-rate in the league last season, and they sit there again this year. Not to mention, Flaherty has a 4.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 10.7 K/9 at home over the last three years. In his last two games against them, Flaherty has 15 Ks in 11.1 innings. This is also a sneak preview of next week’s picnic because he has two starts in pitcher’s parks against the Mariners and the Rays!
Average Stream: $22.7
Merrill Kelly, ARI (SF, SEA)
If you can make two starts as a pitcher in two parks, these are the two ballparks to choose. Citi Field is the only other contender for the two, as San Fran and Seattle are two of the best sports parks. Those wide ballparks are one exception that makes an impact, but these lineups are no longer intimidating. The Giants rank 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP and xwOBA, while the Mariners sit 20th in runs scored and 25th in K rate. You might be concerned seeing Kelly’s 5.71 ERA, but he has a 2.05 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over his last three starts. The recent surge should continue when examining Kelly’s career stats, amassing a 3.84 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over more than 1,000 career innings. Not to mention, Kelly has given up three runs or less in five straight matchups against San Fran.
Streaming Average: $27.8
Zebby Matthews, MIN (at CWS, vs. PIT)
The fantasy community is really excited about Zebby, and we’re going to have him on board as one of our hosts this week. The numbers speak for themselves, and Matthews maintains a 1.38 ERA and 0.77 WHIP through two starts this season. It’s a small sample size, but Matthews had a 3.09 ERA and 1.04 WHIP during his minor league career. Things were in place for Matthews to make the team this switch, and these two opponents this week should keep him on track. Although both teams have been amazing this season, they still have two of the weakest teams in baseball. In fact, both teams were in the bottom three in runs scored and xwOBA last season.
Average Stream: $-9.7
Ben Brown, CHC (at PIT)
We’ve always wanted to see what Brown could do in the starting role, and we finally get that chance. The former shortstop is averaging a 1.78 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 9.4 K/9 since struggling in the opener. Much of that has come out of the bullpen, but Brown has a 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 11.1 K/9 average over his last three starts. Seeing him hit 82 pitches in his latest outing is a promising sign as well because he’s probably ready for a full-time job. We’ve already talked about how much worse Pittsburgh’s ranking is than the stats would suggest, as the Pirates are ranked 23rd in K. Brown has also had success against them throughout his career, compiling a 1.74 ERA and a 13.9 K/9 average in 10.1 innings against them.
Streaming Average: $-1.4
Jared Jones, PIT (vs. MIN)
This is the last time Jones will be on any waiver wire, so we will recommend him as one of our hosts. It’s not clear when Jones is expected to return from Tommy John surgery, but this looks like a possibility. The righty has been outstanding throughout his minor league rehab assignment, accumulating a 1.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 11.3 K/9 average across four starts. That’s why Pittsburgh called him up to Triple-A to start a final tune-up, especially as his numbers climb toward a full-time role. The man flashed some brilliant moments before the injury, too, posting a 4.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a 9.8 K/9 average in his rookie season. The matchup with Minnesota is a perfect place to go down, where the Twins ranked 23rd in xwOBA when they lost the three-hole to IL last week.
Streaming Rate: $NA
Hitting Streamers
Ezequiel Duran, TEX (vs. KOU, vs. KC)
This guy always seems to have a month or two each season where he looks like a player to be drafted. That’s all we want from one of our broadcasters, Duran has hit five for the Rangers every day right now. That move up the list isn’t surprising given his stats, with Duran amassing a .295 AVG and .840 OPS this year. He also has a .379 OBP and .923 OPS over his last 26 outings. One of the most underrated aspects of adding Duran is his positional suitability, with Duran fitting at 1B, 2B, 3B, SS and OF on Yahoo. The icing on the cake is this exciting schedule, with Texas playing seven home games this week against Houston and KC. The Astros are dead last in ERA and WHIP, while the Royals lose their ace.
Sam Antonacci, CWS (vs. MIN, vs. DET)
I don’t understand why fantasy bosses are sleeping on this guy. Antonacci was one of the top prospects in baseball, and has been playing like one since he was called up. This speedster has been the everyday leadoff hitter for the ChiSox over the past month, providing a .398 OBP and .963 OPS over his last 28 games. We’ve seen even better numbers in the minors, with Antonacci accumulating a .444 OBP and .861 OPS while recording 60 steals across 153 games played. This guy could lead the league in steals next month, and he’s still sitting on more than 60 percent of the waiver wire on Yahoo. We also like that he has seven games this week against two clubs that don’t scare us at all.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals No Face)
Theft Specialists
Jose Fernandez (ARI)
RIP to Jose Fernandez of the Marlins, but the guy isn’t too bad either. Lo Fernandez is hitting .283 this season and has recorded four steals in his last eight outings.
Jose Caballero (NYY)
Caballero has been dropped from other leagues due to his placement in the IL, but needs to be picked up in any roto league. He should come back next week and have 132 steals in 410 games.
Keeps Professionals
Grant Taylor (CWS)
Taylor is the most talented pitcher in this ChiSox pen, and he was rewarded with a save a few days ago. Seranthony Dominguez was available for that game, so we may be seeing a change in the near future. Taylor is averaging a 1.78 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 13.5 K/9 so far this year.
Gregory Soto (PIT)
Soto may have stolen Dennis Santana’s gig. The lefty has a 2.31 ERA and 0.81 WHIP while picking up three saves in his last six games.
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!
