Last week’s article was hit and miss, but that’s to be expected when praising streamers. These recommendations are always speculative in nature, simply because most of these guys are on the verge of quitting. There’s a reason no one included them in the first place or abandoned them altogether. That’s what we love about streamers, though, because finding those diamonds in the rough to help you win the week is one of the best feelings in fantasy baseball. With that said, let’s take a look at this week’s favorable matchups and get into the broadcasters!
Popular Team Games
7 Games
Arizona Diamondbacks (vs. SF, vs. COL)
Atlanta Braves (at MIA, vs. WAS)
Colorado Rockies (vs. TEX, at ARI)
Los Angeles Angels (vs. ATH, vs. TEX)
New York Mets (WAS, MIA)
New York Yankees (vs. TOR, vs. TB)
6 Games
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. CIN, vs. CLE)
San Francisco Giants (at ARI, vs. CWS)
Seattle Mariners (vs. CWS, KC)
Tampa Bay Rays (vs. BAL, NYY)
Texas Rangers (COL, LAA)
Throwing Streamers
Arizona Diamondbacks Rotation (vs. SF, vs. COL)
(Ryne Nelson, Eduardo Rodriguez, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Mike Soroka)
I have never done this with my hosts, but this is a unique situation. Not only are all five of these guys options in almost every fantasy episode, but they have the best schedule this week. The Diamondbacks have seven home games against San Fran and Colorado. The Rockies have ranked last in nearly every offensive road stat over the past 10 years, while the Giants have ranked 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA this season. That’s a recipe for Arizona to have a monster week and for these pitchers to increase their numbers.
Gallen and Nelson are two great options because those guys have two starts this week. Nelson is the best on the team, posting a 2.33 ERA and 0.67 WHIP over his last three starts. Gallen still pitched all season, but this is still a guy with a 3.58 career ERA and 1.16 WHIP coming into the year. IE-Rod has been one of the biggest surprises in this rotation, registering a 2.25 ERA and 1.21 WHIP this season. Kelly will come off a complete game against the Rockies, while Soroka will face them this week. Soroka had one dud against the Brewers but is averaging a 2.01 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 in his other seven starts this season.
Average Stream: $4.5/$45.1/$43.7/$13.7/$44.8
Luis Severino, ATH (at LAA)
If you’ve been following Severino’s time with the A’s, you know when to hire him as one of your hosts. This is one of those places because the Severino rides on a subpar line on the road. Something about Severino’s mindset changed when he left Sacramento, right after he compiled a 3.02 ERA and 1.07 WHIP on the road last season. He has also allowed two runs or less in five of his six starts this season while allowing just five total runs in his last four starts. That’s the perfect recipe against a roster like this because Los Angeles has the worst K-rate in baseball since the start of last season. He made two starts against the Angels last year, compiling a 4.09 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 9.8 K/9 average in those matchups.
Streaming Rate: $1.1
Keider Montero, DET (vs. CLE)
Montero has been a constant presence in my lineup this season, and it’s hard to understand why everyone is sleeping on this guy. He’s by no means a special pitcher, but there aren’t many better pitchers who can provide as good a WHIP as this guy. Montero has maintained a 3.65 ERA and 0.99 WHIP through eight starts this year. It’s rare to find a pitcher with a sub-1.00 WHIP on the waiver wire, especially one pitching in one of the widest parks in baseball. Montero has a 3.14 ERA and 0.94 WHIP at home this year while throwing 6.1 scoreless innings in his only game with Cleveland. Not to mention, the Rangers rank 22nd in xwOBA so far this year.
Streaming Average: $-12.0
Lucas Giolito, SD (vs. ATH)
This isn’t so much a broadcaster’s recommendation this week as it is a reminder to keep an eye on this guy. Giolito was a player to watch in the past, and staying in the pitcher’s park could be just what Giolito needs to get back on track. It’s not like he’s been off the road too far, Giolito produced a 3.49 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with the Red Sox last season. He also showed some bad stuff during his minor league rehab career, allowing just three runners and one run in six innings in his first pitch. OA is also far from a scary lineup except for Sacramento, who are expected to score just four runs in this game. This may blow up in your face, but it’s also possible that Giolito will be listed in every fantasy league three weeks from now, if he starts to heat up.
Streaming Rate: $NA
Trevor McDonald, SF (vs. CWS)
I honestly didn’t know much about this guy until I saw him throw a solid game for the Dodgers. What piqued our interest was his first start, however, allowing just two hits in seven one-run innings in a matchup with the Padres. Those two starters have McDonald sitting with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. That’s the start of his career, but McDonald had a 1.80 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in three starts last year. These good plays are starting to turn into consistency, and should continue against Chicago. The White Sox ranked in the bottom five in runs scored, OBP, xwOBA and K rate since the start of last season, and San Fran has one of the best parks in MLB.
Streaming Average: $-5.1
Hitting Streamers
Trent Grisham, NYY (vs. TOR, vs. TB)
Grisham has been an interesting choice as one of our broadcasters since joining the Yankees last season. The most important variable for Grisham is how many good people he faces in a week, which is why he’s the perfect host this week. Not only do the Yankees have seven games, but six of them are against righties! That means Grisham will be the leadoff hitter for one of the best teams in six games this week! That’s not surprising given his impressive split, sporting a .364 OBP and .869 OPS against righties last year. We’re starting to see glimpses of the surge, too, with Grisham producing an .822 OPS over his last 12 outings.
JJ Bleday, CIN (at PHI, vs. STL)
Why is Bleday still available in so many leagues? I’m not sure he’ll continue this ridiculous streak for more than a month, but Bleday needs to be listed in every league until we see him cool down. The outfielder has now played in 17 games this season while providing a .465 OBP and 1.241 OPS. Those are averages you’d normally see from Barry Bonds, but we’re getting them from one of our broadcasters! The biggest concern has been his playing time, but Bleday has played 16 straight games while batting between second and cleanup on this dangerous Reds lineup. That proves that Cincy trusts this guy right now, and we love that he has seven games this week in two hitters.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals No Face)
Theft Specialists
Esteury Ruiz (MIA)
Ruiz has been a favorite of SAGNOF in the past, and it’s funny that he’s back in the legendary association. He had an absurd 67 steals for the A’s in 2023 and has six in his last eight outings.
Nasim Nunez (WAS)
Nunez has been consistent at the plate all season, recording 18 steals so far this year. He won’t offer much else, but he looks to be on pace for 50 steals this year.
Keeps Professionals
Rico Garcia (BAL)
Ryan Helsley is expected back in two weeks, but Garcia is an excellent save option until then. Garcia has a 0.47 ERA and 0.42 WHIP while recording two of the last three saves for the O’s.
Gregory Soto (PIT)
Soto stole the Pittsburgh gig from Dennis Santana. The southpaw has three walks and three saves over his last nine appearances while posting a 2.42 ERA and 0.85 WHIP this year.
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!
