I felt more confident with our bats last week than our arms, and that seemed like the right call. I felt that it might be the case with our broadcasters because there are some churches where it is difficult to find phone calls to drop off in good places. That’s the nature of fantasy baseball and pitching, so I’m looking forward to getting back on track this week. I feel very confident about this cast, so let’s take a look at the favorable matchups and dive into those arms!
Popular Team Games
8 Games
Milwaukee Brewers (at STL, at PIT)
St. Louis Cardinals (vs. MIL, vs. ATL)
7 Games
New York Mets (vs. KC, v. BOS)
New York Yankees (TB, WAS)
San Diego Padres (vs. ARI, vs. TOR)
San Francisco Giants (vs. TOR, vs. COL)
6 Games
Baltimore Orioles (vs. CHC, vs. KC)
Chicago Cubs (BAL, CIN)
Chicago White Sox (vs. BOS, vs. ATH)
Houston Astros (WAS, TEX)
Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. COL, vs. ARI)
Minnesota Twins (vs. CLE, vs. LAA)
Texas Rangers (vs. LAA, vs. HOU)
Throwing Streamers
Jeffrey Springs, ATH (at DET, at CWS)
It’s funny how we always praise the Rockies bats at home and then the A’s pitchers on the road. It shows how important ballparks can be to these broadcasters, especially if these A’s hitters are from outside of Sacramento. Although it has been a struggle for Springs this season, the youngster has been strong throughout his life. He posted a 3.26 ERA and 1.14 WHIP from 2021 to 2025 and has gotten even better down the road. In fact, Springs has a 3.69 ERA and 1.15 WHIP on the road over the past two seasons. That makes him attractive here because he has two decent matchups in two food parks. The Motor City Kitties are ranked 19th in wOBA, 20th in runs scored and 22nd in K’s while the White Sox are 26th in K’s.
Streaming Average: $-8.9
Joey Cantillo, CLE (MIN, MIA)
Cantillo has been a regular as one of our hosts in recent years. The good thing about the left back is that we’ve seen him change his tune in recent weeks, and it’s completely changed his game. Cantillo has been throwing cutters and curveballs lately, and it’s led the lefty to a 1.88 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 9.8 K/9 average over his last four starts. It’s not like he needed to change that much, because Cantillo had a 3.21 ERA and 1.26 WHIP last season. It’s hard to believe he’s still widely available at prices like that, and he’ll be listed in every league after this first week. He had a 3.46 ERA and 13.2 K/9 in 13 innings against the Twins last year and matched a Miami team that ranked 27th in xwOBA.
Average Stream: $-36.3
Brandon Young, BAL (vs. KC)
I’ve had my eye on Young throughout the offseason after a gem against the Astros last year, and it looks like this righty might be on the way. He threw eight one-hit innings in that masterpiece at the end of last season and has looked similar recently. Young has allowed three or fewer runs in all but one start this season en route to a 3.11 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. His recent form is even more impressive, registering a 2.32 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over his last seven starts. The stuff is there for this guy to be a stud, and we love this home game against Kansas City. The Royals rank 21st in wOBA and 23rd in runs scored, with Young posting a 2.90 ERA at home this year.
Streaming Average: $1.4
Eric Lauer, LAD (vs. COL)
Lauer has been a solid southpaw in recent years, and it’s no surprise that he’s succeeding in LA. This team always gets the best out of its arms, and it has led to Lauer posting a 2.88 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over his last six starts. He also allowed three runs or less in nine of his 11 starts this season. That’s the form we saw in Toronto last year, when Lauer put together a 3.18 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. The best part about this is the home game against Colorado, the Rockies ranked 25th in xwOBA while posting their worst road average in recent years. When Lauer faced them a few weeks ago, he allowed one run in six excellent innings. That’s why he might be a -250 favorite again!
Average Stream: $16.8
Taj Bradley, MIN (vs. CLE)
Bradley was always a talented player during his time with Tampa, and it’s great to see him have a bounce-back season in Minnesota. The righty has a 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP this year, but he’s been even better than those ratings would indicate. Blasting four homers against his former team really inflated those numbers, with Bradley posting a 2.65 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 11.6 K/9 over his last three starts. He also averaged a 2.77 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 in his nine starts, so he’s clearly got something to plan for the Twinkies. We like to recommend the spreaders against Cleveland right now, too, the Rangers ranked 26th in runs scored and 28th in xwOBA while playing without their top two bats. There’s also a chance he faces the Angels at the end of the week, who have the worst K rate against right fielders.
Streamonator rating: $24.6
Hitting Streamers
Andrew Vaughn, MIL (at STL, at PIT)
My eyes always look up when I see an eight-game week. That’s a rarity in fantasy baseball, and it’s always one of our key goals when we recommend hitting broadcasters. The funny thing is that Vaughn was already one of my top picks before seeing that schedule. The guy had an .846 OPS in 64 games after being traded to Milwaukee last year and has been even better this season. He has a .426 OBP and .954 OPS through 45 games this year. It’s amazing to see numbers like that on the waiver wire, especially since he’s beating the heart of one of the best players in baseball. Having eight games is the icing on the cake, especially since five of them are against the St. Louis underclassmen. Louis ranked 26th in xwOBA.
Bryce Eldridge, SF (vs. TOR, vs. COL)
The 6’7″ prospect had high hopes coming out of Triple-A, and he looks the part. Eldridge had a .445 OBP and .963 OPS in Triple-A before being called up this year and has posted a .364 OBP and .828 OPS in 44 games with the Giants. He has struggled a bit in recent weeks, but the profile is there for Eldridge to be one of San Fran’s best bats for the next decade. Some matchups with Toronto and Colorado could be the way to get him back on track. The Blue Jays aren’t bad, but the Rockies rank last in ERA, WHIP and xwOBA. It’s amazing to see fantasy bosses sleep on hope like this, but let’s take advantage as one of our broadcasters.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals No Face)
Theft Specialists
Nasim Nunez (WAS)
It’s surprising to see the league leader in steals sitting on so many waiver wires, but that’s because Nunez doesn’t offer anything else. He leads the league with 32 steals and is always a threat on a weekly basis.
Esteury Ruiz (MIA)
Ruiz had 67 steals over the past few years and has recorded eight steals over his last 21 outings.
Keeps Professionals
Caleb Kilian (SF)
This pen for the Giants was a nightmare, but Kilian collected the last two saves in San Fran.
Rico Garcia (BAL)
With Ryan Helsley back from the IL, Garcia could be the first save option in Baltimore. He has a 2.52 ERA and 0.84 WHIP while recording four saves, filling in for Helsley early in the season.
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!
