Pitching Streamers for Week 8 (September 7 – 13)

The word of the week when it comes to pitching streamers is “probable”. There were five doubleheaders played this past Friday, with another two scheduled for Saturday. Because of this, it is even more difficult than usual to say when teams will use their starters. Some who pitched on Friday will pitch again on Wednesday, while others must wait until Thursday or Friday for their next start. That slight distinction can change a streamer’s value this week.

For example, Steven Brault started Game 1 of the Pirates’ twin-bill on Friday. He could make his next start against the White Sox on Wednesday, or Derek Shelton could opt to have him throw on Friday against the Royals. Chicago has a .954 OPS, .401 wOBA, 9.7 percent walk rate, and 159 wRC+ against left-handers this season. The Royals, meanwhile, have a .776 OPS, .334 wOBA, 6.1 percent walk rate, and 109 wRC+ against southpaws. Kansas City’s offense is good, but not anywhere near as potent as the White Sox have been. Brault should have a significantly higher value as a streaming option this week if there is a definitive word that he is facing Kansas City as opposed to Chicago. Be sure as always to double-check rotations before making waiver claims and FAAB bids. With all of that in mind, here are some of the best streaming options for the coming week.

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Week 8 Pitching Streamers

Kris Bubic (Friday v. Pittsburgh, 23 percent rostered in Fantrax leagues)

Kris Bubic leads a trio of Royals who are among the streaming options this week. The Royals have gone to a six-man rotation recently, which should lead to an abundance of streamers going forward. Bubic impressed in his last start against the White Sox. He had a career-high eight strikeouts and held the potent Chicago offense to just two runs in 5.1 innings. Bubic has yet to earn his first Major League victory but should get his best chance to do so this week. Kansas City hosts Pittsburgh for a weekend series. The Pirates have the worst record in all of baseball. They are also at or near the bottom in nearly every significant offensive category. Fantasy managers would be hard-pressed to find a better streamer than Kris Bubic this week.

Alex Young (Friday v. Seattle, 26 percent rostered)

Alex Young had pitched well until struggling on Tuesday against the Dodgers. We can give him a bit of a pass considering the matchup. Young’s matchup this week could not be any better. The Seattle Mariners have the worst offense against left-handed pitching by nearly every statistical measure. Seattle will hope to boost their offensive prowess against southpaws with the recent additions of Ty France and Phillip Ervin, but I do not think either of those bats will move the needle much. Before his rough outing against the Dodgers, Young had a 14:3 K: BB ratio through his first three starts. If he can avoid the command issues that plagued him in Los Angeles, Young should put together another solid effort against the Mariners.

Justin Dunn (Saturday at Arizona, 43 percent rostered)

I am quite surprised to see Justin Dunn still on the list of available streamers considering how he has pitched lately. Dunn has been outstanding over his last two starts. The former first-rounder has pitched 12 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits in that stretch with 12 punchouts. Perhaps the postponement of their series against Oakland left managers not wanting to pick up a pitcher who may not pitch this week. Whatever the reason, fantasy managers should add Dunn in most formats. He has not yet crossed the threshold into being completely trustworthy, as his 13.8 percent walk rate will illustrate. However, he has gotten the job done lately. Managers should not fret over a date with the Diamondbacks. Arizona has a below-average offense and just traded Starling Marte. I would be surprised if Dunn is still considered a streaming option by this time next week.

Chad Kuhl (Saturday at Kansas City, 33 percent rostered)

It feels like Chad Kuhl should be rostered in more than a third of leagues. He is by no means elite, but he has been a solid streaming option throughout the shortened season. Kuhl enters this weekend’s action with a 3.10 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. His underlying metrics are not nearly as good, which could provide a valid reason for the skepticism of most fantasy managers. Still, Kuhl has gotten it done for the most part this year. A matchup with Kansas City should not necessarily scare anyone off Kuhl. The Royals have just a .301 wOBA and an 86 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this year. Chad Kuhl is a fine streaming option in this matchup. He also should get two starts the final week of the season, if you are looking down the road.

Dane Dunning (Friday v. Detroit, 47 percent rostered)

Dane Dunning dazzled in his second Major League start, tossing five no-hit innings against the Kansas City Royals. He was unable to repeat on Friday night when he allowed nine baserunners and three earned runs in 4.2 innings. That tends to be a recurring theme among streaming options. Next up for Dunning are the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are a bit better than perceived from an offensive standpoint, but they are hardly a juggernaut. They strike out more than any team in baseball, and Dunning has been effective in that regard. The former first-round draft pick has 18 strikeouts in three starts, including seven against the Tigers in his MLB debut last month. Dunning has a higher ceiling this week than most and makes for a very intriguing streamer this week.

Brady Singer (Thursday at Cleveland, 47 percent rostered)

Brady Singer is yet another pitcher who faced an opponent in consecutive starts and had more trouble the second time around. This time it was the White Sox, who got to Singer for five runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings. The fact that manager Mike Matheny gave Singer that much latitude is a positive sign. Most managers tend to have a quick hook with rookies, but Singer has now completed five innings in six of seven starts. Singer will take on Cleveland in his next start. The Indians have not seen him yet, which should play in his favor. I think Singer and teammate Jakob Junis are both viable streamers this week. Junis has the higher floor, but I believe Singer has a higher ceiling. I am fine with using either, but I rank Singer higher based on upside.

Josh Fleming (Thursday v. Boston, 36 percent rostered)

Josh Fleming was not among Tampa Bay’s top 50 prospects as recently as March. He made his Major League debut two weeks ago and now has three victories. Or, put another way, one more than Jacob deGrom. Welcome to 2020. The left-hander will not dazzle anyone with his arsenal. His fastball barely touches 90 MPH, and his strikeout rate has never been as high as even 20 percent at any Minor League level. However, he has outstanding control and generally keeps the ball in the park. Those traits will serve virtually any pitcher well. Despite their struggles, Boston still has plenty of offensive firepower, especially against lefties. However, I would not blame any fantasy manager who wants to ride Fleming for another week. Wins have been harder to come by than ever this year, and a Rays versus Red Sox matchup seems one-sided in Fleming’s favor.

Tyler Anderson (Wednesday v. Seattle, 20 percent rostered)

After shutting out Arizona two weeks ago, Tyler Anderson struggled mightily in two more starts against the Diamondbacks. Anderson should breathe a sigh of relief next week when he finally gets to see a different opponent this week. That is especially true since the opponent is the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have the worst wOBA and wRC+ of any team in baseball against left-handed pitchers. Anderson has averaged over five innings in his six starts, so he can provide more length than your average streaming option. He is not going to rack up a ton of strikeouts, as he has a total of just 22 in those six starts. However, he should be able to navigate his way through the lineup a couple of times and could even put himself in line for a victory.

Kolby Allard (Saturday v. Oakland, 23 percent rostered)

After getting blasted in back-to-back starts in Colorado and Seattle, Kolby Allard has bounced back nicely. He allowed just one hit in 5.1 innings against Oakland, then followed that up by permitting just two hits in seven strong innings in Houston earlier this week. Despite the strong showings, Allard has lost each of his last four starts. Such is life when pitching for a team averaging fewer than four runs per game. I cannot recommend Allard as a streamer if your primary objective is to chase wins. Texas is already 10 games behind Oakland in the standings, and I do not expect that to change anytime soon. If, however, you are looking for someone who could give you a handful of solid innings, Allard’s recent performances make him worthy of consideration this week.

Steven Brault (Friday at Kansas City, 11 percent rostered)

I mentioned Steven Brault at the top, and my inclination is that he will pitch on Friday rather than Wednesday. If that is the case, Brault becomes a viable streamer. The matchup is far from elite, but it is a much more fruitful one than facing the White Sox. The Pirates and Royals each have a trio of streaming options this week, and it looks as though Brault will face off against Kris Bubic on Friday night. I do believe that Bubic is the better bet, but Brault should be usable as well. Brault’s bugaboo has been his lack of command, but that may not adversely affect him against Kansas City. The Royals are ahead of only the Nationals in walk rate against left-handed pitchers. If you are not in a position where you need to chase wins or quality starts, Brault is a solid streamer this week.

Jakob Junis (Tuesday at Cleveland, 36 percent rostered)

Jakob Junis has allowed exactly two earned runs in each of his four starts this season. Junis will get the Cleveland Indians in his next start. Despite pitching on Tuesday, this should be his only start of the week. Kansas City has been rolling with a six-man rotation since they promoted Matt Harvey. Cleveland’s offense has begun to pick up steam of late. They have been a top-10 offense over the last 10 days. That may not seem like a huge sample, but it marks roughly a quarter of the season. Junis has yet to make it through five innings in any start, so fantasy managers should not necessarily expect a win or quality start from him this week. However, he should be able to avoid the blowups that plague so many potential streamers.

Brian Anderson (Sunday v. Chicago Cubs, 36 percent rostered)

It is not often that a streamer pitches on Sunday. The Brewers have just five games this week, so Anderson will likely pitch the team’s final game of the week. There is a chance that he gets skipped, so I would not go out of my way to lock him into lineups. If he does get the call in the series finale, Anderson represents a middling streaming option. The veteran does a masterful job keeping the ball down (60.2 percent groundball rate) and avoiding walks (4.1 percent walk rate). That combination helps limit damage against him. The Cubs have struggled against left-handed pitching, though the team added some reinforcements at the trade deadline. Anderson will not get a ton of strikeouts, but he should be able to provide a handful of innings with decent ratios.

Nick Margevicius (Wednesday at San Francisco, 20 percent rostered)

Nick Margevicius is one of the very few streamers who can pitch relatively deep into a ballgame. Margevicius has pitched 17.1 innings over his last three starts. That enables him to provide solid strikeout totals (15 in that span) despite a mere 8.3 percent strikeout rate on the season. Margevicius has proven to be trustworthy, but this matchup gives me a bit of pause. As I mentioned when discussing teammate Ljay Newsome, the Giants are a much better offensive squad against left-handers. That is why I have Newsome higher than Margevicius on this week’s list. If you are just looking to stack innings together, Margevicius could be your guy. Just beware that his current 1.13 WHIP is likely to rise in this matchup.

Ljay Newsome (Tuesday at San Francisco, 12 percent rostered)

Ljay Newsome has not pitched this week as of this writing. Seattle’s three-game set against Oakland was postponed due to a positive COVID test in the A’s organization. The Mariners are currently utilizing a six-man rotation, so Newsome will likely pitch next week in San Francisco. The Giants have excellent offensive numbers on the year. However, their 23-run outburst in Coors Field on Tuesday has made their overall numbers look much better. That is particularly true when it comes to their splits versus right-handed pitchers. Every Rockie who pitched in that game was right-handed, yet the Giants still have better overall offensive numbers against lefties. I would not expect Newsome to go deep into the ballgame, but he should be able to provide three or four solid innings for those looking to protect ratios at a low cost.

Tommy Milone (Wednesday v. Miami, 23 percent rostered)

Tommy Milone had anything but a lazy Sunday last week. He was traded from Baltimore to Atlanta, then informed that he would be pitching in Philadelphia that same day. Milone and his fantasy managers probably wish he had gotten stuck in traffic. Staked to a 10-run lead, Milone could not get through the third inning. He surrendered seven runs while recording just seven outs. In his last start, Milone pitched four solid innings in the first game of a doubleheader. The recent additions of Starling Marte and Jonathan Villar at the trade deadline should give Miami’s lineup a bit more depth against left-handed pitching. This is a tougher matchup than the year-to-date numbers may indicate. Ultimately, the decision on whether to use Milone as a streamer this week could depend upon the other available options in your league.

Chase Anderson (Friday at New York Mets, 35 percent rostered)

The Blue Jays acquired three starting pitchers at the trade deadline, which puts their current rotation in a bit of a state of flux. I imagine that Ross Stripling goes to the bullpen despite getting a start on Friday night. In any event, it would be hard to remove Chase Anderson from the rotation considering how well he has pitched. Anderson has a 3.20 ERA through five starts. In his last start, he struck out eight Orioles in five innings of work, surrendering just a lone earned run. Anderson has earned a spot, and he should be in line to face the Mets next weekend. The Mets have a quality offense against righties (122 wRC+), so this is no slam dunk. However, Anderson remains a solid, if unspectacular, streaming option despite the difficult matchup.

Asher Wojciechowski (Saturday at New York Yankees, 18 percent rostered)

A weekly fixture in this space, Asher Wojciechowski has essentially pitched at a replacement level thus far in 2020, which is par for the course for most streamers. Wojciechowski has yet to exceed five innings in any of his seven starts this season. He has also given up exactly three earned runs in each of his last four starts. Wojciechowski is one of three Orioles streaming options who will face the New York Yankees in back-to-back starts. Those are not exactly ideal conditions for most pitchers, let alone the three pitchers in question. While he has not been stellar by any means, Wojciechowski has more of a track record than his teammates, which makes him the safest option of the three. However, that is more me grading Wojciechowski on a curve than a firm belief in his ability to stifle the Yankees bats.

JT Brubaker (Wednesday v. Chicago White Sox, 10 percent rostered)

JT Brubaker earned his first victory in the Majors this past Thursday against the Chicago Cubs. Brubaker has settled into the rotation and has been a consistent starter for Pittsburgh. In each of his last three starts, he has allowed two runs or less while striking out at least five hitters. By streamer standards, those are good numbers. Brubaker will oppose the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. This is not an ideal spot for the rookie, but he has pitched well enough recently to warrant consideration despite the difficult matchup. Brubaker is yet another rookie streamer with a wide array of potential outcomes this week. Deciding on whether to use him this week will likely depend on specific team needs and other available options.

Jorge Lopez (Thursday at New York Yankees, 4 percent rostered)

Baltimore grabbed Jorge Lopez from the Royals off waivers last month to add depth to their pitching staff. The journeyman is now on his third different team in as many seasons. Lopez earned his first win of the season by pitching five solid innings against the Yankees on Friday night. He will face New York again this coming week. I always try to avoid streamers who face an offense in consecutive starts, though Lopez has exceeded expectations to this point. He has limited hard contact and allowed just four extra-base hits through his first 85 batters faced this season. Streaming Lopez this week is essentially an exercise in risk management. I would try to find better options if possible, but if you want to ride the wave in deeper leagues, I can understand taking the leap.

Taylor Clarke (Wednesday v. Los Angeles Dodgers, 21 percent rostered)

Taylor Clarke has pitched well this season, though he has fared better as a reliever than as a replacement in the rotation for the injured Merrill Kelly. Clarke has allowed five earned runs and 11 hits in 12 innings spanning three starts. The Dodgers will undoubtedly be Clarke’s toughest test to date. They have the best record in baseball as well as one of the best offenses in the league. Though it is not the ideal matchup, Clarke is worth considering this week. Even in a bad start in San Francisco on Friday night, he only gave up three runs in three innings. Clarke should probably be rostered in more than 21 percent of leagues, though fantasy managers may be waiting to see how he holds up against the Dodgers before buying in.

Keegan Akin (Friday at New York Yankees, 9 percent rostered)

Keegan Akin made the first start of his career last week and allowed no earned runs in 4.1 innings against the Blue Jays. The former second-round draft pick has had a steady climb through Baltimore’s farm system since being selected in 2016. He is primarily a flyball pitcher who struggles with command at times. That is not necessarily a recipe for great success at the Major League level, especially in a park like Yankee Stadium. He is yet another potential Oriole pitcher who will be facing the Yankees twice in a row. Average pitchers tend to have problems when seeing the same opponent in back-to-back starts, and I am not even sure Akin is an average pitcher. I would not go out of my way to stream Akin in this matchup.

Tarik Skubal (Thursday at St. Louis, 45 percent rostered)

Tarik Skubal had easily the best start of his young career last Saturday. Skubal registered his first victory by holding the Twins to two runs in five innings. Like Minnesota, St. Louis has surprisingly struggled so far against southpaws this season. The Cardinals enter the weekend with just an 83 wRC+ and .291 wOBA versus left-handed pitchers on the year. This is a better matchup than it appears on paper, but Skubal is still a rookie with a wide range of outcomes. He can pitch well as he did against Minnesota, or he can get lit up as he did in Chicago (four runs and seven hits in two innings). I would try to avoid using him in this start, though I do not mind picking him up where he is available. He should line up to face the Royals in each of the final two weeks of the season.

Chris Mazza (Friday at Tampa Bay, 1 percent rostered)

Chris Mazza had his best start of the season on Friday night, though the bar was set at ground level. Still, Mazza was solid against the Blue Jays. He allowed just one run on three hits over four innings in a game the Red Sox went on to win. That performance should net Mazza another start, though Boston has a bit of a funky schedule this week. A Tuesday doubleheader is sandwiched by off days on Monday and Wednesday. Mazza will likely face the Rays on Thursday, but that is not certain yet. If he does get the call, a repeat of Friday’s outing would be ideal for fantasy managers. Expecting a win or quality start does not seem realistic, but Mazza could put together three or four solid innings in this matchup if you are into that sort of thing.

Tom Eshelman (Wednesday at New York Mets, 4 percent rostered)

Manager Brandon Hyde called upon Tom Eshelman to fill in for Alex Cobb on Friday, who was recently placed on the Injured List. I would expect Eshelman to pitch again on Wednesday versus the New York Mets. While he has done a decent job limiting hard contact, striking out hitters is not Eshelman’s strong suit. Eshelman has fanned just nine of 91 batters faced thus far this season. These types of pitchers are always a bit of bad luck away from a blowup (Randy Dobnak’s August 29 start in Detroit comes to mind). For what it is worth, the Mets have the highest BABIP in all of baseball against righties. That would make me a bit nervous about using Eshelman this week. There are worse options this week, so I would not completely avoid him. Just keep your expectations reasonable.

Erick Fedde (Friday v. Atlanta, 13 percent rostered)

Erick Fedde has not pitched well in his last two starts, both against the Philadelphia Phillies. Before that, however, Fedde had a modicum of success. He had allowed three earned runs in 7.2 innings over two starts, and just two earned runs in 10.1 innings spanning three relief appearances. Fedde has just 10 strikeouts in 28.2 innings, which is low even by streamers standards. Still, he has arguably been Washington’s third-best starter, though I suppose that is more an indictment on Anibal Sanchez and Austin Voth than a feather in Fedde’s cap. Fedde should get a start against the Atlanta Braves next week. He has averaged 4.2 innings pitched in his four starts and given up a total of 13 earned runs. That is a reasonable baseline for expectations in this matchup. Fedde is not safe by any means, but there are worse options out there.

Not Even with Your Team

Trevor Cahill (Thursday at San Diego, 13 percent rostered)

Trevor Cahill has struck out a whopping 30 percent of batters faced thus far in 2020. The problem is he has had a hard time pitching deep into ballgames. He has surpassed four innings pitched in just one of his four starts. Cahill will be facing Arizona for a third straight trip to the mound this coming weekend. Unlike Tyler Anderson, however, next week’s matchup is much more imposing. The San Diego Padres have one of the best offenses in baseball, and recently added Mitch Moreland and Jason Castro to lengthen their lineup against righties. This just feels like a bad spot for Cahill, who has also been dealing with some hip soreness. Given the matchup, I cannot recommend Trevor Cahill as a viable streaming option this week.

Kyle Cody (Wednesday v. Los Angeles Angels, 6 percent rostered)

Kyle Cody made his first career start on Friday and took the loss despite not allowing an earned run. He only pitched three innings and threw just 45 pitches. Cody has not been fully stretched out yet, so do not expect more than three or four innings in his next appearance. He will also be facing an Angels offense that has been a top-10 unit against right-handed pitchers this season. There are not a lot of positive outcomes that could result from using Cody as a streamer in this matchup.

Jordan Lyles (Friday v. Oakland, 30 percent rostered)

Jordan Lyles is one of the more volatile streaming options week in and week out. “Volatile” is usually a nice way of saying “bad”. Lyles enters this weekend’s action with an 8.59 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, and a 2.9 percent K-BB rate. If he were pitching earlier in the week against the Mariners, I would consider streaming him. However, I would advise against that since he is facing the Oakland A’s. Oakland hitters are among the leaders in both walks and strikeouts against right-handed pitchers this season. Considering Lyles’ 6.1 percent swinging-strike rate and double-digit walk rate, I would expect more walks than strikeouts in this outing. A 42.1 percent hard-hit rate allowed does not figure to do him any favors, either. There should be much safer streaming options on your league’s waiver wire than Jordan Lyles.

Jaime Barria (Saturday at Colorado, 12 percent rostered)

Jaime Barria is an intriguing pitcher. He ranks at the very top of the pitching ranks in several Statcast categories including hard-hit rate (98th percentile) and xERA (91st percentile). However, his swinging strike rate is a mere 8.9 percent. That limits his ceiling, though he seemingly has a higher floor than most streamers. Even though I like Barria as a pitcher, I cannot recommend him in Coors Field. I do like him more than his pitching counterpart in that matchup (spoiler alert), but I cannot recommend streaming him this week. If you do have room on your roster, however, he could be a stash for this week and should be a potential streamer for the following week, when he will have a home start against either Arizona or Texas.

Anibal Sanchez (Tuesday v. Tampa Bay, 39 percent rostered)
Austin Voth (Thursday v. Atlanta, 28 percent rostered)

I am grouping both pitchers here because they pitch for the same team and they are both terrible. Anibal Sanchez and Austin Voth have combined to allow 89 hits, 50 earned runs, and 19 home runs in just 61.2 innings of work this season. They have given up five or more earned runs in half of their 14 starts, and opponents are hitting a combined .330 against them. Their Statcast metrics are just as bad, and there is little for fantasy managers to hold onto at this point. To make matters worse, each has a difficult matchup coming up next week. The Rays and Braves lead their respective divisions, and both offenses have a wRC+ north of 110 versus right-handed pitchers. There is no logical reason to stream either Anibal Sanchez or Austin Voth until further notice.

Zack Godley (Thursday at Tampa Bay, 7 percent rostered)

Zack Godley struggled once again on Friday afternoon, permitting four earned runs in just three innings. Godley has allowed more earned runs than innings pitched in three straight starts and five of seven starts overall. With the lack of quality starting pitching available, it is quite telling that Godley remains on the wire in nearly all leagues despite remaining in the rotation virtually the whole season. Up next for Godley is a date with the Rays, who have the American League’s best record. Fantasy managers can safely ignore Godley in all formats next week.

Ryan Castellani (Saturday v. Los Angeles Angels, 13 percent rostered)

Over his last three starts, Ryan Castellani has allowed 12 earned runs on 17 hits in 15.2 innings. During that span, he has allowed five home runs while striking out just six of 61 batters faced. He currently ranks in the 5th percentile in average exit velocity allowed and in the 20th percentile in strikeout rate. Next week he will take on an offense led by Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon in a game at Coors Field. I do not feel the need to elaborate further. Suffice to say he is not worth streaming this week.

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