We usually do a better job evaluating the pitchers than the hitters when it comes to streamers, but we crushed it with the bats last week. The pitchers were all over the map, but that has me motivated to bounce back this week. It looks like we have a stacked schedule, with the majority of the league playing seven games. That should open up the door for some interesting streamers, so let’s go ahead and get started by looking at that schedule!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Baltimore Orioles (vs. CLE, vs. TEX)
Chicago Cubs (at SF, at MIL)
Chicago White Sox (vs. LAD, vs. COL)
Kansas City Royals (vs. MIA, vs. CLE)
Los Angeles Angels (vs. OAK, vs. DET)
Philadelphia Phillies (at DET, vs. MIA)
St. Louis Cardinals (vs. ATL, vs. CIN)
6 Games
Arizona Diamondbacks (vs. MIN, vs. OAK)
Los Angeles Dodgers (at CWS, at SF)
Milwaukee Brewers (vs. TEX, vs. CHC)
Oakland A’s (at LAA, at ARI)
Pitching Streamers
Tyler Anderson/Griffin Canning, LAA (vs. OAK, vs. DET)
It’s rare to recommend two streamers together on the same team, but having matchups like these makes it easy to understand why. Two home starts in LA are the first small variable, but playing two of the worst offenses is what we really care about. Oakland ranks 28th or 29th in runs scored, K rate, and OBP, while Detroit sits 22nd in K rate, 26th in wOBA, and 27th in OBP. To put it simply, the best hitter they’re going to face this week is Brent Rooker!
Now that we have the matchups out of the way, let’s talk about the pitchers. Anderson is the obvious pick of the two, tallying a 2.48 ERA and 1.18 WHIP this season. That might look like a fluke on the surface, but this lefty had a 2.57 ERA and 1.00 WHIP two years ago. He’s also allowed just one run in six of his last seven starts, posting a 2.38 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in two starts against the A’s last year! Canning hasn’t been quite as consistent, but he has a 3.66 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across his last nine starts. He also had success against these teams in four matchups last year, recording at least seven Ks in all of those!
Streamonator Valuation: $-14.3/$23.2
Spencer Arrighetti, HOU (vs. COL)
Arrighetti got thrown to the wolves in a spot start at the beginning of the week but he was turning around his season before that stinker. The rookie allowed just two runs across his previous three starts, generating a 3.19 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 10.5 K/9 rate across his last six outings in total. That WHIP is far from wonderful, but that ERA and K rate is all you can ask for from one of your streamers. What really makes him enticing is that he gets a home start against the Rockies, with Colorado ranked last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and xwOBA on the road in three of the last four years. They also rank 26th in K rate and 28th in xwOBA this season, with Arrighetti likely entering that matchup as a -200 favorite!
Streamonator Valuation: $43.2
Jonathan Cannon, CWS (vs. COL)
We just finished talking about how Colorado is one of the best matchups for one of your streamers, particularly when they’re on the road. This offense is never projected to surpass four runs outside of Coors Field, and that’ll certainly be the case against Cannon in Chicago. This youngster has allowed just one run across his last three starts, posting those absurd lines against Seattle, Houston, and Boston. That’s quite the murderer’s row of lineups, with Cannon compiling a 0.48 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in that span. He also limited KC to just one run in his debut, and it would be shocking if he didn’t record a quality start against this rubbish Rockies lineup.
Streamonator Valuation: $33.2
Cal Quantrill, COL (at CWS)
I’ve only had a handful of Rockies as streamers since I started writing this piece five years ago, but I’ve definitely never recommended one of them at home. We’re glad we don’t have to deal with that here, but Quantrill has been brilliant wherever he pitched this season. In fact, the righty has a 3.43 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, while posting a 3.24 ERA and 1.06 WHIP on the road. His recent form is remarkable, too, totaling a 2.25 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over his last eight starts. That shocking stretch should be easy to duplicate against Chicago, sitting last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA.
Streamonator Valuation: $NA
Reese Olson, DET (at LAA)
We’ve had Olson in here more than almost any other player, and we’re going right back to him after a bounceback start earlier in the week. The righty threw six scoreless innings against an elite Atlanta lineup despite surrendering 17 runs across his three previous outings. That three-start stretch is clearly the outlier, though, with Olson obtaining a 1.92 ERA and 1.05 WHIP through his first 10 starts. Struggling against Milwaukee and Boston is nothing to be concerned with when evaluating the poor stretch because LA has one of the ugliest lineups in baseball. The Angels are missing Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, sitting 18th in K rate, 23rd in OBP, and 19th in wOBA.
Streamonator Valuation: $4.2
Hitting Streamers
Ryan O’Hearn, BAL (vs. CLE, vs. TEX)
Anytime the O’s have a schedule full of right-handers, you better believe O’Hearn will be one of our streamers. This guy always bats third or fourth when they face a righty, and there are not many better spots in baseball with how dominant this lineup has been. O’Hearn has earned it, though, tallying a .360 OBP, .500 SLG, and .860 OPS against righties this year. He also comes into this matchup amid a hot streak, sporting a .390 OBP and .927 OPS across his last 16 outings. The only elite pitcher O’Hearn faces in this seven-game week is Max Scherzer, but that old geezer hasn’t even made a start yet this season!
Paul Dejong, CWS (vs. LAD, vs. COL)
It’s hard to believe that Dejong is in this section as one of our streamers, but the White Sox are a journeyman organization right now. In any case, they’ve moved the shortstop up to their cleanup spot because he’s been their best hitter over the last month. The slugger has a .260 AVG, .593 SLG, and .893 OPS across his last 20 outings. That power stroke isn’t coming out of nowhere, with Dejong donning a .192 career ISO while connecting on 74 dingers through his first three years. He also gets seven games this week, facing a Rockies staff that ranks last in ERA and WHIP. Facing LA sounds scary, but he’s avoiding Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Walker Buehler in that injury-riddled rotation.
Masyn Wynn/Alec Burleson, STL (vs. ATL, vs. CIN)
We had two pitchers as streamers in the same section earlier on, so let’s do it with some bats! The Cards have seven home games this week and are finally getting hot. One of the reasons they’re getting going is because they’ve moved Winn up to leadoff and Burleson in the two-hole. Winn has a .309 AVG and .829 OPS across his last 32 games, looking like a potential 15-15 player. Burleson has been just as good, generating a .289 AVG and .803 OPS across his last 39 games. He’s also got a .301 AVG and .810 OPS against righties this year, which is awesome since they’re projected to face five of them this week!
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC)
PCA isn’t expected to provide much power, but he’s already up to 13 steals across just 42 games. He’s also recorded a steal in six of his last 10 games after picking up 82 steals across 241 minor league games.
Jake McCarthy (ARI)
McCarthy’s OBP has been above .450 over his last 13 games, recording five steals in that span. He also had over 20 steals in back-to-back years but didn’t play more than 100 games in either of those.
Saves Specialists
Chad Green (TOR)
Jordan Romano and Yimi Garcia have both landed on the IL recently, leaving Green as the only option left for saves. The veteran has been the best pitcher in this pen, posting a 1.72 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. He hasn’t had any saves yet, but being featured in the ninth inning is an encouraging sign.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
