We had another successful week of streamers last week, and it led to one of my best weeks of the year. I had numerous 8-2 wins in my season-long leagues, and those are the sort of scorelines that could change the standings. The volatility of streamers can lead to lines like that but it will also cost you some weeks with how risky it can be. That is why we write this article, though, because we want to put you in the best position to maximize those streamers. With that in mind, let’s get into this week’s picks!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Colorado Rockies (vs. MIL, vs. KC)
Houston Astros (at TOR, at MIN)
Milwaukee Brewers (at COL, at LAD)
New York Mets (at WAS, at PIT)
Washington Nationals (vs. NYM, vs. STL)
6 Games
Cleveland Guardians (vs. CWS, vs. SF)
Kansas City Royals (vs. TB, at COL)
Los Angeles Angels (at OAK, at CHC)
Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. ARI, vs. MIL)
New York Yankees (vs. CIN, vs. BOS)
Pitching Streamers
Brayan Bello, BOS (at MIA)
The Red Sox decided to give Bello some extra rest after a terrible stretch, but the week off should have this talented youngster ready to roll. While he has struggled over his last five starts, Bello had a 3.86 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 8.7 K/9 rate through his previous seven starts. That run is on par with what we saw in the minors, with Bello maintaining a 3.10 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 31 percent K rate since 2020. The reason we’re willing to look at those averages is because Miami has a minor league lineup, ranked 29th in runs scored. OBP, OPS, and xwOBA. They also play in one of the most spacious parks, and it should lead to Bello having a bounce-back start.
Streamonator Valuation: $4.1
Gavin Williams, CLE (vs. CWS)
Williams has yet to make a start this season as he resumes rehab for an elbow issue, but there’s speculation that he’ll be ready to return here. He threw 82 pitches in his most recent rehab start and should be ready to return to the Guardians with the way he’s been mowing down minor-league bats. Over his last three starts, Williams has a 2.53 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 11.8 K/9 rate. That’s not far off of what we saw from Williams in his rookie campaign, collecting a 3.29 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 8.9 K/9 rate before that injury. A home start against Chicago is the perfect way to get him back into the fold because the White Sox rank last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA.
Streamonator Valuation: $NA
Simeon Woods Richardson, MIN (vs. DET)
The Twins have done a tremendous job of churning out starters over recent years, and SWR appears to be another diamond in the rough. The right-hander has allowed two runs or fewer in nine of his 13 starts, generating a 3.41 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Those are tough averages to find from one of your streamers, and the strikeout stuff is the only thing keeping him from being a must-roster player. The Motor City Kitties won’t blow up those awesome averages, with Detroit ranked 21st in K rate, 27th in OBP, and 26th in wOBA. That was on full display when Richardson allowed just three baserunners and one run across six innings in their one matchup this season.
Streamonator Valuation: $-10.4
Christian Scott, NYM (at WAS)
The Mets play 17 games in a 17-day stretch, and there are rumors that Scott will be brought up to make one of the starts this week. We have him projected to face Washington, which is awesome with how woeful their offense has been. The Nats rank 20th in runs scored, 23rd in OBP, and 25th in wOBA. The other team he’d face would be Pittsburgh, but we’ll talk about that in the next write-up! Scott’s earned a call-up to the Grimace Mets, with the righty registering a 2.63 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 29 percent K rate at the minors since the start of last season. He also had a 3.90 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in five starts at this level and should continue that success against Washington;s woeful offense.
Streamonator Valuation: $NA
Tylor Megill, NYM (at PIT)
We just foreshadowed why Pittsburgh is such a fantastic matchup, so let’s start there. The Pirates rank 23rd in runs scored, 27th in K rate, 26th in OBP, and 28th in wOBA. Those numbers have gotten even worse since the opening month, and it’s no surprise since PNC Park is one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball. That should bode well for Megill because he was looking like a stud before a nightmarish start against the Cubs. Megill hadn’t allowed more than four runs in any of his first six starts before that, tallying a 3.52 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 10.9 K/9 rate in that span. He also had a 0.64 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and 15.5 K/9 rate in his rehab assignment, showcasing what makes him such a solid option as one of our streamers.
Streamonator Valuation: $-8.9
UPDATE: Megill was sent down to Triple-A on Saturday but could still make this start with NY playing so many games. We’d still use him if he gets a start!
Hitting Streamers
Joey Ortiz, MIL (at COL, at LAD)
Ortiz was picked up in nearly every league a few weeks ago, but everyone dropped him for some reason. A minor neck issue might be the reason for that hasty drop, but we’re willing to ride Ortiz as one of our streamers this week. The multi-position player has quietly had a sensational season, sporting a .275 AVG, .380 OBP, and .835 OPS. That looks less flukey when evaluating his Triple-A numbers, posting a .321 AVG, .379 OBP and .890 OPS. The biggest asset here is the fact that he has four games in Coors Field. Milwaukee is the highest-projected team in all of those games, facing a Colorado team that ranks last in ERA and WHIP in the most hitter-friendly park in baseball!
Jake Meyers, HOU (at TOR, at MIN)
The Stros are finally starting to get hot and Meyers has been a sneaky piece in the second half of their lineup. He’s typically been batting fifth and sixth for Houston, which is an optional spot behind all of those All-Stars. It’s given Meyers some great pitches to hit, amassing a .268 AVG across his last 40 games. Some of the power has been slow to come around, but he still has a .400 OBP and .977 OPS across his last eight outings. That bump in production makes him enticing since Houston is one of the few teams with a seven-game week, facing a Toronto team that ranks 22nd in ERA and a Minnesota staff that sits 21st.
Colorado Rockies Bats! (Mike Toglia, Hunter Goodman, Charlie Blackmon) (vs. MIL, vs. KC)
There are only six teams with seven games this week, and Colorado happens to have seven games in Coors Field! That’s the most hitter-friendly environment in baseball, with the Rockies projected to score over five runs in every game. That will have them as the highest-projected offense of the week, forecasted to score about 40 runs! Most teams won’t even be projected to reach 30 runs, and it puts all of these waiver wire bats in play!
Toglia and Goodman are interesting options because of their power. Goodman has five homers over his last 10 outings, while Toglia has five dingers over his last 12 games! Blackmon is the premier option of the bunch because he’s being activated off the IL on Saturday. He should return to his everyday role as the leadoff hitter, showcasing a .380 OBP and .936 OPS at home since 2022. He was also scorching before going on the IL, establishing a .418 OBP and .987 OPS across his last 18 games
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Jake McCarthy (ARI)
McCarthy has been mentioned in this article numerous times this season, and it’s easy to see why. He had at least 23 steals in the last two seasons despite playing fewer than 100 games in both of those. He’ll surely surpass that as an everyday player this year, recording 12 steals!
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC)
PCA won’t hit for much power but he’s playing every day and should continue to steal bases. The speedster has eight steals over his last 17 games, picking up 15 for the season.
Saves Specialists
Aroldis Chapman (PIT)
With David Bednar expected to miss another week, Chapman should get all the saves in Pittsburgh. He’s got 323 throughout his career and has one of the best K rates in baseball as well.
Reed Garrett (NYM)
Edwin Diaz will be suspended until the end of the week, which should allow Garrett to get any save chances until then. He picked up the first save without Diaz and could be a sneaky option until Eddy returns.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
