Only three weeks remain in the regular season, which sadly means we’re almost done with streamers. Like many of you, I’m in my fantasy playoffs right now and am focused on getting these streamers right so I can make some money. That should benefit all of you because I’m trying to get zoned in for these final weeks and pad my bank account! We had an excellent showing last week, so let’s build on that and get into our streamers for this week!
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Boston Red Sox (vs. BAL, at NYY)
Cincinnati Reds (at STL, at MIN)
Cleveland Guardians (at CWS, vs. TB)
New York Yankees (vs. KC, vs. BOS)
6 Games
Chicago Cubs (at LAD, at COL)
Chicago White Sox (vs. CLE, vs. OAK)
Colorado Rockies (at DET, vs. CHC)
Detroit Tigers (vs. COL, vs. DET)
Houston Astros (vs. OAK, at LAA)
Minnesota Twins (vs. LAA, vs. CIN)
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. TB, vs. NYM)
Toronto Blue Jays (vs. NYM, vs. STL)
Pitching Streamers
Ben Lively, CLE (at CWS, vs. TB)
Lively has been an underrated pitcher all season, but a slow second half has sent him to numerous waiver wires. We’ll overlook that and ride him as one of our streamers this week because he has two of the best possible matchups. The White Sox have the worst offense in baseball, and we’ll dive into those numbers later. As for Tampa, they sit 25th in wOBA. 26th in K rate and 28th in runs scored. Those two matchups should have Lively in line for two quality starts, allowing three runs or fewer in 20 of his 25 starts. He also had a 3.62 ERA and 1.19 WHIP before struggling last week, and he should return to that form in these matchups.
Streamonator Valuation: $8.5
Luis Ortiz, PIT (vs. MIA)
Ortiz had multiple starts pushed back last week, and he should be ready to keep rolling here. That’s what we’ve seen recently, with Ortiz completing six scoreless innings in each of his last two starts. That brought his season-long numbers to a 3.19 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. That should continue in PNC Park because that’s one of the toughest stadiums to score in. A home matchup with Miami couldn’t be much better either, with the Marlins ranked 29th in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA.
Streamonator Valuation: $-3.8
Andrew Heaney, TEX (at SEA)
Heaney is quietly having a bounceback season in Texas, tallying a 3.81 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. He’s been even better recently, registering a 2.70 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 10.2 K/9 rate across his last six starts. The lefty has also allowed three runs or fewer in 22 of his 27 starts and should limit damage against a team like the Mariners. Seattle sits 26th in OBP, 27th in wOBA, and dead-last in K rate. That doesn’t even consider that Safeco Park is the best pitcher’s park in MLB, surrendering the fewest runs while playing host to the most strikeouts in the league.
Streamonator Valuation: $1.4
DJ Herz, WAS (vs. MIA)
Herz had his start rained out on Friday, but we’re anticipating another solid showing against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Despite posting an ugly 2-7 record, Herz has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 starts, providing a 3.49 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 11.2 K/9 rate in that span. We already discussed how magical of a matchup Miami is, sitting 29th in every offensive statistic out there. That was on full display when Hertz threw six, one-hit innings in his one matchup with the Marlins, striking out 13 batters in that masterpiece. That’s why Herz might be a -200 favorite in this game!
Streamonator Valuation: $14.2
Osvaldo Bido, OAK (at CWS)
We had Bido as one of our streamers in last week’s article, and we have to keep using him as long as he stays this hot. The righty has only allowed more than four runs in one start all season, generating a 2.36 ERA and 0.87 WHIP across his last six starts. That has him sitting at a 3.52 ERA and 1.09 WHIP for the season, and there’s no chance that Chicago slows him down. The White Sox rank last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA and xwOBA, sitting nearly 100 runs behind the Miami Marlins in 29th place.
Streamonator Valuation: $-12.4
Hitting Streamers
Matt Wallner, MIN (vs. LAA, vs. CIN)
Wallner is rostered in about 15 percent of leagues on Yahoo, and it makes no sense why people are sleeping on this guy. He’s been hitting third or fourth whenever Minnesota matches up with a righty, registering a .381 OBP, .579 SLG, and .960 OPS against them this year. That’s scary when you look at his recent form, providing a .388 OBP, .599 SLG, and .987 OPS across his last 50 games. That makes it hard to understand why he’s so widely available, especially when examining this week’s schedule. Not only does he face five righties at home this week, but those guys are Jack Kochanowicz, Griffin Canning, Nick Martinez, Rhett Lawler, and Julian Aguiar.
Austin Wells, NYY (vs. KC, vs. BOS)
Wells was dealing with a hand injury early in the week, but he was able to return to the lineup over the weekend. We’re willing to ride him as one of our streamers because of that, hitting cleanup for the Yankees recently. That’s quite the spot to hit behind Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, but he’s earned it. The catcher has compiled a .290 AVG, .379 OBP, .531 SLG, and .910 OPS across his last 49 games. Statistics like those are impossible to find from a waiver-wire catcher, especially since he faces six righties at home in this seven-game week. Not only is Yankee Stadium a hitter’s haven, but Wells also has a .832 OPS against right-handers this year!
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Dylan Crews (WAS)
Crews is one of the top prospects in the Nats organization and they’ve been hitting leadoff at times since his call-up. His speed has earned him that spot. He’s recorded 25 steals in the minors while picking up three steals in nine games with Washington.
Leody Tavares (TEX)
Taveras has always been an underrated fantasy player, and he’s locked into playing time with how shorthanded this Rangers lineup is right now. That’s led to Taveras starting in nine of the last 11 games and picking up six steals over his last 21 outings.
Saves Specialists
Porter Hodge (CHC)
With Jorge Lopez on the IL, Hodge has taken over as the closer. He has the last two saves for the Cubs and hasn’t allowed a run in 12 straight appearances. He now has a 1.75 ERA and 0.89 WHIP.
Lucas Erceg (KC)
Erceg was dropped in some leagues after a minor injury last week, but this is the Royals’ closer. He went a month without allowing a run before that injury and has seven saves over his last 11 appearances.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!
