It’s been a rough start to streaming pitchers, primarily because of what Michael Waterloo points out in his “10 Burning Questions” from last week: only about half of the starting pitchers have gone five innings. This doesn’t give them a chance to settle in and get our ERA down. “With the delayed start to the season and shortened Spring Training, pitchers will need to continue ramping up during the season.” There is some rust to shake off, and while it may be better to choose a healthy long-relief option instead, this article is about streaming starting pitchers. So we’ll march onwards and look for better days ahead.

Check out our Streaming Pitcher Rankings for the upcoming week

Here are the results from the most recent pitchers. Ouch! The K-rate is nice, but the 6.45 ERA is not.

• Dakota Hudson (STL) W 0, QS 0, ER 3, K 4, BB 0, IP 4
• Eric Lauer (MIL) W 0, QS 0, ER 3, K 5, BB 2, IP 4.1
• Nick Lodolo (CIN) W 0, QS 0, ER 5, K 4, BB 3, IP 4
• Drew Rasmussen (TB) W 0, QS 0, ER 3, K 4, BB 0, IP 4
• Zach Eflin (PHI) W 0, QS 0, ER 4, K 4, BB 1, IP 4
• Carlos Carrasco (NYM) W 0, QS 0, ER 0, K 8, BB 2, IP 5

Total: W 0, QS 0, ER 18, K 29, BB 8, IP 25.1

This is a friendly note. Last week, Jesus Luzardo (MIA) carved up the Angels lineup in ace-like fashion, and he’s rostered in 62% of Yahoo leagues. Even if you want to fade him to monitor consistency, he’s worth picking up if he’s available in your league.

*At publication, we use probable starters listed on CBS Sports on Saturday, April 15th.

Monday, April 18

Josiah Gray (WAS) vs. ARI 22%

In his first start against the Mets, Gray was shaky, but he struck out five Braves in his second outing, allowed no runs, went five innings, and got the win. He also walked a few, so we will see ups and downs as he continues to figure it out in the major leagues. Arizona is not the Braves. He went five innings before, so let’s see if he can do it back-to-back. Perhaps with some help from the likes of Josh Bell (1B, OF – WAS) and Juan Soto (OF – WAS), he’ll even get another Win.

Other option: Madison Bumgarner (ARI) at WSH 26%

Tuesday, April 19

Merrill Kelly (ARI) at WSH 27%

Let’s keep going with the series in Washington. I feel like tiptoeing around this statement (I don’t want to jinx it), but Kelly has yet to give up a run in his first two starts. Uh-oh. Now I said it. It’s widely known that he made adjustments to his changeup, and his velocity is also up. You could see the success of these changes against the Astros in his last start, and it has many managers monitoring his work as we advance. There are a couple of scary bats in the Nationals lineup, but let’s jump on the streak.

Other option: Cole Irvin (OAK) vs. BAL 4%

Wednesday, April 20

Daulton Jefferies (OAK) vs. BAL 2%

Jefferies beat the Phillies in his outing on April 10th, and he was the picture of efficiency. He threw 48 pitches in five innings, and we’d like to see him do that against Baltimore. He threw 30 of those 48 pitches for strikes. Although he didn’t get the win against the might Toronto lineup, he held them to two runs in 4.1 innings. He boasts a 1.93 ERA, and since we’re desperate for length out of our starters, this former top prospect might help.

Other option: Erick Fedde (WAS) vs. ARI 3%

Thursday, April 21

Miles Mikolas (STL) at MIA 12%

If you can avoid streaming today, you probably should. If I have to take a guy, I’m going with Miles. Mikolas, who went 6.2 innings against the Brew Crew on Friday. He won that game, striking out seven batters and only walking one. It was impressive, but he’s not a strikeout pitcher. He generates groundballs, limits the walks, and relies on his defense to pick him up. And he’s got a good group behind him. He’s a wily veteran with a 2.61 ERA to start the season. Granted, his first game was against the Pirates, but it might be worth seeing if he can keep it going.

Other option: None

Friday, April 22

David Peterson (NYM) at ARI 2%

I’ll admit it. I’m a big believer in Peterson. Due to injuries, he’s getting a chance in the rotation, and I hope he takes advantage. He was included in my article on three starting pitching sleepers in February, where I pointed out the increases in his K/9 and his groundball %. His slider is a thing of beauty, and he’s facing a below-average lineup. Last week in long-relief against the Phillies, he struck out three batters and didn’t allow a run. Let’s hope he can do it for five innings here. As of this writing, I don’t know how his first outing against Arizona went in Sunday’s game.

Other option: Drew Smyly (CHC) vs. PIT 4%

Saturday, April 23

Nestor Cortes (NYY) vs. CLE 36%

It’s a tough day to choose a streamer, so, as of this writing, I’m breaking the rules slightly. If you can still get Cortes from waivers, he’s worth a flyer. He’s on a good ball club, and I’ve been impressed with how he keeps hitters off-balance, sometimes with the actual pitches but other times with the way he mixes up his delivery. Last year in 93 innings, he pitched to a 2.90 ERA. His SIERA was 3.78, and his xFIP was 4.18. He averaged over a strikeout per inning. His flyball tilt is scary, but he didn’t allow that much hard contact. Let’s take him for a spin if we can.

Other option: Josiah Gray (WSH) vs. SF 22%

Sunday, April 24

Justin Steele (CHC) vs. PIT 10%

You should take the day off. If you must stream a pitcher, the best I have to offer is Justin Steele against the Pirates. As of this writing, he has only faced Colorado and Milwaukee, striking out a batter per inning and maintaining a 1.93 ERA. In the minors, the most innings he’s ever pitched in one season was 98.2, and that was in 2017. He’s 26 years old, and if we subtract the 2020 season, he’s young enough to take a step forward. He did generate a lot of groundballs last year, and in the small sample to start the season, he’s walking fewer batters. He’s an option. Oh yes, he’s…available.

Other option: Cole Irvin (OAK) vs. TEX 4%

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Joshua Thusat is a featured writer at FantasyPros.