With the season starting to wind down, it is important to look at some important storylines and aspects this week in order to be ahead of the curve and gain an edge on your league mates.
Fantasy Baseball 20 Things to Watch
This Week’s Schedule Notes
- No teams have a five game week!
- The following teams have seven games this week:
- Boston Red Sox at HOU, vs LAD
- Chicago White Sox vs SEA, vs OAK
- Houston Astros vs BOS, at DET
- Oakland A’s vs KC, at CWS
- Chicago Cubs at DET, at PIT
- Cincinnati Reds at LAA, at ARI
- Pittsburgh Pirates vs STL, vs CHC
Six Man Rotations
There are a number of teams that are running some version of a six man rotation. Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Houston, the Angels, Seattle, and Philadelphia will make it more difficult to stream two-start pitchers each week because they are limiting the number of times they go through their entire rotations.
Weather
There is a massive storm coming in this weekend into Southern California. This could mean postponements for games in Los Angeles, Anaheim, and San Diego on Sunday and Monday, as well as games in the Bay Area later in the week. Keep an eye on these so you can pivot away from them if need be.
The Angels have called up first base prospect Nola Schanuel. Schanuel was drafted 11th overall in the 2023 MiLB draft which took place less than two months ago. While he is an advanced bat, this is really aggressive. He was fairing well in the minors but had only 75 plate appearances at AA. It will be interesting to see if he is clearly overmatched.
The Cardinals called up top prospect Masyn Winn. Winn has been fantastic, hitting .288/.359/.474 with 18 home runs and 17 stolen bases in AAA this season. Winn is projected to hit for a ton of power, especially in St. Louis’ pitcher-friendly park, and he has great contact ability and a lot of speed. He is expected to play every day at shortstop.
Rodon is returning from the IL for a two-step against the Nationals and Rays. On paper, this seems like a pretty nice time to return, but Rodon has struggled this year and the Nationals have actually been pretty good versus left handed pitching. He has also thrown simulated games in his rehab so it is unknown how deep he can actually go. He could be a difference-maker down the stretch but he could also be a liability.
Kikuchi has been amazing in the second half, throwing 35 innings of a 1.29 ERA with 36 strikeouts. He has always been an intriguing arm, but this is the first time that Kikuchi has been able to put it all together in the Majors. He has a nice two-start week versus the Guardians and Orioles to see if he can keep it going.
Cobb has struggled since the break, especially with walks and home runs, and has allowed a 5.73 ERA in 37.2 innings. Cobb went from one of the unluckiest pitchers in baseball last season to one of the luckiest in the first half, but his luck has now turned. He has a matchup at Philadelphia this week and it might be a pivotal game in terms of whether he is a viable fantasy asset moving forward.
Winans made his Major League debut on 7/22 and then another start on 8/12 before being returned to AAA. However, he is expected to be back with the Braves on Monday for a start against the Giants. Winans has been fantastic in the minors and Majors this year, striking out batters at a prodigious rate while limiting walks and home runs. With Yonny Chirinos struggling in the rotation, Winans may be up for the rest of the season.
Singer has been really good in the second half, throwing 44.2 innings of a 3.43 ERA with 42 strikeouts. In spite of the improvements, not much has changed in the profile. He is still mostly a two-pitch guy, though he did throw his changeup 15.4% of the time in his last outing. If he can throw the change up more with better results, then maybe he can take a step forward, but I am skeptical that he can do that effectively.
Brown started the year off really well, but has struggled as of late which has ruined his overall line. If he cannot turn it around quickly, he may find himself out of the rotation down the stretch. He has a good opportunity versus a bad Tigers offense in Detroit.
12-15. Streaming Options
Jameson Taillon (CHC) at DET
Taillon has been up and down this season, but when his mechanics are clean, he can be dominant. He has a nice matchup in Detroit, which is a great place to pitch.
Eury Perez (MIA) vs WAS
Perez has been fantastic in his rookie year, although there were some struggles upon return from the minors. That being said, he was amazing in his last start and no one is afraid of the Nationals.
Cole Irvin and Kyle Gibson (BAL) vs COL
Gibson and Cole have been up and down all season, but there is no better matchup than the Rockies away from Coors Field. Both are top tier options to stream.
16-20. 2-Start Options
Bryce Elder (ATL) vs NYM, at SF
Elder is the opposite of James Paxton and Bailey Ober. With some of his recent work being so shaky, I would usually have him in one of the lower tiers. However, he is coming off of a nice rebound outing and now faces two offenses that have struggled mightily since the All-Star Break. The matchups and supporting offense give him a green light in spite of recent performance and skill issues.
Mike Clevinger (CWS) vs SEA, vs OAK
Clevinger has pitched well since returning from the IL, throwing 23 innings of a 1.57 ERA with 18 strikeouts. He has been outrageously lucky with a 3% HR/FB rate and a .250 BABIP, but the results have been there and he gets an atrocious A’s squad at the back end of the week.
Javier Assad (CHC) at DET, at PIT
Assad has pitched very well since entering the Cubs rotation, albeit with one clear weakness; he hasn’t gotten many strikeouts. He has shown the ability to get those strikeouts in the minor leagues and as a reliever, but it just hasn’t materialized as of yet as a Major League starter. These are two really nice matchups that you should probably roll with in spite of the strikeouts, and the upside is there if they do come.
Zack Littell (TB) vs COL, vs NYY
I don’t think Littell is a very good pitcher, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a place in fantasy. He has done a good job of getting weak contact and doing enough to win games. This is a pretty nice two-step versus a Rockies team on the road and a struggling Yankees offense, so I am rolling with him for now.
Paul Blackburn (OAK) vs KC, at CHW
Blackburn doesn’t offer a ton of win potential on the lowly A’s, but what he lacks for in that department, he makes up for in nice ratios and a little surge in strikeouts this season. The matchups are pretty good and someone has to win those games, so maybe Blackburn can get a win out of one of these two matchups.
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