First, I hope you picked better pitchers for the week of July 22nd through July 28th. I’ll get to those, but my picks were just terrible.
I’ll brush myself off and try again. It’s a long season. Even with the playoffs near, it’s better to make a lineup error or pitching matchup mistake during the season than in the playoffs.
You can also learn over the next few weeks which pitchers can be trusted as streamers. Perhaps you will get a trusty rotation starter, a solid matchup starter or at least learn what pitchers to avoid.
Streaming pitchers is a gamble but every fantasy baseball owner will find themselves at some point taking that chance. So, let’s see who’s on the board for Week 19.
First though, unfortunately, here are the results from my picks from July 22-July 28:
- Christian Scott: Was placed on the injured list (IL)
- Albert Suarez: 2 IP, 6 ERs, 1 BB, 2 Ks (No Decision)
- Yariel Rodriguez: 5.2 IP, 2 ERs, 1 BB, 6 Ks (No Decision)
- Jonathan Cannon: 6 IP, 2 ERs, 2 BBs, 1 K (Loss)
- Drew Thorpe: 0.2 IP, 8 ERs, 2 BBs, 1 K (Loss)
- Aaron Civale: 5.1 IP, 2 ERs, 0 BBs, 3 Ks (No Decision)
- Kyle Freeland: Start was pushed up
Totals: 19.2 IP, 20 ERs, 6 BBs, 13 Ks (0-2)
No words.
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Fantasy Baseball Streaming Pitchers & Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 19)
(Roster percentages are based on an average of ESPN, YAHOO!, and CBS)
Monday, August 5th
JP Sears (SP – OAK) vs. CWS | 28%
JP Sears had a great start his last time out, going seven innings and recording nine strikeouts. He only allowed three hits and one walk while shutting out the Giants. Sears can go through stretches of being a decent streaming option, but he’s also gone through some bumps along the way this season. In the last 30 days, he has a 4-1 record and an ERA of just over 3.00.
The White Sox are bad and are easy targets when determining streamers. They have the worst batting average and wOBA (Weighted on Base Average) in the majors against left-handers. The White Sox also have the fewest amount of home runs against left-handers. Sears should limit damage and put himself in a position for a win.
Other Option: David Festa (SP – MIN) at CHC | 6%
Tuesday, August 6th
Colin Rea (SP – MIL) at ATL | 47%
Colin Rea just faced Atlanta on July 29. He managed to get six strikeouts in 5.1 innings for the no-decision. In the last 14 days, Rea has a 1.74 ERA, and teams are hitting just .184 against him. He also managed to get 14 strikeouts in 10.1 innings.
Atlanta isn’t the best matchup, but neither are the matchups for this day, so I’m looking for a possible win and limited damage. Rea should keep the Braves lineup in check. The Braves do have nearly a 25% strikeout rate against right-handers. He might not get six innings, but he will likely get around 90 pitches, so it’s not out of the question he goes deep in this game. I’ll roll the dice with Rea.
Other Option: Jeffrey Springs (SP – TB) at STL | 48%
Wednesday, August 7th
Joey Estes (SP – OAK) vs. CWS | 5%
Going back to the White Sox on this one. I admit, I am more confident about the Sears matchup, but in general, the matchups this week are rough.
The White Sox might have the worst average and wOBA against lefties, but things aren’t much better against right-handers. In both of those categories, they rank second-worst. They also have a 26% strikeout rate against right-handers.
Joey Estes has gone deep into games this season and has a complete game shutout under his belt. Estes might not be the best choice but it’s against the White Sox. I’ll take that.
Other Option: Keider Montero (SP – DET) at SEA | 2%
Thursday, August 8th
DJ Herz (SP – WAS) vs. SF | 9%
With 10 games on the slate, you would think some better matchups would be available, but here we are. DJ Herz hasn’t pitched six innings or more in over a month. In the last 10 days, though, he has a 3.60 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 10 innings. Teams were also hitting just .216 against him. For the season, Herz has an 11.54 K/9 rate, so the strikeout upside is always there.
The Giants have over a 22% strikeout rate and are towards the bottom of the league in home runs hit against left-handers. I’ve said before that the Giants’ lineup doesn’t strike fear, so if a streamer is needed, I would go with Herz.
Other Option: Frankie Montas (SP, RP – CIN) at ATL | 31%
Friday, August 9th
Jose Quintana (SP – NYM) at SEA | 42%
Jose Quintana is left-handed and Seattle is notoriously bad against right-handers but the difference in numbers is not that far off.
Seattle is only hitting .222 against left-handers with a strikeout rate over 25%. Seattle has made improvements to their lineup since the trade deadline but it’s not like flipping a switch.
Quintana is 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in the last 30 days. He’s become a solid option for the Mets and his recent success should continue with this matchup.
I’ll go with Quintana as my prediction pick for the week: 6 IP, 2 ERs, 2 BBs, 6 Ks and the win.
Other Option: Jose Soriano (RP, SP – LAA) at WAS | 37%
Saturday, August 10th
River Ryan (SP – LAD) vs. PIT | 38%
River Ryan has only two major league starts. He will be making his third start this weekend against Oakland. Assuming that start goes well, he should be in line to face Pittsburgh. In his two starts, he has pitched a combined 11 innings, giving up one earned run and six walks while striking out 10. The walks could use some work, but he is a rookie and the extra walks are not too surprising.
Pittsburgh has a decent walk rate against right-handers, so if you play in a category league where WHIP is kept score, keep that in mind. Overall, Pittsburgh isn’t too scary against right-handers. They have a .227 average with a .285 wOBA. Both of those stats rank near the bottom against right-handers. Pittsburgh also strikes out over 24% of the time against right-handers. It’s always risky going with a rookie but Ryan could be the safest gamble on Saturday.
Other Option: Tobias Myers (SP – MIL) vs. CIN | 47%
Sunday, August 11th
Ben Lively (SP, RP – CLE) at MIN | 41%
The weekend streamers don’t get any better. Ben Lively has had back-to-back quality starts and is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA.
I wish there was a better option here, but I can see Lively limiting damage enough against a Twins team that ranks in the middle for most hitting categories against right-handers.
The Twins are also scheduled to throw David Festa in this matchup. One would think the Guardians could get the production against Festa to help earn Lively the win. If a streamer is needed for this day, Lively could keep your chances alive.
Other Option: JP Sears (SP – OAK) at TOR | 28%
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