So this week will feature something new. Little do most of you know that this piece is researched for on Wednesday and Thursday then written up on Friday night and edited very early Sunday morning. So as of right now there is still time to play in Week 8. And as it looks, some of the Week 8 suggestions are looking a little screwed up (looking at you Brew Crew pitching staff!), so each intro will give a brief outlook into the previous week’s recommended weekend pitchers. The problem is that when predictions are made a week in advance and they don’t work out, YOU deserve to know that. So here we go…

The Diamondbacks offense is actually doing okay without A.J. Pollock so some notes need to be added… For starters, Junior Guerra started Friday night! If you aren’t comfortable going with Chase Anderson on Saturday then pivot to J.C. Ramirez. Ramirez was written up in last week’s article and don’t be mistaken by Miami’s hot start to Friday; they’re still an offense that’s struggling. Ramirez looked great in his last start and he’s worth considering if you aren’t comfortable with Anderson. Anderson will be going against Greinke on Saturday who has been on fire lately so the win potential drops. As far as Sunday goes, Jimmy Nelson is still a go but the confidence is waning. Patrick Corbin was mentioned in last week’s article, but it was for his first start. He’s one to avoid Sunday May 28th. Matt Garza also doesn’t get to start against the D-Backs, he now starts Monday April 29th against the Mets. So now we can dive in to Week 9…

10-12 Team Leagues

Joe Ross (WSH): It’s very rare that a player makes the streamers list that you should add for the rest of season to see what happens. Alex Wood was that guy a few weeks back and now it’s Ross. Ross struggled earlier in the year and understandably was sent down. In his first 3 starts Ross accumulated a 7.47 ERA with a 6.16 FIP and he gave up 2.87 HR/9. In his return call-up from the minors he went 8 innings strong giving up 5 hits, 0 walks, and he racked up 6 K’s. Ross should be owned in all formats from here on out. If his prospective status wasn’t as promising then his last start is enough to at least stream him in his next appearance. Ross draws Oakland on the road next Saturday. As of this writing Oakland has struck out 219 times in 25 home games. The big concern in this start is the home run threat. At home, Oakland is in the Bottom 10 in the league in batting average (.248) and OBP (.314), but they do manage to hit the ball out of the park as they’re 3rd in HR’s at home (43) and 5th in slugging percentage (.470). So you take the good with the bad in this start, but Ross is worth streaming in the short-term and owning in the long-term based on his potential alone.

Zack Godley (ARI): Godley’s coming in around 30-40% owned and he draws a road start next Wednesday in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are one of the worst offenses in the league. Overall the Bucs are hitting .236/.317/.378 and at home they’re slashing .244/.328/.373. So whether on the home or on the road, they’re one of the worst offenses in baseball. PNC Park is also slightly under average in terms of runs and HR production. Godley is a much better pitcher at home than on the road, but this is a dangerously sneaky matchup that Godley is worth a look at as a streamer in Week 9.

Matt Andriese (TB): Andriese gets a road matchup against the Rangers in Week 9. Here’s the thing with the Rangers, Joey Gallo embodies everything that the Texas offense represents: poor average, really bad OBP, but big power potential. Gallo is hitting just .191 and he’s striking out in 38% of his plate appearances. The Rangers are hitting just .237 and have struck out the 6th-most in baseball. Despite the offensive woes there is still some long ball potential with Texas, so Andriese is a slightly risky streamer this week. The Rangers have quite a few lefty bats in their lineup (Choo, Mazara, Odor, Gallo) and over the last 2 weeks Andriese is 1st amongst southpaw bats in opponent batting average (.067) and he’s 1st in slugging percentage against lefties (.133) so if he’s available to stream in your league give him a shot. If the start in Globe Life Park concerns you then find solace in the fact that it ranks 21st in run production and 20th in HR production so far in 2017. It’s not the offensive ballpark it once was.

Mike Clevinger (CLE): Clevinger at least deserve some form of consideration for this start. Sure, his start Friday night against Kansas City wasn’t fantastic, but he faces Oakland at home Wednesday May 31st. Oakland is bottom-10 on the road in terms of batting average (.228), OBP (.303), and SLG (.382). Meanwhile, Clevinger himself hasn’t given up a home run all year (fingers crossed that this article isn’t a jinx). Clevinger has fantastic strikeout potential, but he’s at the bottom of the potential “streaming pitchers” because he’s given up 19 K’s with 11 BB’s on the year. Clevinger is such a wild card even heading in to June because his peripherals are tough to get a read on. And he’s only included in the 10-12 team section because his ownership is unreasonably high. But the matchup is good, so he makes the bottom of this section.

Drew Pomeranz (BOS): This is more of a “if you’re desperate” call. Pom dominated in his last start. His curveball was working masterfully. He struck out 5 of his first 7 batters and 11 overall. He was dealin’ Thursday night. This is also the same guy who has yet to record an out in the 7th inning so far this year. And his last start was the first time he completed six innings of work since April 28th. If he can maintain the dominance with his curveball then he’s a very appealing streamer and possibly a long-term option this year. Play it safe with him in the short-term. He’s still a threat to give up the long ball and he’s still walked 6 batters in his last 13 innings of work. He gets a somewhat tempting road start against the ChiSox in Week 9. Chicago is averaging 5 runs per game at home as of this writing and Pomeranz, in a small sample size, has done worse on the road than at home.

Deeper/League-Only Options

German Marquez (COL): Marquez should be considered in deeper leagues next week because he gets a very appealing road start against San Diego. The Padres rank in the bottom three in BA, OBP, and SLG (.221/.290/.373) and those numbers get even worse at home (.209/.287/.341). Over his last 3 starts he’s averaging nearly 8 K’s per 9 innings of work with a 0.95 ERA and a 2.35 FIP. The FIP doesn’t even look that bad which suggests he’s in line for a nice performance against the Friars. He has a nice mid-90’s fastball and a great mid-80’s changeup to throw hitters off. If you aren’t feeling great about Clevinger then you should consider Marquez as a nice option in Week 9 in your deeper leagues or if you’re in a shallower league.

Erasmo Ramirez (TB): Ramirez gets two starts next week on the road against Texas and then Seattle. In 16.1 innings as a starter this season Ramirez has given up 5 earned runs with 12 hits and 2 walks. He’s shown this promise before and faltered, but the 27-year-old has done really well in the first two months in 2017. He’s not going to strike out many hitters (6.25 K/9), but in a deeper league where you set your roster at the beginning of the week Ramirez should be available on your waiver wire and should be considered as a streamer next week. The Rangers offense isn’t as potent as in recent years and the ball isn’t flying out of Arlington like it once did. Seattle is a middle-of-the-road offense that’s only scored 9 runs in their last 7 games (as of May 26th).

Dan Straily (MIA): Straily is this week’s version of Matt Cain/Matt Garza. It’s not an entirely appealing pick and he’s made this piece before and burned fantasy players. In his last four starts he’s boasting a 2.74 ERA (3.41 FIP) with an 8.61 K/9. The important thing with Straily is that he hasn’t been blown up too bad. Since April 11th he’s given up 4 earned runs or more in just one start. For the most part he’s due to give up 2 or 3 runs with a few hits and walks. But he’s always been a guy who can keep the ball in the park. Yes he’s surrendered a HR in each of his last two starts, but at home this season he’s given up just two in 33 innings of work. In Week 9 he gets a home matchup against the Phillies who are slugging just .387 on the road.

Eddie Butler (CHC): Remember all those stats you read on the Padres a few seconds ago? Those same numbers apply here for Butler. He draws the start in Petco for the Cubbies on May 30th. He isn’t a great innings eater as he’s only pitched 14 innings in 3 starts, but if he gets through 5 innings with minimal damage (which is reasonable) then he could get you a win in Week 9. This is even a recommendation for shallower leagues if your league is win-dependent. His 9:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio is horrible, but he keeps the ball in the park. It’s not sexy, but it has teeth.

 

Follow Dan Malin on Twitter (@RealDANlanta) for any questions regarding streamers during the week.