For those of you who also read my Two-Start Pitching article, you may be amazed at just how many pitchers are listed here, as opposed to the relative dearth of options in the Saturday article. Look at Tuesday, for example, where I am profiling five starters who could be useful for a single start. It’s a nice thing to have options, especially as the fantasy baseball season heads into the final weeks.
These articles will continue into mid-September, as there will be many potential options from which to choose, what with all the September minor league call-ups about to take place. Week 22 was the final Two-Start Pitching article of the 2016 season, but as always, I am willing to take your questions via e-mail if you find yourself in a dilemma setting your rotation.
Realize that these pitchers are all owned in 50% or less of leagues. and thus may be available in your league on the waiver wire. I am only going to highlight those pitchers that I believe can provide a boost to your rotation, so no bottom-of-the-barrel SPs will be brought to your attention. Also, please understand that this set of pitchers is being assembled early before the next scoring period (in most leagues, at least) commences, and weather, injury, demotions or crazy managerial decisions can interfere with our well-laid plans, so be ready to adjust if you can make daily lineup adjustments.
Here are the recommended streaming options for this week:
Monday, August 29, 2016
Sean Manaea OAK @ HOU Joe Musgrove
Manaea almost made this list as a two-start option this week, but he faces the Red Sox with their ace Rick Porcello on the mound on Sunday, so it is just his first start that I am recommending you plug him into your lineup. In this game, he offers good strikeout potential, although I confess I would happier starting him at home instead of on the road. So long as he can induce swings and misses, and continues to demonstrate good control, however, he is a decent option, and the best of the bunch on Monday.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Kendall Graveman OAK @ HOU Collin McHugh
Daniel Norris DET vs CHW Anthony Ranaudo
James Paxton SEA @ TEX Cole Hamels
Chad Kuhl PIT @ CHC Kyle Hendricks
Seth Lugo NYM vs MIA Tom Koehler
Graveman has been sharp in his last two outings, and actually has pitched very well in three of his last four starts. He will not provide much in the way of Ks, generally, but he does get to face Houston in this appearance, so he could up his usual 5.23 K/9 here.
Norris is starting to pitch deeper into games, having tossed into the seventh in his last start against Minnesota, a victory where he collected five Ks and did not hand out a free pass. Getting the White Sox at home makes for a tempting matchup. He should be good for a handful of strikeouts, although he is more effective when he induces grounders from the opponents’ bats.
Paxton looked solid in his first start since coming off the DL, although his team blew the lead, costing him a victory. He has been very sharp with his control this season, and that coupled with his 8.10 K/9 and superb 1.89 GB/FB ratios makes him a tempting start, even going after Texas on the road. He has an elite 0.6 HR/9 rate this season, which should play well in Arlington.
Kuhl draws a tough matchup here, facing Hendricks and the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He is not much of a strikeout artist, with just a 5.56 K/9 rate this season in the majors, but does flash good control (2.27 BB/9). He has also had more success away from Pittsburgh, albeit over a limited sample size. He has only allowed eight earned runs over his current five consecutive QS streak, as well.
Lugo wraps up the bounty of streaming options on Tuesday, and while this is not a pushover matchup, he does get to pitch before the home crowd. He has been solid in his two most recent starts, and is over the leg cramp that forced him from his last appearance. He is a below average strikeout producer so far in the majors, but did flash swing and miss ability in the minors, so the hope is his K numbers will improve as he become accustomed to pitching in the big leagues.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Ryan Vogelsong PIT @ CHC Mike Montgomery
Luke Weaver StL @ MIL Matt Garza
Luis Cessa NYM @ KC Ian Kennedy
Vogelsong continues to be a streaming option, and is capable of providing a strikeout per inning against the free swinging Cubs. He has only allowed eight earned runs over his last five games, and four of those came in one game against the Giants. His control can be an issue, but he has put up a 2.48 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over his last 29 innings pitched.
Weaver continues to build up his pitch count, and most recently went six innings against the A’s, holding Oakland to one earned run on four hits, while collecting seven Ks. He has given up a homer in each of his starts, and he needs to get a handle on that situation, as well as improving his control. A home run prone starting pitcher in Milwaukee should give some pause, but you also have to love the strikeout potential against the team that leads the majors in Ks.
Cessa has been impressive, throwing a pair of consecutive QS and winning both. He shows great control and has been striking out hitters at a better rate now that he has joined the Yankee rotation. Grab him now while he is baffling opposing batters, while his ownership percentage sits below 20%.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Jose Urena MIA @ NYM Bartolo Colon
Jarred Cosart SD @ ATL Jose De La Cruz
Urena has not been a particularly useful SP this season, with a 5.83 ERA over his 54 innings pitched out of the pen and more recently as a starter. He has looked better in his past two starts, however, holding the opponents to just three earned runs over 11.2 innings, and collecting nine Ks. He heads to New York, and gets to face an offense that is not exactly a powerhouse. He is a gamble, but there is not much to look at in Thursday’s short list of games being played.
One positive for Cosart is that he gets to face the Braves, another offense that does not put fear in an opposing pitcher’s heart. He has pitched well in his last three outings, although it would be nice if he could go deeper into games. His control is spotty, but he does have strikeout appeal, having racked up 13 over his last 16.2 innings pitched.
Friday, September 2, 2016
Clayton Richard SD @ LAD Bud Norris
Only one pitcher stands out as particularly useful on Friday, and that is Richard who goes on the road to take on the Dodgers. He has been acceptable as a starter since joining the Padres in a trade at the deadline with the Cubs, but his control has been suspect. He has only allowed two earned runs over his last 18 innings, but a 11:7 K/BB rate tells the tale of a SP playing with fire. All that being true, he is really the best option on Friday for streaming purposes, but I could fully understand if you decided to pass him by.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Ivan Nova PIT vs MIL Chase Anderson
Andrew Triggs OAK vs BOS Eduardo Rodriguez
Luis Perdomo SD @ LAD Julio Urias
Nova has enjoyed success since arriving from the Yankees, going 3-0 and holding opponents to nine earned runs over 25.1 innings, with a superb 18:1 K/BB ratio. He gets to face the Brewers for the second time in seven days in this matchup, although this contest is at PNC Park, which should be a positive for Nova. Plus, Milwaukee as noted above is a team that strikes out a ton.
Triggs has been a valuable addition to the Oakland rotation, having put up a 12:1 K/BB ratio over his 15.1 innings as a starter. He also generates a bunch of ground balls as evidenced by his 2.20 GB/FB ratio. So, a strikeout pitcher with good control that keeps the ball within the park make for a positive vibe, despite the fact that he has to face a powerful Boston offense. Note also that he is pitching at home in this contest.
Perdomo has tossed six QS in his last 10 starts, although he still sports an ugly 6.24 ERA and 1.76 WHIP due to his early struggles this season. He is a below average strikeout producer, relying on his ability to induce grounders (3.07 GB/FB ratio over his 29 appearances covering 106.2 innings). Personally, I would prefer to start his opponent, Urias in this game, but his ownership percentage is too high to qualify under the parameters of these articles.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Seth Lugo NYM vs WAS Tanner Roark
As noted above, Lugo is our sole two-start option as a streamer this week. I will not bore you by rehashing what I wrote about him in the Tuesday section, but would suggest examining how he fared against Miami in his first start of Week 22. Washington is not the team to find your strikeout mojo against, unfortunately, and with the shuffling the Mets’ rotation has undergone recently, he is not even guaranteed to make this start. If you need to plug him in for the entire week, I might pass him up and go with a one-start SP to hedge my bets.
I enjoy responding to reader questions, so feel free to post. Please note that the Fantasy Alarm Forums are now open for your use, to ask questions or provide your own commentary and wisdom. If you do not want your comments to appear in this public forum (if say your league members also read these articles), then feel free to contact me at ia@fantasyalarm.com for a more private response. I play in a ton of fantasy leagues, and am willing to discuss any baseball issues you may want to raise, not just starting pitching issues. As ever, good luck and Godspeed in your fantasy endeavors.