Streaming Pitching Options for Week 13: Nelson, Niese & More

Only one day this upcoming scoring period do we have multiple streaming options. There are weeks where the pickings are slim, and Week 13 is shaping up as one of those. Harvest wisely, and for those pitchers going late in the scoring period, take note of what they did at the end of Week 12 or the beginning of this week. Bad starts tend to come in groups with the lesser owned starting pitching options, at least that is my impression which would be a good subject for more detailed analysis. If I only had the time.

On a weekly basis, I am profiling those starting pitchers who are scheduled to take the mound in the upcoming scoring period. This is done to help you determine who to try to grab from your league's free agent pool and/or who you should target as a player on whom to spend your FAAB funds. Note that all the streaming options listed below are owned in less than 50% of leagues, and thus could be available on your waiver wire. Here are this week's set of potential streaming targets.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Jimmy Nelson MIL @ PHI Sean O’Sullivan

Nelson had been looking mighty shaky in the two starts prior to his shutting down the Mets on two hits over eight innings in his last start. I tend to like any pitcher facing the Phillies these days, and Nelson should be able to keep the light-hitting Mets order in check. And collect some strikeouts from the league’s fifth worst team in terms of Ks.

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Andrew Heaney LAA vs NYY Ivan Nova

Jon Niese NYM vs CHC Kyle Hendricks

Tuesday is our day of bounty, with two streaming options. First up, Heaney is a pitcher whose minor league results may have been skewed by the hitter friendly PCL ballparks, as his minor league stats are nothing to crow about: 4.71 ERA, 1.54 WHIP over 78.1 innings. The 74:25 K/BB ratio speaks of potential, however, and he did rack up five Ks in his first MLB start, albeit against the free-swinging Astros. The Yankees are a more patient team at the plate, but he does get to face them at home.

Niese has put together a tempting string of four QS, and while his strikeout numbers fluctuate from start to start, the Cubs are a team prone to swinging and missing a ton. Niese’s offense is not inspiring, though, so do not count on a victory. Be satisfied with some nice peripherals, and a potential win.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Roenis Elias SEA @ SD James Shields

Elias is going through a mini-slump, having allowed 16 earned runs over his last three starts comprising 14 innings. He should get back on track on the road, facing the underperforming Padres at Petco. Pitching on the road should curb his long-ball servings tendencies, at least for this one start. Average Ks and an ability to keep hitters off-balance with his off-speed offerings make him worth a gamble.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Jeremy Hellickson ARI vs COL Chris Rusin

Hellickson had an MRI that returned clean results after being removed from his start against the Padres at home at the beginning of last week for precautionary reasons. He has been cleared to pitch without restrictions, and gets the benefit of facing the Rockies at home instead of on the road at Coors Field. While his moderate ground ball inducing tendencies should help him out at Chase Field, he has given up more than his fair share of homers this season at home. If you use him on Thursday, expect moderate strikeout numbers and potentially a QS. I am going to ignore the results from his last start at San Diego, where he offered great K results but the rest of the line was terrible: 10 hits, seven earned runs in just 5.1 innings. You may not want to be so generous, and opt not to stream on Thursday.

Friday, July 3, 2015

Nathan Eovaldi NYY vs TB Chris Archer

I wanted to recommend Tsuyoshi Wada today but he is now on the DL with inflammation in his right deltoid muscle, so we will turn to the Yankee right hander. Eovaldi has bounced back from his disastrous return to Miami, tossing a couple of quality starts back to back. Tampa Bay provides a decent possibility of some strikeouts although for the life of me I do not understand how he fails to strike out at least a league-average number of batters with his 96 MPH fastball. He is a better option at home, and Tampa Bay is not exactly the kind of offense that produces great results on the road, so despite the loss of Wada, Eovaldi is a nice replacement.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Jeff Locke PIT vs CLE Cody Anderson

Locke is not an exciting option, but facing the Indians and their up-and-down offense makes him worth a start. His 4.73 ERA and 1.51 WHIP are scary, and a 1.97 K/BB ratio does not speak highly of his skill set. If he was not facing Cleveland at home, there would be no reason to recommend him, and truth be told, he is the best option owned in less than 50% of league on Saturday. If you decided that this was not the day to stream, I could get behind your decision fully. He did manage to hold the Braves to one earned run through five innings on Sunday, and took a bad luck loss in the process as his team was held to just one run by Atlanta.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Danny Duffy KC vs MIN Phil Hughes

Things are up in the air as I write this as to whether Duffy will go on Saturday or Sunday. In either case, take a gander at what he does against Houston on the road earlier in Week 13. If he falters badly, and does not rack up a bunch of Ks, then maybe there is just no one to stream on Sunday. That happens sometimes. This is an important division match up, however, so expect both sides to be playing for keeps.

If you have any questions about starting pitching or fantasy baseball, feel free to contact me at ia@fantasyalarm.com.