Week 20 provides some much needed daily streaming options for fantasy owners making a late season push to win their leagues or make the playoffs. We have three pitchers that are good for two starts this week, bookending the scoring period. Plus, only Monday provides a single option to pick up for a spot start, although even that slate has a provisional option available if you feel daring. Wednesday’s possibilities are only conditional recommendations, as the alternatives are dicey once you get past the two starters profiled there.
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 15, 2016
Ryan Vogelsong PIT @ SF Matt Moore
Vogelsong is one of the pitchers featured in the Two-Start Pitcher article published yesterday on the site, and as I noted there, he has been sharp since coming off the DL in his two starts. He has limited opponents to just one earned run over those two appearances, but he could use some offense to back up his effective mound work.
Other pitchers to consider:
Ross Detwiler OAK @ TEX Martin Perez
Detwiler looked good in his first start this season for the A’s, holding the Orioles off the scoreboard for eight innings. He is on a pitch count, and he did not look nearly as effective while coming out of the bullpen in seven games, so I am taking this one great start with a huge grain of salt. I do like Perez to an extent, but his inconsistency worries me, so I am loathe to actually suggest using either of these pitchers on Monday.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Eduardo Rodriguez BOS @ BAL Yovani Gallardo
Braden Shipley ARI vs NYM Noah Syndergaard
Rodriguez is another two start option in Week 20, and has been sharp over his past 28 plus innings. This is a risky start, heading to Baltimore and facing a team that put up five earned runs against him in mid-June. Rodriguez has been a much improved pitcher in the season’s second half, however, and he has become a useful SP with an ownership percentage making him a nice streaming option presently.
Shipley is another pitcher who has been dealing over his past few games, three in the case of Diamondback hurler. He recently held the Mets scoreless on the road, and has allowed just two earned runs during his current three game QS streak. His control has been hit or miss in his four starts, and he needs to work on that aspect of his game to continue to be effective going forward.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Homer Bailey CIN vs MIA Andrew Cashner
Both Cain and Bailey are conditional recommendations, as neither is sporting an attractive ERA or WHIP. Bailey did strike out 11 Brewers in his last outing, but the Milwaukee batters frequently swing and miss. Cain is not pitching deep into games, which limits his utility, although he was working on a three game win streak before the Orioles beat him up for five earned runs over four innings, and he also gave up a pair of homers against Baltimore. That all being said, these are the best two options for Wednesday’s slate of games, but use them at your own risk.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Matt Boyd DET vs BOS Steven Wright
Reynaldo Lopez WAS @ ATL Rob Whalen
Boyd has been a nice addition to the Detroit rotation, steadily pushing down his ERA and WHIP, which are current at 4.16 and 1.23, respectively. He is an average strikeout pitcher, but needs to work on his command and control to be truly trustworthy as a full-time starting option on fantasy rotation. He gets Boston at home, and that is a big plus for him given his home/road split discrepancy this season.
Lopez is coming off a seven inning, one run effort against the Braves in his most recent start. If he was not taking on Atlanta in this start, I would not recommend that you consider him for streaming purposes. He needs to show better control to improve his utility for fantasy purposes, and some more consistency in the strikeout department would be nice, too.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Tom Koehler MIA @ PIT Gerrit Cole
Tyler Anderson COL vs CHC Kyle Hendricks
Koehler was originally scheduled to pitch Monday and Saturday in Week 10, but will instead face the White Sox at home on Sunday. He has been much better at home this season, so the start on Sunday is good for his owners. He is a more questionable option on Friday, heading to Pittsburgh, although PNC Park should complement his ability to keep the ball in the yard (0.7 HR/9 over 127 innings).
Anderson is a rare pitcher, in that his home park does not seem to hurt his stat line. He sports a 3.04 ERA over 50.1 innings at Coors Field, to accompany a fine 3.06 road ERA in a smaller sample size of 17.2 innings. He is just an average source of Ks, but keeps the ball on the ground consistently and flashes good to great control.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Chad Kuhl PIT vs MIA David Phelps
Daniel Norris DET vs BOS Drew Pomeranz
I like both the starters in this game at PNC Park Saturday evening, although the fact that Kuhl has been pitching deeper into his contests gives him the slight advantage. Phelps is the better option if you are seeking Ks, and both SPs have issues with their control, increasing their risk for a blow up start. The venue in Pittsburgh should alleviate some of the concerns about either allowing a lot of runners to cross the plate.
Norris has not pitched beyond the fifth inning in any of his four starts this season, but he does offer superior strikeout ability over his limited time on the mound, with a stellar 9.50 K/9 rate this season. He will be a poor source of victories, not to mention quality starts, if he keeps leaving games early. He offers just average control, and needs to figure out how to keep the ball in the park to be more effective (1.5 HR/9).
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Eduardo Rodriguez BOS @ DET Justin Verlander
Ryan Vogelsong PIT vs MIA David Phelps
Braden Shipley ARI @ SD Luis Perdomo
All three of these starters have been profiled above. Nice to have the two-start pitching options dovetail into the streaming choices in a week, is it not? I would say that Rodriguez has the toughest matchup, having to face the Tiger’s ace, Verlander, in his home park, but Rodriguez and his BoSox teammates have a way of making life miserable for the Tigers and Verlander. Vogelsong gets to pitch in his home park, which is a definite point in his favor, although if his teammates continue to provide limited offensive support, that is a small comfort. Shipley gets to face the Padres at Petco, which while not the greatest pitcher’s park any longer, is still a friendlier place to pitch than Chase Field back in Phoenix.
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