If you can avoid having to stream pitchers this week, I believe you will be better served than just running starters out there for the sake of getting some innings. Most of the SPs that have low ownership percentages are just pedestrian, if not downright scary. Aside from the options set forth below for Thursday and Friday, I am staying away from these guys. The potential damage to your ratios and the relative lack of strikeout potential suggests restraint in Week 12, at least when it comes to grabbing starting pitching from the waiver wire.
Realize that these pitchers are all owned in 50 percent 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, June 20, 2016
Sorry, not one option I can reasonably recommend for Monday.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Bud Norris ATL @ MIA Jose Fernandez
This is not a ringing endorsement of the Braves right hander, but he is the best option for streaming purposes on Tuesday. He is heading to a good pitcher’s park. Norris has been striking out more hitters in his past two games, as many as he had racked up in his prior 10 games. I do not expect that trend to continue, but he could be a useful one-start pitcher in this matchup.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Daniel Mengden OAK vs MIL Junior Guerra
The 23-year-old rookie has looked good in limited MLB action, and rediscovered his control in his most recent start, allowing only one walk, as opposed to four in his first start against the Reds. He held the Rangers to just one earned run (on a home run). He had been productive at Triple-A prior to his promotion to the tune of a 1.69 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with a 39:10 K/BB ratio. I have said it many times, but I tend to trust Billy Beane’s instincts with pitching.
Another pitcher to consider: Robbie Ray ARI @ TOR J.A. Happ My hesitation in recommending Ray fully is that we have seen this before, where he tosses a couple of excellent games, then goes into the toilet again. Here, he takes on the powerful Blue Jays at Toronto, never a great venue. He has been showing better control in his past two quality starts, however, so maybe he can keep it going for one more start. I am not willing to take that gamble.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
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Tim Lincecum LAA vs OAK Kendall Graveman
Christian Friedrich SD @ CIN John Lamb
It is a great story that Lincecum was effective in his first start for the Angels, holding the A’s to just one earned run on four hits over six innings. He now gets to face the same opponent at home. He no longer has a swing-and-miss fastball, and acknowledged that he will be relying on inducing weak contact by opposing hitters. If you are just looking for a win or QS, and not Ks, then he could be a serviceable option in this matchup.
Friedrich got blown up by the Nationals in his most recent start, but has been pitching well overall. He has been exceptional on the road, but that may take a small turn for the worse as he heads to Cincinnati. He does offer average strikeout potential, but his control is suspect. He does manage to keep the ball in the park, with a 0.7 HR/9 rate over his seven starts this season.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Tom Koehler MIA vs CHC Kyle Hendricks
Koehler is on quite a run, having held opponents to three or fewer earned runs in his last eight starts (six of those being quality starts). He does have the unenviable task of facing the Cubs, who possess the best record in baseball, but he does get them at home. Koehler is a decent source of Ks, and he does not give up many homers (0.5 HR/9 over his 72 innings pitched). His control is suspect, but he has managed to pitch out of trouble for the most part, as evidenced by the lack of earned runs he has been allowing, noted in the first sentence above.
Reed had a bit of trouble with the long ball in his major league debut, and it cost him a chance for a victory. It was good to see the nine strikeouts, but he has been doing that in the minors at Double-A and Triple-A over the past two seasons. I like him to rack up significant Ks against the Padres, who have struck out the third most among major league teams. He is the top-rated prospect in the Reds’ system, and while we can expect something of a learning curve, this is a good matchup to exploit.
Another pitcher to consider: Tyler Anderson COL vs ARI Archie Bradley Anderson pitched well in his debut with the Rockies, and did so at Coors Field. Of course, that was against the Padres, and I would suspect the Diamondbacks will bring more firepower to bear against the rookie. I would prefer a better matchup before I plug him into my lineup.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
R.A. Dickey TOR @ CWS Miguel Gonzalez
Dickey has tossed three QS in his last four appearances, but has been unlucky, as he lost his last two games. Then again, he has allowed four homers in his last three starts, and has resumed his mediocre strikeout ways, so maybe not so unlucky as just what he is these days. I am not worried about Gonzalez shutting down the Blue Jays offense, and if Dickey can reel off another quality start, then I like this matchup.
Sunday, June 26, 2016
I am just going to throw my hands up in the air. This is one awful week for streaming pitching options. I could put Bud Norris out here for his second start of the week, but…well, yuk. Matt Garza has returned to the Brewer rotation, and he was not horrible in his first start, but he only went four innings in an eight hit effort, and you have to recall that he was terrible in 2015. The Padres are sending their rookie, Luis Perdomo, out to the mound to face off against the Reds, but that is not the best venue to ask the 23-year-old to pitch in, given his tendency to give up dingers (1.5 HR/9). If you can locate a streamer for Sunday, you have been vision than me.
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