A wise fantasy baseball player never rests. They’re never satisfied with their team and are always on the hunt for the player that can help them in the present and future. For this article, we’ll focus on the present, as we present the top pitcher streamers who’ll be making two outings this week.
We do this every week, because deep down we all know those last two or three guys taken in drafts won’t be with us the whole way through. Mix and match is the name of the game and maximizing these players’ values is the goal. As we focus on pitchers owned in 50% or fewer leagues on Fleaflicker, here are the top five for week three.
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Top 5 Two-Start Pitcher Streamers
J.A. Happ, TOR
@ Boston (4/18), vs Oakland (4/23)
33-year-old J.A. Happ had a respectable 2015 campaign with the Mariners and Blue Jays, recording 11 wins with a 3.61 ERA. The scenario has remained unchanged early in 2016 season, with his 12 innings in two starts amounting to just three runs while recording eight strikeouts. Happ’s week begins early on Monday with the annual 11 A.M. Patriots’ Day game at Fenway Park against the Red Sox. In his lone start against them last year, he threw seven innings of one-run ball. Pitching against troubled right-hander Clay Buchholz and backed by a strong offense, count on Happ to have a solid chance at victory.
In his second start of the week, Happ and the Blue Jays will host the Oakland A’s on Saturday. Oakland currently ranks in the bottom 10 in runs scored. Additionally, Happ gave up only six runs across three starts against the A’s last year. Owned in just 16% of Fleaflicker leagues, he’s an easy pickup with a promising two-start week ahead.
Tanner Roark, WSH
@Miami (4/18), vs Minnesota (4/23)
Having to start in place of Stephen Strasburg on Wednesday night, Tanner Roark put on an excellent performance, tossing seven shutout innings in victory. This, of course, came on the heels of his first start of the year when he could only make it through four innings against Miami.
His first start of the upcoming week is against those same Marlins. Roark must be enjoying a spike in confidence entering the week With Jose Fernandez currently not looking like his usual self, he has a decent shot of winning at Marlins Park.
His next start will come on Saturday against the lowly Minnesota Twins, currently owners of the worst record in the American League. The Twins are also dead last in scoring, clearly an advantage for Roark. Owned in just 29% of Fleaflicker leagues, the 29-year-old has a good chance of walking away with two victories this week.
Michael Pineda, NYY
vs Oakland (4/19), vs Tampa Bay (4/24)
Michael Pineda remains an enigmatic pitcher three full seasons into his career. Last year, had an outstanding 16-strikeout performance in which he yielded only one run, only to give up eight runs in three innings barely a month later. Despite the inconsistency, it’s performances like the former that allow him to remain an intriguing fantasy option, as he’s owned in 37% of Fleaflicker leagues.
After he gave up six runs in five innings against the Astros on April 6, his next start was encouraging. Pitching against a potent Blue Jays offense, Pineda tossed six innings, giving up just two earned runs in a losing effort. Enjoying a full week at home coming up, Pineda’s first start will come on Tuesday against the Athletics. Since the 27-year-old hasn’t pitched against Oakland in five years, his career numbers against them can be thrown out the window. The way Oakland’s offense has been struggling, however, is a benefit for Pineda, who has started the year facing two of the best offenses in baseball.
His second start of the week comes on Sunday afternoon against the Rays, a team near the bottom of the league in scoring. If you’re willing to take a gamble on the puzzle that is Michael Pineda, this is a good week to do so.
Chase Anderson, MIL
@ Minnesota (4/18), vs Philadelphia (4/23)
Chase Anderson has been a pleasant surprise for the Milwaukee Brewers in two starts this season. The former Diamondbacks pitcher picked up a victory over the Astros in his season debut, pitching five shutout innings. In his second start of the season he gave up four unearned runs in St. Louis over six innings, effectively maintaining a zero ERA.
Starting his week on the road against the Minnesota Twins, he will hope to control them the way most starters have been doing this season. His second start of the week will be on Saturday night in Milwaukee against the Phillies. While they’ve been surprisingly average thus far, Philadelphia ranks in the bottom tier of offenses this season. Their starter, Charlie Morton, was putrid in his only road start of the season so far, giving up six runs in less than four innings against the Reds. Owned in just 11% of Fleaflicker leagues, he may be worth a look as a two-start streamer.
Mat Latos, CHW
vs Anaheim (4/18), vs Texas (4/24)
Before you turn away, have you seen Mat Latos this year? After an abysmal 2015, the 28-year-old right-hander has been excellent through two starts with the White Sox, giving up just one run across 12 innings. His command has been exceptional, he’s only given up four hits and is yet to throw 100 pitches in a start. With the White Sox being at home the whole week, Latos will get two home starts to solidify his turnaround. The first will be against the Angels, the team he briefly played for at the end of last season. Anaheim, as you would probably guess at this point, is ranked in the bottom 10 in runs scored this year. Putting that aside, Latos had success against the Halos last year, giving up just one run in six innings against them back in August. His second start of the week will be against the Texas Rangers, one of the better scoring teams in the league. Additionally, their starter, A.J. Griffin, hasn’t been bad in his two outings this year either. In their three games at U.S. Cellular last year, however, the Rangers couldn’t score more than three runs in a game. With Latos holding a 2.84 career ERA against them and only being owned in 18% of Fleaflicker leagues, he’s a natural choice for a two-start streamer this upcoming week.
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