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After the first month of the season, the new rules involving pace of play have seemingly worked. Or at the very least, games have gone quicker this season due to various reasons. In 2014, the average length of a nine-inning game was about three hours and eight minutes. Through the first month of the season in 2015, the average length of the game is around two hours and fifty-five minutes. Whether that is because of the enforcement of pace of play rules or there are more 1-2-3 innings, we are not sure. What we do know is that games have finished faster.
And then the Yankees and Red Sox played a series, one of their many that's crammed down our collective throat via national television. In the Yankees’ three game sweep of their heated rival, no game went into extra innings. Saturday’s game went a mere two hours and forty-four minutes. Shocking considering the history of game lengths between these two teams. Friday’s 3-2 duel lasted three hours and fourteen minutes. Though longer, it was not terribly off from the average this season. Then came Sunday night’s game which was presented via national television on ESPN. In a game that featured 13 total runs, the Yankees won in just under four hours- three hours and fifty-two minutes to be exact.
Four other games on Sunday saw at least 13 total runs. Cleveland’s 10-7 comeback over Toronto lasted only three hours and six minutes. Minnesota trounced the White Sox by ten and did it in three hours and twenty minutes. Coors Field hosted a Colorado win over San Diego 8-6 in a game that was three hours and twelve minutes long. And the Astros won their tenth game in a row (7-6 over Seattle) in a lightning fast two hours and fifty minutes. Evidently, games that feature a lot of offense will typically run longer than pitcher’s duels. As if every baseball fan did not know that. So why was the Yanks vs. Sox game so long on Sunday night? The ten total pitchers used in Sunday night’s game was a comparable number to the amount used in every other game mentioned above.
The one factor that was different was the national syndication that was used for the Yankees and Red Sox. And to think that the ones responsible for spearheading the pace of play charge are the same folks responsible for keeping certain games longer. We’re through the looking glass here people.
Below are some of my starting pitcher streamer sleepers for the first half of Week 5 to consider adding off your league’s waiver wire. Some of these SP options can be considered sleepers for your team depending on the league format and depth, including NL-Only, AL-Only and head-to-head formats.
Monday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Aaron Harang (PHI at ATL)
Ownership: 50% Yahoo!, 37% Fleaflicker
Harang continues to defy his age as he has thrown out quality start after quality start. The only potential downside to his game right now is that he is getting rather lucky when opposing batters make contact, as shown by his .256 BABIP. Despite their personnel, the Braves have hit right-handed pitchers rather well this season. Overall, Harang looks to be a solid stream for Monday.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Travis Wood (CHC at STL)
Ownership: 27% Yahoo!, 18% Fleaflicker
The grittiness that Wood showed two years ago is starting to come back. He has shown much improvement in his K and BB rates and if you follow these streamer pieces, you know the author loves analyzing those K and BB rates. Despite his resurgence, there are a few guys on the Cardinals- see Jon Jay and Yadier Molina- that have crushed him. Stream with care.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Josh Collmenter (ARI at COL)
Ownership: 22% Yahoo!, 13% Fleaflicker
It’s all about the groundball for Collmenter. In his five starts this season, he has induced 43.6% of his batted balls to stay on the ground, up nearly five percentage points from his previous career high. And he is doing so yielding a .300 BABIP, suggesting that his ground balls are actually going right at one of his teammates. That being said, his start on Monday will be in Coors Field. That park is a liability for any pitcher.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Tuesday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Jesse Chavez (OAK at MIN)
Ownership: 20% Yahoo!, 11% Fleaflicker
Chavez wasn’t exactly on his game against the Angels in his last start. He wasn’t expected to be a great streaming option but in hindsight his command was a little off after he got rattled. Though he won’t be throwing a gem against the Twins, he should be considered a safer pick against a worse offense.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
James Paxton (SEA at LAA)
Ownership: 46% Yahoo!, 17% Fleaflicker
Oh, Mr. Paxton. How you toy with our fantasy baseball lives. His 5.74 ERA is hurting his owners, but his 3.49 xFIP continues to tantalize all. With the exception of David Freese, Paxton actually has some some success against the Angels’ hitters, albeit at a small sample size. If unluckiness will probably continue Tuesday, so stream only if you feel the need.
Matchup Rating: Desperate Stream
Wednesday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Chris Heston (SF v. SD)
Ownership: 27% Yahoo!, 28% Fleaflicker
The surprise of the streaming season so far has to be Heston. His numbers have improved across the board including a silly high 59.6% GB rate. His start on Wednesday may be an anomaly though as PacBell Park tends to give up a lot more runs during day games than night games. That 9.5% HR/FB rate could spike up by the end of his start. Still, he has been the best pitcher available off the wire and he will be pitching in a pitcher’s park.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Danny Duffy (KC v. CLE)
Ownership: 42% Yahoo!, 17% Fleaflicker
Duff-Man is always a good streaming option. However the Indians appear to be finding their stride offensively. The possibility is strong that Duff-Man labors in the middle innings and gets pulled due to a high pitch count. He can get good ERA numbers but do not expect help in the other categories.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Carlos Frias (LAD at MIL)
Ownership: 1% Yahoo!, 2% Fleaflicker
Frias is a relief pitcher. Hence, he will probably only go five innings during his spot start on Wednesday. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the Brewers do not possess the firepower to give him a hard time. Especially now that they have fired their manager and are basically calling it a season in May.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
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