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Adam Meyer analyzes under-the-radar starting pitchers (SP) making two starts in Week 18 (August 6-August 12) as possible streamers and waiver wire adds or targets for fantasy baseball.
We have 10 matchups on Monday, increasing our chances of having some decent two-start options in the fantasy baseball world. We have, potentially, 35 pitchers who could take two turns in the rotation in Week 18.
For this post, we have a mixed bag of suggestions to stream. We have veterans and young arms. Most of all, we have some under-the-radar pitchers who’ve put together some decent outings in recent history and could continue that trend for this week.
In our last article, we touted Tanner Roark. He dominated in his first outing of Week 17: 7 IP, 1 ER, and 7 K (vs. NYM). We also provided Shane Bieber as an option: 6.1 IP, 3 ER, and 7 K (@ MIN). Finally, Derek Holland was our “under 25 percent owned” success story: 5 IP, 2 ER, and 5 K (@ SD).
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Pitcher Streamers - Under 50% Owned
Luke Weaver, STL (48% owned)
Probable opponents: @ MIA, @ KC)
Weaver has been doing work lately for the Cardinals. He’s allowed two earned runs, or less, in four of the past five contests and has produced at least five strikeouts in three of those matchups. Miami and Kansas City are both on the docket for Weaver, which could turn out to be wonderful for the young arm. Both teams are in the bottom four in regards to runs scored. The Marlins are 27th (421 runs in 110 games) and the Royals are 30th (402 runs in 108 games). However, they are on completely different ends of the scale when it comes to team strikeouts. Miami is 10th with 943 whiffs and Kansas City is 24th with 850 punch outs.
Dereck Rodriguez, SF (47% owned)
Probable opponents: vs. HOU, vs. PIT
Speaking of young arms, Pudge Rodriguez’s son is also performing well in the bigs. He’s allowed one earned run, or less, in three of the last four games and two earned runs, or less, in seven consecutive appearances. He’s also struck out at least five batters in three straight starts. Rodriguez will pitch at home twice this week, where he’s 3-0 with a 2.41 ERA and compiled 27 strikeouts in 33.2 innings of action.
CC Sabathia, NYY (47% owned)
Probable opponents: @ CWS, vs. TEX
Sabathia struggled in his last appearance. He hasn’t pitched through five complete innings in back-to-back starts. On the bright side, both the White Sox and Rangers are strikeout-happy teams. Texas is first with 1,055 punch outs and Chicago is fourth (1,023). Also, the White Sox are 24th in runs scored (443 runs in 108 games) and own a .306 team wOBA against lefties (21st in baseball) this season.
Pitcher Streamers - Under 25% Owned
Joe Musgrove, PIT (24% owned)
Probable opponents: @ COL, @ SF
The strikeout upside isn’t strong, but Musgrove can lower your ERA/WHIP totals and potentially earn the win for your fantasy team. He’s allowed two earned runs, or less, in four of the last five starts. He’s also struck out at least five batters in three of the last five appearances. However, Musgrove has only mustered four total punch outs in his last 14 innings of work. Both of Musgrove’s starts in Week 18 are on the road. This season, he’s 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA away from home. The matchup against the Rockies in Colorado isn’t ideal, but the game in San Francisco is a plus.
Drew Pomeranz, BOS (19% owned)
Probable opponents: @ TOR, @ BAL
Will Pomeranz actually pitch twice this week? He was on the list last week, but it did not come true. However, Pomeranz pitched well against the Phillies in his lone outing in Week 17: 5 IP, 2 ER, and 3 K. Both Baltimore and Toronto are towards the bottom of the pack when it comes to team wOBA against lefties. Toronto is 20th (.309) and Baltimore is 25th (.299) against southpaws this season. The Orioles are also ninth in team strikeouts (949) and 25th in runs scored (425 runs in 109 games) this season.
Matthew Boyd, DET (12% owned)
Probable opponents: @ LAA, vs. MIN
The southpaw for the Tigers has produced three solid outings in a row. He’s allowed only three earned runs and struck out 20 batters in 19 combined innings of work. Boyd already faced the Angels on May 28th: 5 IP, 0 ER, and 4 K. While he’s faced the Twins twice this season, with limited success (four earned runs in nine innings), Minnesota is still 23rd in team wOBA (.314) against right-handed pitchers.
