Starters to Stream Over the Next 7 days
Written by: Wendell Quan Fun
(Twitter: @Wendell_QF)
Just like in real baseball, you can’t have too much pitching in fantasy baseball. Luckily for us, around 67% of MLB starting pitchers are on fantasy baseball waivers, on any given day. The aces may be long gone, but there are a LOT of good starters out there, free for the taking. Here’s a schedule that shows a starter (or two) that you can stream each day this week (probable starters as of 18-Jun-2022)
Monday, June 20
No one. Let’s call this a bullpen game, or a day off. We’ll make up for it. I promise.
Tuesday, June 21
Marco Gonzales (SEA) at OAK
Gonzales and the A’s are quite familiar with each other, but the lefty has had the upper hand. The active roster of the A’s has batted a combined 36 for 166 (.217) against Gonzales. For good measure, Marco Gonzales has pitched well all season. His 3.41 ERA is the second-lowest of his career.
Reid Detmers (LAA) vs. KC
No one on the Royals has ever faced Reid Detmers. The old baseball wisdom says that the pitcher has the advantage in this situation, so if you believe that, you should stream Detmers this Tuesday. He has had an inconsistent season, with many starts lasting fewer than five innings. But the lefty has thrown a no-hitter this season, and has a .198 BAA in 2022.
Wednesday, June 22
Michael Wacha (BOS) vs. DET
The Detroit Tigers (excluding those on the IL) have batted a combined .237 (14 of 59) against the resurgent Michael Wacha. Only Javier Baez has had any success against Wacha, with 6 hits in 22 at-bats, but also 9 strikeouts. Michael Wacha’s 2.28 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and .204 BAA this season are all the LOWEST of his career. Meanwhile, the Tigers are dead-last in MLB in runs scored.
Ross Stripling (TOR) at CHW
Stripling has two things going for him. Number one: in 14.2 innings as a starter, he’s only given up 7 hits and 2 earned runs. Number two: he’s been a long reliever for most of his career, so he’s only pitched sporadically in the AL (until recently). A.J Pollock, Josh Harrison, and Yasmani Grandal are the only White Sox who have faced him more than twice. While Pollock has hit Stripling hard (4/11, triple, 2 HR), Harrison is 1 for 7 and Grandal is injured.
Thursday, June 23
Johnny Cueto (CHW) vs. BAL
Despite pitching in the majors as a starter since 2008, no one on the Baltimore Orioles has ever faced Johnny Cueto. Not even Trey Mancini. Not even Rougned Odor. Or even 38-year-old Robinson Chirinos. Cueto started this season on a minor league contract, but has pitched well since being promoted to the White Sox in mid-May. He currently has a 2.95 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.
Friday, June 24
Taijuan Walker (NYM) at MIA
Walker will be coming off one of his best starts of the season, which happened to be against these same Marlins. He went 6.2 innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out 9. But a number of these Marlins have always struggled against Taijuan Walker. Entering this latest start, Avisail Garcia and Miguel Rojas were a combined 3 for 23 (.130) with 7 strikeouts against Walker. Jesus Sanchez and Jesus Aguilar, who are both on the COVID list, were a combined 3 for 14 (.214).
Saturday, June 25
Corey Kluber (TB) vs. PIT
If the Rays don’t push his start down (as they have a couple of times already this season), Corey Kluber is a good, safe stream. In his twelfth MLB season, Kluber has been as steady as ever. He’s not the strikeout pitcher that he once was, but he has an ERA of 3.50 and WHIP of 1.12. Meanwhile, the Pirates’ offence is one of the worst in the majors, and the few hitters who have ever faced Kluber are all inactive.
Merrill Kelly (ARI) vs. DET
Similar to Kluber, Merrill Kelly has also been solid all season, with a 3.68 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. He has pitched at least 5 innings in 11 of his 13 starts in 2022. He’s also had at least 4 strikeouts in all but three of his starts. Javier Baez is the only Tiger with more than 3 at-bats against Kelly, going 2 for 10 with 5 strikeouts. The Tigers haven’t hit well all season, so that in itself makes this a good matchup.
Sunday, June 26
James Kaprielian (OAK) at KC
Kaprielian is the riskiest stream of all the starters on this schedule. He’s coming off one of his worst starts of the year, going 3.2 innings, allowing 7 hits and 6 walks versus the Red Sox. But last year, he made his only career start against the Royals, and it was a good one. The result? The current Royals roster is a combined 0 for 16 against Kaprielian. That includes Sal Perez, Andrew Benintendi, Whit Merrifield, and Carlos Santana.
If you add any of these pitchers to your fantasy team, let us know in the Comments section below.
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