With the All-Star break coming up, the top starting pitchers are getting an extra day of rest which opens up a few spots for fantasy baseball streaming options.
The All-Star break is upon us but there is one day left of games before the festivities. All 15 games start between 1 and 4:10 PM with no Sunday Night Baseball game. Many of the top names are being pulled from their starts, making way for plenty of potential streaming options to take the mound. If you desperate for any pitching help to your fantasy baseball team, take a look at these three names.
If you are not familiar, streaming is a strategy fantasy baseball owners use for a quick boost in the pitching categories, though it’s definitely not guaranteed to work. The players those owners add are low owned and have their fair share of struggles, which is why they aren’t owned in more leagues.
But, because you only add them for this start, you quickly drop them to avoid being stuck with them for longer than needed. These pitchers are not going to give you Max Scherzer numbers but a 6 IP/2 ER/5 K line is acceptable from a streaming option. Toss in a win and quality start and that’s a success in my book.
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The three pitchers I have listed are owned in less than 10 percent of ESPN leagues. So, if you are looking for a streaming option to end the first half, check out one one these pitchers.
Daniel Mengden, @SEA
Mengden is on a two-game winning streak, though the two starts were completely different. He pitched six shutout innings against the Cardinals followed by a five-run outing against the Twins.
Mengden has a good chance to make it three in a row against the Mariners. In four games this month, Seattle is hitting .222 with 13 runs scored. They also have 40 strikeouts in those games.
According to ESPN Park Factors, T-Mobile ranks in the bottom half in home runs and hits, which bodes well for Mengden. He has a 37.6 fly ball rate this season.
Trent Thornton, vs BAL
Thornton struggled in his last two starts. Though, that is likely to happen when you pitch against the Yankees and Red Sox. He pitched six combined innings, giving up 12 runs on 18 hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Luckily, he gets to shake that off as he pitched against the Orioles. Baltimore has some dangerous hitters like Renato Nunez and Trey Mancini but there are plenty of holes in this lineup. The last time Thornton faced the Orioles, he gave up three runs on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
Thornton has two quality starts in his last five appearances. Pitching in Rogers Centre should help Thornton rebound back in the win column.
Chase Anderson, @ PIT
Anderson has the pleasure of having one of the best offenses in the league supporting him.
PNC Bank Park leans towards hitter-friendly but not so much that you should shy away from Anderson. It ranks 14th in home runs, sixth in runs and third in doubles. The reason I mention doubles is that there is a lot of correlation between doubles and home runs.
Anderson has just one quality start in his last five games. He’s pitched at least 5.0 innings in his last three, meeting one qualification for a win. The Pirates offense has been the best this month, albeit a small sample size.
They are hitting .328 with 10 home runs and 38 RBI. He may not get a quality start but if he can give up two runs on his way to a win, that’d be worth the stream.
Streaming pitchers comes with risk but if you can pick the right one, there will be a hefty reward. The pickings are slim but there is some talent if you can convince yourself to take a chance.
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