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Welcome to RotoBaller's weekly article of two-start pitcher streamers for 2020! Successfully streaming pitchers can literally be a game-changer when it comes to fantasy baseball. When it comes to daily leagues, two-start streams aren't that important, since you can stream every day. But when it comes to weekly leagues, two-start streams become exponentially more important.
With that said, what do we look for when it comes to streaming pitchers? Well, there are a lot of aspects. When looking at the actual pitcher, how have they performed lately? Have they made a pitch-mix change? Have they had a recent velocity bump? Reviewing pitchers every day on your own time will be very useful.
You also want to play matchups by looking at recent trends of the pitcher's opponent. How does their lineup perform when at home versus away? What has their wRC+ been in the last week or two? Have they been striking out a lot? Matchups are key when it comes to streaming. With all of that said, let's take a look at our picks, which we are going to rank in order with corresponding tiers. Also, note that all options below are under 30% rostered.
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Stream With Confidence
Dane Dunning, CHW (27% rostered)
vs MIN, @CIN
Analysis: It is shocking that Dunning is still under 30% rostered. In four starts Dunning sports a 2.70 ERA, 2.78 FIP, and 17.3 K-BB%. He has a really good sinker/slider combination. The slider is a great pitch to get hitters chasing. It holds a 45.8 O-Swing% and 26.8 SwStr% both well above average. As for his opponents, the Twins have been finally heating up but they rely on the home run and Dunning has done a great job suppressing them with a 0.45 HR/9. As for the Reds they are trending the wrong way, in the last seven days they have been a bottom tier offense in terms of wRC+. Expect two good starts here.
Stream With Some Risk
Josh Lindblom, MIL (5% rostered)
vs STL, vs KCR
Analysis: For some reason, I just can't quit Lindblom. His breaking balls especially his slider are so pretty and put up some gaudy numbers. He just can't seem to put it together and can't seem to keep his command. A pitcher with a 29.2 K% and 13.6 SwStr% should not have a 6.06 ERA. It might never happen for Lindblom this year but maybe it will next year. Either way the upside is there and with the Cardinals and Royals struggling he is worth taking a shot on.
JT Brubaker, PIT (4% rostered)
@CIN, vs STL
Analysis: It might seem weird to see Brubaker here but before his blowup against the White Sox he held a 3.96 ERA and 3.50 FIP. Brubaker really relies on his slider and when it is on he is on. The slider currently has a .222 batting average against and .111 ISO against. Plain and simple hitters can't make quality contact. He draws a matchup with the Reds and Cardinals both who have a below-average wRC+ in the last seven days.
Do Not Stream
Tommy Milone, ATL (7% rostered)
@BAL, @NYM
Analysis: Oh Milone could you be more frustrating? Milone has had exceptional command with an exceptional changeup. Every time he seems to be taking a step forward he takes one back. As for the rest of the season, Milone is only streamable against the worst of offenses such as the Rangers. Otherwise don't look his way, especially against the Orioles and Mets.
Jorge Lopez, BAL (4% rostered)
vs ATL, vs TBR
Analysis: In three starts this year Lopez holds a 5.02 ERA, 4.71 FIP, and 4.54 xFIP. None of that is great and the 27-year-old has a career 5.95 ERA. Take a below-average pitcher and put him up against the Braves and Rays and you are asking for a disaster.
Ljay Newsome, SEA (2% rostered)
vs OAK, vs SDP
Analysis: Newsome has a decent four-seam but his curveball and changeup are simply not good. Neither of them produces a ton of swing and misses and both give up over a .310 wOBA. Newsome faces two of the more prominent offenses in the league so you should stay away.
Keegan Akin, BAL (2% rostered)
vs ATL, vs TBR
Analysis: Akin is an interesting option for this week. He has two starts under his belt against the Yankees and Rays and has yet to let up a run. In those two starts, he put up an impressive 35.0 K% and .176 batting average against. He uses his four-seam to set up his changeup nicely and then he has his slider to produce weak contact. Again this is just two starts so it is hard to tell if this is real. That being said I am willing to sit these two starts out and see how he performs.
Michael Wacha, NYM (3% rostered)
@PHI, vs ATL
Analysis: In the least shocking news the Mets have made another horrible offseason acquisition. Between him and Porcello, I would be shocked is Brody is still their GM next year. Wacha's changeup just hasn't been the same this year probably due to the fact that he is throwing it in the zone too often. Overall through six starts, Wacha has a 7.50 ERA and 5.05 FIP.
Jake Arrieta, PHI (17% rostered)
vs NYM, vs TOR
Analysis: Long gone is the CY Young award-winning Jake Arrieta. His famous sinker has really sunk into the ground this year putting up a -2.9 pVAL. The only time you should think about Arrieta is if he was facing the Rangers, otherwise always look the other way.
Kyle Cody, TEX (2% rostered)
@HOU, @LAA
Analysis: Cody is a false starter and hasn't gone over three innings in any start this year.
Taylor Clarke, ARI (8% rostered)
@LAA, @HOU
Analysis: Yes Taylor Clarke has a 3.51 ERA but he also has a 5.13 FIP. As a starter his ERA is a 4.50 with a FIP of 5.40 but the worst part is his 4.00 BB/9. Clarke struggles with control and unless he gains command he shouldn't be looked at.
Julio Teheran, LAA (9% rostered)
vs ARI, vs TEX
Analysis: While Teheran hasn't been a good pitcher this year both of these matchups look really promising. Both of these offenses have been bottom ten in the league all year. Well Teheran just faced the Rangers and he put up a line of 4.2 innings pitchs with five earned runs. Don't trust Teheran.
