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BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues
OWNED IN: 30% of leagues
ANALYSIS: Philadelphia pitcher Vince Velasquez - who occasionally moonlights as a human gas-can - was a lot easier to recommend before his last start, a 2.2 inning bonfire against the Marlins. Even though Miami had a .285 wOBA and .663 wOBA against right-handers that were both worst in the league, Velasquez allowed seven earned runs in less than three innings, striking out just two. But at the end of August, fantasy players must have short memories as they come down the home stretch and sometimes you just have to put out that Velasquez-shaped dumpster fire and roll him out again, if necessary.
And if necessary, Velasquez is once again an interesting streaming-candidate, as he lines up to face the Pittsburgh Pirates at home on Wednesday. At 13-25 since the All-Star break, Pittsburgh has sneakily been one of baseball's worst teams as of late, with particular struggles against right-handers. Since the beginning of August, the Pirates have swashbuckled very little against righties, posting a .694 OPS and 81 wRC+ that are both bottom-five in baseball. And while Velasquez got slaughtered last time out, he'd been fairly decent leading up the Marlins fiasco, running a 3.21 ERA in the 30 days prior. There's always a chance of disaster with Velasquez but when you need a stream, you need a stream. So hold your nose, steel yourself, and just click 'add'.
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