Pitching Streamers For 9/16 Through 9/22

Finally, I have published this streamer post on Monday to offer a recommendation for every game of the fantasy week! Hopefully the entire RotoGraphs readership is still in the hunt for that exhilarating Yoo-Hoo shower and any additional wins and strikeouts could be the difference between getting wet and staying dry. As a reminder, I am attempting to identify starting pitchers who should be available in the majority of leagues. There may be better options available in your league, in which case you may ask for any specific cases in the comments.

Monday

Wily Peralta vs CHC

You must have a high tolerance for risk as Peralta is capable of pitching a gem, or looking helpless as his control deserts him and he implodes. Since July, he has posted an xFIP below 4.00 in each month and his strikeout percentage has jumped by 50% in the second half, while his walk rate has declined. He is also an extreme ground ball pitcher. I will guarantee that he becomes a popular sleeper in drafts next year as the seeds are there and he averages 95 mph with his fastball. He gets the weak Cubs lineup at home and faces off against Edwin Jackson whose ERA has remained well above his SIERA all season.

Tuesday

Yusmeiro Petit @ NYM

Remember early in the season your streamer candidates began with whoever was facing the Marlins? Well now that team has become the Mets. Petit, who I had just assumed had retired from baseball, has all of a sudden thrown 32 innings of 2.53 ERA ball, with elite peripherals to boot.

His curve ball has been dynamite. No, wait, that word doesn’t even begin to do the pitch justice. It has literally been the best pitch I’ve seen in my perusals of the PITCHf/x pages of various pitchers. Ready for this? No, you’re not. Sit down. Prepare. His SwStk% on the curve ball is an insane 33% and his K% on the pitch is 51%. In fact, he has posted a 19/1 K/BB ratio over 37 plate appearances using the pitch. Woah. Who knows how long the magic will last, but it certainly has a good chance of continuing against the lowly Mets.

Wednesday

Charlie Morton vs SD

This is the second week in a row that I have recommended Morton, as he gets another pretty good matchup. He’ll face Tyson Ross who was clobbered in his last outing, which probably means he’s due for a strong outing. I really like Ross though and he’s more than capable of dominating. Morton though, with his extreme ground ball tendency and excellent defensive support, gets to pitch at home against a team that ranks second to last with a measly .296 wOBA against right-handers.

Thursday

None. Without a full slate of games and only a handful of lesser owned pitchers going in weak matchups, I’d rather suggest nobody than a pitcher with real potential to get bombed.

Friday

Zach McAllister vs HOU

As much as I’m not a fan of McAllister, this is the second straight week he appears as a recommended streamer. That says more about the Indians schedule the last couple of weeks of the season than it does about McAllister’s intrigue. For yesterday’s game at least, he was showing excellent velocity, hitting 94 and 95 mph with his fastball frequently. Considering he has only averaged 91-92 mph in nearly every start, that was interesting to see. He faces a whiff-happy Astros offense and Brett Oberholtzer, whose ERA still has much more room to regress.

Saturday

Burch Smith vs LAD

Feeling lucky? The Burch is back! After three scary starts to begin his Major League career back in May and a couple of relief appearances, he has returned to the Padres rotation. He dominated the Braves yesterday and has shown excellent skills in the minors. The Dodgers lineup isn’t exactly the best matchup, nor is opposing a solid Hyun-Jin Ryu, but unlike most of the other stream candidates, he has real upside and the potential to throw a gem. And of course, he’s at home in spacious (well, less so than in previous years) Petco Park.

Sunday

Sorry, nothing again. Even with a full schedule, the options just aren’t there.