July 13 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Jose Soriano, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn and More
A look at Saturday's probable starters who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
A friend and I were talking about Thursday’s decision by the Pirates to pull Paul Skenes from a no-hitter after seven innings and 99 pitches, and he asked a relevant question: “Is anyone freaking out over this or is everyone just saying, ‘Whatever, it’s the way things are now?’” I’m leaning toward the latter.
Young pitchers are treated like fragile figurines in bubble wrap, trying not to over-stress their arms until they hit some undetermined age or amount of major league innings. It’s just the way things are now. Opinions are split on how much it really matters to limit pitches in any single outing, but teams are cautious so they can at least point toward trying to preserve pitcher health.
There’s no point arguing; it’s just the way things are now. Let’s look at Saturday’s probable starters (according to MLB.com) who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups, creating streaming value. Most stats and rankings are from MLB. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.
Chris Flexen, Chicago White Sox @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Luis L. Ortiz, Pittsburgh Pirates vs Chicago White Sox
Two pitchers here with the benefit of facing two of the worst offenses in baseball. Both the Pirates and White Sox are in the bottom 10 in runs scored and hits, and they are each in the bottom five in all four slash categories. To top it off, both squads rank among the top 10 in most batter strikeouts.
Flexen does OK limiting walks, but he is about five percentage points below the league average striking batters out. Most of his numbers are right at his career averages, and that’s not a good thing. It has led to an ERA around 5.00.
Ortiz has worked mostly out of the bullpen this year, making just two starts in 24 appearances. Both his strikeout rate and walk rate are a hair below average. His last outing was a start against the Mets on Sunday, when Ortiz threw six shutout innings with five strikeouts and no walks. The bullpen blew the game (thanks, Aroldis Chapman), but Ortiz looked sharp.
Flexen is a low- to mid-level streamer, and Ortiz is a mid-level streamer here. The White Sox are worse than Pittsburgh, giving Ortiz a slight advantage, and the latter has also pitched better this year, albeit mostly in relief.
Kyle Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs
Lance Lynn, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs
Two veterans will look to take advantage of the other Chicago team in a Saturday doubleheader, as Gibson and Lynn face a squad that just came out of nowhere to sweep the Orioles in Baltimore. Cody Bellinger is out until after the All-Star break, but it hasn’t mattered: Chicago is putting up runs with unheralded players making impacts.
Gibson and Lynn have had very similar seasons, both with strikeout rates right around the league average and walk rates slightly higher than the middle. Gibson faced the Cubs once back in June and threw seven shutout innings with six strikeouts and just one walk.
Lynn (somehow) hasn’t faced his division rivals yet, but he’s coming off his worst start of the season: 2.2 innings, 11 runs allowed (10 earned), two strikeouts and four walks. In case you’re wondering, yes, I did recommend him before that start against the Nationals. He has only given up five runs one other time, so there’s hope for better results in this one.
Gibson and Lynn are both mid-level streamers. They have good strikeout rates, and the Cubs rank in the top 10 in most batter strikeouts, so there is a chance for each pitcher to rack up Ks while maybe taking advantage of a diminished lineup.
Tyler Phillips, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Oakland Athletics
Phillips has made just one big-league appearance, finishing a 6-0 loss to the Braves by throwing four innings with one run allowed and seven strikeouts with no walks. He won’t continue to strike out half the batters he faces with no walks, but it’s an encouraging start for the young pitcher. He struck out less than a batter per inning in the minors, not a good sign for his major league K rate.
Oakland is a good team for Phillips to face in his first start, sitting behind only Seattle in most batter strikeouts and ranking in the bottom five in runs scored, hits, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage and OPS. They hit home runs, but that’s the only area in which the A’s aren’t pathetic.
Phillips is a low- to mid-level streamer. It’s easy to look too much into one appearance, so it’s important to temper expectations, even against the moribund Athletics.
Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels vs. Seattle Mariners
Speaking of those Mariners, yes, they lead the league in most batter strikeouts, and it’s not even close. Also like Oakland, they rank in the top 10 in home runs but fall short in every other category. This team needs offensive reinforcements at the trade deadline more than any other playoff contender.
Soriano is a hair worse than average in both walk rate and strikeout rate, though he’s not far off from the middle. There has been good and bad from Soriano, as would be expected from a 25-year-old pitcher with 123 career innings, but he has been effective enough to be on the streaming radar all season, his first as a starter.
Soriano is a mid- to high-level streamer. The matchup is as sweet as any this side of Chicago, and Soriano’s good strikeout work will play well against the swing-and-miss Mariners.
Saturday’s Streamer Rankings
- Jose Soriano, LAA
- Kyle Gibson, STL
- Luis L. Ortiz, PIT
- Lance Lynn, STL
- Tyler Phillips, PHI
- Chris Flexen, CWS
