Tuesday Fantasy Baseball Pitching Streamers: Is Lucas Giolito Back to Must-Start Status After a Year Off?
Five starting pitchers in action on Tuesday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
Yesterday, I looked at some of the best teams to target with fantasy pitchers based on the weakest offenses. There were some usual suspects (the White Sox have a long, long road to relevance) and a few teams you might expect to start hitting better (like the Orioles).
Streaming is all about finding players in position to succeed. That usually means facing the worst teams, and that's what we're doing here each day, finding players who have the easiest matchups on paper, giving them a better chance at a good outing.
Let's look at five starting pitchers in action on Tuesday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups. Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the probable starters. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.
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Sean Burke, Chicago White Sox @ Kansas City Royals
Burke has 52 career innings to his name, grading out as an average strikeout pitcher in that time and just a little worse than average with walks. He was better last year than he has been in 2025, but it's such a small sample in both seasons that we need to see more to know his true level of play.
The Royals are among the worst offenses in the league, most notably having a major lack of power. KC ranks in the bottom five in home runs, slugging percentage, and OPS. That means the Royals are failing at the quickest ways to score runs; that doesn't portend good things unless Kansas City starts hitting for elite average.
Burke is a low- to mid-level streamer. He has another gear to him, as he was a high-level K pitcher in the minors, but his start to the season hasn't been great.
Lucas Giolito, Boston Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers
Giolito missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He returned last Wednesday against the Blue Jays, totaling six innings, three runs allowed, two walks, and seven strikeouts. He picked up the win, too. Giolito has big-time strikeout potential, the kind that we don't often get on the streaming list.
The Rangers fail in most offensive categories. They are regularly in the bottom 10 in most stats, including drawing the second-fewest walks and scoring the second-fewest runs. They're also in the bottom 10 in all four slash categories, not leaving much room where they can excel.
Giolito is a mid- to high-level streamer. He would be on a fantasy roster if it weren't for his injury circumstances, so this is your chance to get a high-upside pitcher who could require a permanent roster spot soon. The matchup makes him extra intriguing in this one.
Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh is one of our top targets and the best one available today (Colorado plays at Coors Field, and the White Sox face Seth Lugo, who is owned in most fantasy leagues, leaving the Pirates as the clear best streaming target). They are weak in every facet, including ranking in the top 10 in batter strikeouts.
Liberatore has struck out 30 batters in 34 innings while walking just three. That's a phenomenal ratio, but it will get worse just by pure luck. Liberatore is a little worse than average with strikeouts and average with walks in his career, so he can be expected to stay at least at moderate rates.
Liberatore is a mid-level streamer. The matchup is pristine, and Liberatore has thrown well in 2025.
Chad Patrick, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Houston Astros
Patrick is in his rookie season and has given up just 10 runs in 31.1 innings. Both his K and BB rates are right around average (26 strikeouts, 11 walks), showing that Patrick is pitching well and not just getting lucky. Patrick did good strikeout work in the minors, so there's some upside here.
Houston isn't necessarily a bad offensive team, but they haven't excelled very often. No one really stands out, including stars Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez (the latter is batting just .210 with three home runs). Shortstop Jeremy Pena might be having the best season, hitting .281 with nine extra-base hits and five stolen bases.
Patrick is a mid-level streamer. His strikeout upside is real, and he has thrown well early in the season. The matchup is also a good one, giving Patrick a nice outlook.
Cade Povich, Baltimore Orioles @ Minnesota Twins
It's no surprise that Byron Buxton leads the Twins in hits, runs, triples (tied), and home runs. It's also not really a surprise that he has the most strikeouts (44, which is 15 more than any other Twin). That is also tied for third most among all players. To make it worse, Buxton has drawn only five walks.
Povich is a little bit worse than average with both walks and strikeouts in 109.1 career innings over the past two seasons. He has also given up 118 hits in that time, falling short both when batters make contact and when they don't. That has led to a 5.43 ERA.
Povich is a low-level streamer. The matchup is only OK, and Povich hasn't pitched up to a level that requires him being in your fantasy lineup.
Tuesday's Streamer Rankings
- Lucas Giolito, BOS
- Matthew Liberatore, STL
- Chad Patrick, MIL
- Sean Burke, CWS
- Cade Povich, BAL
