Thursday's Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Hayden Birdsong, Jameson Taillon and More
Five starting pitchers in action on Thursday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
It's another light day on the MLB schedule, as we only have eight games and nearly half the teams off. The pitching streamer Gods are smiling upon us, though, as many of our favorite fantasy targets are playing: the White Sox, Pirates, Rockies, Orioles, and Rangers are in action (though not all of them feature a streamer today).
With a decent group of teams to stream against, let's look at five starting pitchers in action on Thursday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups. Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the probable pitchers. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.
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Hayden Birdsong, San Francisco Giants @ Colorado Rockies
Birdsong only has 114.1 career innings spread over this season and last, but he has been really good with strikeouts in that time (133) while also walking too many batters (60). His ERA is right around 4.00; Birdsong has been a decent pitcher in his short big-league stint. He hasn't been hit too hard, so if Birdsong can reign in his walks while keeping a high strikeout rate, he will become a popular fantasy name soon.
The Rockies get a little boost by playing at home, but I've been talking recently about how Coors Field no longer scares me for pitchers going against the Rockies because they are that bad. This team is on pace to break the record for most losses in a season that the White Sox just set last year, so it's clear that there are major problems all over the roster.
Birdsong is a mid- to high-level streamer. I'll knock him down a half-notch because the game is at Coors Field, but this is a guy with big strikeout numbers against one of the teams who strikes out the most, giving him a huge ceiling. On this light day, Birdsong might be a must-start fantasy pitcher.
Patrick Corbin, Texas Rangers @ Minnesota Twins
Minnesota has improved after a horrible start, but they are still just a middling offensive team. They rank between 15th-25th in almost every offensive box stat and don't strike out a lot. This isn't an exciting matchup, just one that's good enough on a short day.
Corbin is part of one of the best pitching staffs in baseball and is surprisingly finding success. He is well below average with strikeouts but does well with walks, a common profile here. It hadn't worked out in recent seasons: Corbin had an ERA over 5.00 every year since 2021. He's down near 3.50 this year, though, and whether it's the defense or something in the water, Corbin has been a feasible starter on a playoff team for the first time since before COVID.
Corbin is a low-level streamer. Even as he has found success, he doesn't strike enough guys out to have a high ceiling, and I'm still waiting for him to regress more to his previous version. The matchup is also just middling.
Davis Martin, Chicago White Sox @ Houston Astros
Houston is only a fringe target team. They were squarely on the list early in the season, but they have improved to a level closer to league average, making them a less friendly opponent for fantasy pitchers. They are still lowly enough to target on the right days, but the Astros are an OK offensive team, and they don't strike out much, setting a low ceiling.
Martin is good with walks but well below average with strikeouts. Now 188 innings into his career, Martin looks like another guy who fits into the major group of slightly below-average pitchers who are worth considering in fantasy when they have the right matchups. More strikeouts would boost his profile.
Martin is a low-level streamer. The matchup is middling, and Martin's low K numbers cap his ceiling, making him a player worth skipping in this one.
Jameson Taillon, Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Give our final great matchup today to Taillon, as the Pirates are essentially the Rockies without Coors Field.
Andrew McCutchen moved into third place on Pittsburgh's all-time home run list yesterday, passing Roberto Clemente. That's cool, but McCutchen shouldn't be fourth on the team in at-bats in 2025, and he shouldn't be second in batting average. It's not a testament to McCutchen's timeless nature; instead, it's a sign that this team is seriously lacking talent. (That's not to totally discount McCuthen, as he's a Pittsburgh legend, but it's time to have younger players taking those at-bats.)
Taillon is owned in more than half of fantasy leagues, quite a bit more than the other guys we usually have listed here. He's a must-start player against the Pirates, though, and should be in a lineup in every league today. Even as his strikeouts have dropped a little below average, Taillon is still great with walks and has an ERA around 3.50 the past two years.
Taillon is a mid- to high-level streamer. His old strikeout work would have him at the highest level, but Taillon still has a great outlook today against the Pirates.
Will Warren, New York Yankees @ Kansas City Royals
Warren is a big-time strikeout pitcher, having accumulated 104 Ks in just 80 big-league innings for a sparkling 28.5% strikeout rate (league average is about 22%). He walks a few too many guys, and he has been hit hard, but there's a baseline here for Warren to become a good fantasy pitcher if he improves and still keeps his strikeouts high.
Kansas City has a complete lack of power, ranking last in home runs, with over 60 fewer homers than the league-leading Yankees. They do other things well, but the Royals rank in the bottom five in runs scored and don't instill much fear in pitchers.
Warren is a mid-level streamer. His strikeout work bumps him up a notch, but there's also some risk here given Warren's poor results so far and the fact that KC also has the fewest batter strikeouts.
Thursday's Streamer Rankings
- Hayden Birdsong, SF
- Jameson Taillon, CHC
- Will Warren, NYY
- Patrick Corbin, TEX
- Davis Martin, CWS