Tuesday's Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Logan Allen, Eric Lauer and More
Five starting pitchers in action on Tuesday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
Just a few days from the trade deadline, we are getting ready for the home stretch of the season. Things are starting to come into focus as to who will be competitive during the final few weeks and who will be dreaming about a much-needed vacation. When we see who buys and who sells at the deadline, that delineation will be even clearer.
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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Logan Allen, Cleveland Guardians vs. Colorado Rockies
Tanner Gordon, Colorado Rockies @ Cleveland Guardians
With the trade deadline approaching, it makes sense that the Rockies would be looking to shop players. They are usually not active on the trade market, but they have already sent third baseman Ryan McMahon to the Yankees, and more players should be on the move.
Cleveland is in a tougher spot: they are four games back in the wild-card race and should be looking to add, but they seem far below the level of a team in contention and have now lost two pitchers to gambling-related inquiries, including their closer. It's likely we will see the Guardians sell players off rather than look to add anyone for the home stretch.
Allen is a little worse than average with both walks and strikeouts; that's not a great start. He has also given up more than one hit per inning pitched in all three of his seasons, so it's actually a credit to him (and luck) that his career ERA is just 4.50. Allen is OK to consider in the right matchups, like this one.
Gordon is only 57 1/3 innings into his career, time that hasn't been kind to him. Gordon does well with walks, but he's well below average with strikeouts and has allowed 77 hits and 41 earned runs (6.44 ERA). He did have a successful start his last time out, throwing six shutout innings against the Cardinals.
Allen is a low-to-mid-level streamer and Gordon a low-level streamer. Allen is the better pitcher and has a pristine matchup, so he's worth consideration for your lineup, but Gordon just hasn't been good enough.
Bailey Falter, Pittsburgh Pirates @ San Francisco Giants
Justin Verlander, San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
While the Pirates are near the bottom of the National League (other than the Rockies, who are on a different planet) and likely to sell off multiple pieces, the Giants are another team just a few games back in the wild card who could do well to add a few players at the trade deadline. San Fran has a top-10 pitching staff but a bottom-10 offense, so it's clear where they need to make upgrades, even after adding Rafael Devers a few months back.
Falter is another guy who is good with walks but strikes batters out at a below-average rate; it's a very popular type in the streaming world. It leaves him with a low fantasy ceiling and floor, but Falter has also been good enough at times that he has a little fantasy value in the right matchups, like this one against the Giants. Falter has done well limiting hits this season, giving up just 93 in 108 1/3 innings.
Verlander is obviously down from his prime form at 42 years old, and he's now down to the level of a below-average pitcher. We could be looking at the last stretch of his career; enjoy it. Verlander is worse than average this season with walks, strikeouts, hits allowed, and runs allowed, leaving him as a guy who can only really be trusted in the best matchups in fantasy. Luckily, he's facing one of the worst teams in this one.
Falter and Verlander are both low-to-mid-level streamers. At least Verlander has a previous level of work that makes you think he could be great just for one day, but Falter has no such history and is the lesser of this duo.
Eric Lauer, Toronto Blue Jays @ Baltimore Orioles
Lauer is doing really well with both walks and strikeouts this season, several percentage points better than league average in both categories. That's a great start to his profile. He has also been pretty unhittable, giving up just 48 hits and 20 earned runs (2.61 ERA) in 69 innings. Lauer is one of the best streamers you'll find this late in the season and might be worth a spot on your roster if you don't have a great rotation.
The Orioles came out of the All-Star break still with an outside chance to chase a wild card, but they lost six of their first 10 to open the second half and sit eight games back from the final wild card. They are likely to sell off pending free agents before Thursday's deadline, including center fielder Cedric Mullins and first baseman/DH Ryan O'Hearn. That will theoretically lower their offensive ceiling even more, making the Orioles a team to keep targeting with fantasy pitchers the rest of the season.
Lauer is a mid-to-high-level streamer. He is doing great work, and the matchup here gives him the chance at a big outing.
Tuesday's Streamer Rankings
- Eric Lauer, TOR
- Logan Allen, CLE
- Justin Verlander, SF
- Bailey Falter, PIT
- Tanner Gordon, COL
