Tuesday's Fantasy Baseball Pitching Streamers: Bryce Elder, Max Scherzer and More
Five starting pitchers in action on Tuesday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups.
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 pitchers. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.
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Bryce Elder, Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago White Sox
The White Sox are on pace for about 58 wins; that's an improvement over last year's worst-ever 121 losses and just 41 victories. Most of the roster is still a mess, and that extends to the offense most of all. There are a few young guys who could develop into something, but this lineup has holes all over, making for too many easy outs.
Elder continues his second rough season in a row, holding an average walk rate and below-average strikeout rate while giving up 122 hits in 107 innings and a home run every 5.6 innings. It has all added up to an ERA near 6.00. The hope for Elder finding his 2022-23 form again, when he looked like a young pitcher on the rise, is fading further and further away.
Elder is a low-to-mid-level streamer. It's a common story in this column: the matchup is right, but Elder just hasn't been good enough, and his strikeout work isn't good enough to possibly make up for other shortcomings.
Jacob Lopez, Athletics @ Minnesota Twins
Lopez has been on fire. He has thrown 24 innings in his last four starts and hasn't allowed any runs, with 28 strikeouts and just six walks. He was listed here before his most recent start against Tampa Bay, and I said something like, “He won't keep putting up scoreless innings forever;” well, maybe he can?
The Twins haven't cratered the way they could have after trading away half their big-league roster at the deadline, but they are still a below-average unit that can struggle offensively. They had lost six of eight before winning big on Sunday, scoring just 20 runs in that time (2.5 per game). This is a team worth targeting the rest of the season unless something drastically changes.
Lopez is a mid-to-high-level streamer. He's as hot as can be, and the Twins are going the other way, just trying to play out the final month and a half before hitting the offseason and having a chance to reset. Lopez's K work gives him a high ceiling.
Chad Patrick, Milwaukee Brewers @ Chicago Cubs
These teams were supposed to play a double-header yesterday, but the second game got postponed until today, pushing the double-billing back a day. Milwaukee won yesterday's completed game 7-0, pushing the Cubs further from the division lead and further down the offensive cesspool. Chicago has been brutal offensively lately, one of the best current targets despite good season-long numbers.
Patrick has been in the minor leagues for a while, last making a start in the majors on July 5. He has been good in his rookie season, though, holding both a walk rate and strikeout rate a little better than average, giving up less than a hit per inning (barely), and allowing a home run just once every 9.5 innings. He's yet another good young pitcher on a team full of intriguing options.
Patrick is a mid-level streamer. Though the Cubs have been terrible recently, they still have some upside, so we can't go quite to that highest streaming level, but Patrick has looked good and has a chance to have a successful outing in this one.
Max Scherzer, Toronto Blue Jays @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Scherzer's spot as the old head on an exciting first place team would fit in a movie, like Crash Davis in Bull Durham or Jake Taylor in Major League. He has also been effective despite missing much of the season, holding a better-than-average walk rate and strikeout rate in 54 innings with an ERA under 4.00. Don't expect vintage form, but Scherzer has found success.
Pittsburgh is a team that offers success to most pitchers. They had a stretch when they were a little better, but the Pirates are a bottom-five offensive team through the full season, giving a lot of at-bats to weak-hitting players and old guys who don't fit the timeline, like Andrew McCutchen. This is another team in desperate need of direction come the offseason, especially with good young pitching.
Scherzer is a mid-to-high-level streamer. The matchup sets him up well for success, and Scherzer's own work makes him a guy worth betting on and a fun name to watch come the playoffs.
Emmet Sheehan, Los Angeles Dodgers @ Colorado Rockies
Sheehan has just 95 1/3 career innings to his name. He has walked a few too many guys, but he also has a very good strikeout rate (25.6% versus league average around 22.5%). He doesn't give up many hits (76 in his two years), but he has had a little trouble with giving up runs, both a product of putting too many guys on base and just plain bad luck. He could help himself with better control, though his strikeout work gives him the chance to succeed either way.
Colorado is the worst team in the league; there's not much else to say. The pitching staff has the worst numbers of any unit, and though we can chalk some of that up to playing half their games in Coors Field, the home-park effect hasn't helped their offense enough, as it is a bottom-five group. This is one of our favorite targets, even when they do play in Denver.
Sheehan is a low-to-mid-level streamer. There's upside because of his strikeout work, and Rockies hitters do strike out more than anyone except the Angels, but the game taking place at Coors Field brings him down a bit, and the control issues could wreak a little havoc, even though Colorado also doesn't walk much.
Tuesday's Streamer Rankings
- Max Scherzer, TOR
- Jacob Lopez, ATH
- Chad Patrick, MIL
- Emmet Sheehan, LAD
- Bryce Elder, ATL
