Friday's Fantasy Baseball Streaming Pitchers: Mitch Keller, Jonah Tong, and More

There are two big series that stand out this weekend, as the Yankees visit the Red Sox and Giants host the Dodgers, each for three games. New York and Boston are within a half game of each other while holding the top two wild card spots, and the Giants are two back in the wild card with LA leading their division.

There will be big series like this from here on out between teams fighting for playoff position; it's officially time where every game matters.

Let's look at five starting pitchers in action on Friday 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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Walker Buehler, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Kansas City Royals

Buehler was released by the Red Sox and signed with Philadelphia, and this will be his first start with the team, which is reportedly switching to a six-man rotation. Buehler wasn't finding much success with Boston; he had both a walk rate and strikeout rate worse than average and had a 5.45 ERA. There weren't any numbers in his favor, but he still caught on with another playoff team, so Buehler will have a say in the outcome of this season.

The Royals continue their weak-hitting ways. They are in the bottom five in home runs and the bottom 10 in slugging percentage and OPS. A team doesn't necessarily have to hit a lot of home runs to have success, but Kansas City isn't stringing together enough hits, ranking in the bottom five in runs scored.

Buehler is a low-level streamer. He hasn't found much success over the past few years, and he's making his first start with a new team here. Kansas City offers more of a good matchup than a great one.

Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates @ Washington Nationals

Brad Lord, Washington Nationals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Other than the Rockies, who are in their own category, the Nationals and Pirates are the two worst teams in the National League by record. If you want to find poor offenses, a safe place to look is the bottom of the standings. These teams rank among the bottom 10 in most offensive box stats.

Keller is owned in about 40% of leagues, more than our average streamer, but he still has some availability and a good matchup here. Keller is better than average with walks and generally right around average with strikeouts, though that number has been lower this season. Keller is mostly a very average pitcher.

Lord is in his first season and has worked both as a starter and a reliever. In 109 1/3 innings, he allowed 104 hits, 51 earned runs (4.20 ERA), and 39 walks with 92 strikeouts. Lord's performance has been very middling, the type of guy who is worth considering as a streamer against the right opponent, like Pittsburgh.

Keller is a mid-level streamer and Lord a low-to-mid-level streamer. The former is a more accomplished pitcher, though they both have the right matchup for a decent day.

Martin Perez, Chicago White Sox @ Cleveland Guardians

Cleveland is fighting for the playoffs despite a bottom-10 offense. Most teams in that scenario have a top-flight pitching staff, but the Guardians are only in the middle in most pitching box stats. The Guardians are a little lucky to be in the playoff hunt, holding a minus-38 run differential. They helped themselves by taking three out of four from the Royals this week.

Perez has thrown just 45 2/3 innings this year, looking good in that time. He has allowed 31 hits and 16 earned runs (3.15 ERA) with 18 walks and 39 strikeouts. Perez is generally a below-average strikeout pitcher while sitting in the middle with walks, making him an OK streamer with a bit of a low ceiling.

Perez is a low-to-mid-level streamer. He has had good results, and the matchup is strong, but Perez's lower strikeout numbers keep him down a bit.

Jonah Tong, New York Mets vs. Texas Rangers

Tong has made just two big-league starts, and it has been a little uneven; in 11 innings, he gave up nine hits and eight runs, though only five of them were earned. Tong walked four and struck out 12, and that will be a big part of his value moving forward, as Tong was excellent with strikeouts in the minors. This is a big-time prospect getting his first taste of the majors.

The Rangers have gone on a few winning and losing streaks in the second half, most recently winning two of three against the Astros then sweeping the Brewers. Texas is only two games back of Houston and Seattle and for both the top of the division and the final wild card. The Rangers' offense has poor season-long numbers, but they have been better than average over the past month.

Tong is a low-to-mid-level streamer. He has strikeout upside, but the Rangers are playing much better recently, so it's best to temper expectations for the young pitcher.

Friday's Streamer Rankings

1. Mitch Keller, PIT
2. Brad Lord, WAS
3. Jonah Tong, NYM
4. Martin Perez, CWS
5. Walker Buehler, PHI