Wednesday's Fantasy Baseball Pitching Streamers: Shane Baz, Stephen Kolek, and More

Handling your available fantasy innings is important late in the season. If you are down to just a few innings under the limit, save them for your best pitchers, like aces and top relievers. If you have a lot of innings to use, then you should start picking up some of the best guys on this streamer list.

Those with just the right amount can continue to pitch their best guys and mix in the best streamers along the way. It's a sliding scale that might change from day to day; plan to be flexible over the final days of the season.

Let's look at five starting pitchers in action on Wednesday 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.

Check out FantasySP's daily and weekly projections to find the players who are most expected to make a difference in the final week of the season.

Shane Baz, Tampa Bay Rays @ Baltimore Orioles

Tyler Wells, Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Only two series in action right now involve two teams who are both out of playoff contention, including this one (and Washington/Atlanta). Those matchups are more about getting young guys in and evaluating players (and making a bunch of money, of course), but they don't offer anything to fans who are craving meaningful baseball.

Over the full season, Baltimore mostly has bottom-10 offensive numbers, while the Rays are closer to an average unit. The past 30 days show mostly the same results, as Tampa Bay has bounced back after a long stretch in which they also looked like a bottom group during the middle of the year.

Before this season, Baz had about 120 innings to his name. He has hit 162 1/3 in 2025, 80-plus more than any other season. He is right around average with walks and above average with strikeouts, matching his career work. Baz has given up about a hit per inning and a home run every 6.2 innings, average or worse numbers; they're also worse than his career rates. (His home park being a minor league park probably has something to do with that.)

Though the Rays are only a middling matchup, Wells is good enough to get himself here. While he has only made three starts in his return from Tommy John surgery, the results have been sparkling: 17.2 innings, 10 hits, four runs, one walk, and 14 strikeouts. Wells will be an interesting name at the end of fantasy drafts next year.

Baz and Wells are both mid-level streamers. Wells might be the better pitcher, but Baz has the better matchup, especially as the Orioles have struck out the fourth most.

Taj Bradley, Minnesota Twins @ Texas Rangers

Texas lost to the Twins yesterday, officially eliminating them from playoff contention. The pitching did the heavy lifting, as the Rangers have been a bottom-10 offensive team most of the season. They have been much more average lately, but this game also takes place in Texas at one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the league.

Bradley looked like a budding young pitcher with Tampa Bay last year, but he struggled during the season and was sent down to the minors before being traded to the Twins at the deadline. He has been a little worse than average with both walks and strikeouts this year, though his career numbers are average or better. Bradley still has upside given his previous work.

Bradley is a low-to-mid-level streamer. While I have some faith in him, the results haven't been there this year, and the matchup is more good than great.

Bryce Elder, Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals

Elder is good with walks but a below-average strikeout pitcher. He has been knocked around a little, giving up more than a hit per inning and a home run every 6.8 innings, both numbers a little worse than average. That has contributed most to his 5.36 ERA.

The Nationals are one of the best targets for pitchers late in the season. They have been a bottom-10 offensive team most of the season, and that has been their recent profile also. Washington is especially short on power, with the fourth-fewest home runs, seventh-worst slugging percentage, and sixth-worst OPS.

Elder is a low-level streamer. His lack of strikeouts starts him with a low ceiling, and Elder has continually failed to find success over the past two seasons. He's not a player I want to count on unless I'm desperate for innings.

Stephen Kolek, Kansas City Royals @ Los Angeles Angels

Kolek is very good with walks but also well below average with strikeouts. Since coming over from San Diego at the trade deadline, Kolek has thrown 27 innings with just 15 hits, six runs, three walks, and 19 strikeouts. He also hasn't given up a home run, finding great success with the Royals. He will regress, but another good outing wouldn't be a surprise.

The Angels have struck out more than any other team, more than 10 times per game. They have 111 more Ks than the second-place Rockies. That sets a high floor and ceiling for opposing pitchers. Bottom-10 numbers in other stats only sweeten the deal.

Kolek is a mid-level streamer. I considered dropping him a step because of his lower strikeout rate, but Kolek has been very good lately, and the matchup is majorly in his favor.

Wednesday's Streamer Rankings

1. Tyler Wells, BAL
2. Shane Baz, TB
3. Stephen Kolek, KC
4. Taj Bradley, MIN
5. Bryce Elder, ATL