Friday's Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Jason Alexander, Joey Wentz, and More

Welcome to the final series of the MLB season! Every team starts a three-game series today that will decide its fate. Four series are between two teams that are already eliminated from playoff contention. That means there is something that matters still in over 70% of the series, a good sign for having entertainment value down to the final day.

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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Jason Alexander, Houston Astros @ Los Angeles Angels

Alexander had a really bad start to the season, but he has settled in as simply a below-average pitcher now, feasible as a fantasy streamer. He is average with walks but below average with strikeouts, and Alexander has been hit a little hard. He's a guy to consider if you still have a lot of innings left to use but not if you are running low.

The thing I keep coming back to when talking about the Angels is that they lead the league in batter strikeouts. They average right around 10 Ks per game and have over 100 more strikeouts than the next closest team, the Rockies. LA also ranks in the bottom 10 in many other box stats, though they are good at hitting for power, ranking in the top five in home runs.

Alexander is a low-to-mid-level streamer. The matchup is right, but he is a below-average pitcher, and there's plenty of risk involved in counting on the 32-year-old.

Cade Cavalli, Washington Nationals vs. Chicago White Sox

Yoendrys Gomez, Chicago White Sox @ Washington Nationals

Among those four series that have two teams with nothing to play for we have Washington and Chicago finishing out long, disappointing seasons in the nation's capital. The White Sox will finish as the worst team in the American League, and the Nationals will be second worst in the National League, ahead of only the hapless Rockies. Their inept offenses are a big reason for those finishes.

Cavalli is just 49 innings into his career, holding a good walk rate but a below-average strikeout rate. He has been hit around a little, giving up 56 base hits, but Cavalli has allowed just six home runs. He is a bit unlucky to hold a 5.14 career ERA (though it's better this year at 4.23).

Gomez bounced around between teams this season and finally landed in the White Sox's rotation, where he has been just a little higher than average with both walks and strikeouts. He is generally average with Ks while walking too many guys, and he has been right about average in terms of giving up hits and homers.

Cavalli and Gomez are both low-to-mid-level streamers. The matchups are right for decent outings, but both pitchers are below average with strikeouts, bringing down their fantasy value.

Trevor McDonald, San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies

McDonald has made two appearances this season and one start, which came back on Sunday against the Dodgers. That was a successful outing, as McDonald went six innings and gave up one run with one walk and three strikeouts. He was a good K pitcher in the minors, so there's a little upside, but we just haven't seen nearly enough of McDonald to know what to expect.

I talked above about the Rockies being hapless, and that is most true when they play away from Coors Field. This final series is in San Francisco, presenting a great matchup for fantasy owners. Colorado ranks near the bottom in pretty much everything, struggling to the highest degree.

McDonald is a low-to-mid-level streamer. There is upside here because he was good with Ks in the minors and the Rockies are so bad, but I can't recommend him highly based on what we've seen. It's a fun mystery box.

Joey Wentz, Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Wentz is another guy who changed teams multiple times this season, making 19 relief appearances for the Pirates then six with the Twins before ending up in Atlanta's rotation. With the Braves, he has been above average with strikeouts but a little worse than average with walks, matching his career work.

The matchup couldn't be much better, as Pittsburgh has been a bottom-10 offensive group all season. Without major unforeseen improvements in the offseason, the Pirates will be right back in this position again next year, one of our favorite streaming targets. It's comfortable to have an old friend to come back to.

Wentz is a low-to-mid-level streamer. There's a little upside given his average strikeout work and the very good matchup, but I have to temper expectations given Wentz's lack of excellence.

Friday's Streamer Rankings

1. Yoendrys Gomez, CWS
2. Cade Cavalli, WAS
3. Joey Wentz, ATL
4. Trevor McDonald, SF
5. Jason Alexander, HOU