Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers for Sunday: Walbert Urena Stands Out
Four starting pitchers with good matchups on Sunday who are widely available in fantasy leagues.
The MLB season will reach its last day three weeks from today. That final stretch will be overshadowed, as college football has already started, and the NFL kicks off in a few days, but there is plenty of intrigue for those who will still follow baseball intently. Four divisions are within five games, and the wild card race could easily come down to the final day in both leagues; we're in for a whirlwind final three weeks before the playoffs hit.
Moving to fantasy baseball, let's look at four starting pitchers in action on Sunday 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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Andrew Alvarez, Washington Nationals @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Alvarez had a very good August: beginning with a start on July 27, he has allowed two runs or fewer in six of his past seven starts, only twice lasting fewer than five innings (one of those games 4 1/3 innings, the other 4 2/3). After just 23 1/3 innings last year, Alvarez has looked good in his official rookie season, doing average or better work in every area aside from walks, where his BB% of 10.7% is a little worse than the middle (around 9%). He has earned his spot in the big league rotation (or at least coming in after an opener) and will likely be a part of the equation against next year.
The Dodgers aren't a team you would ever think we'd look to target, and admittedly, I am skeptical despite what recent numbers say. Over the past month, though, LA ranks in the bottom 10 (or very close to it) in runs, hits, home runs, batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS. While things are likely to get better again, Shohei Ohtani is ailing and could spend some time on the IL, and the Dodgers are laboring toward the end of the season.
Alvarez is a low-to-mid-level streamer. He has been good, but this isn't a great matchup no matter what the numbers say. Los Angeles can go off on any given day, leaving a lower floor than we'd like for any of our fantasy pitchers.
Randy Dobnak, Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays
After spending several months performing like one of the worst offenses in baseball, Toronto has actually looked like an above-average offense over the past month, doing everything well aside from hit home runs. That has been a season-long issue, as the Blue Jays have ranked in the bottom five in homers, slugging percentage, and OPS most of the year. The Jays don't draw many walks, but they also don't strike out much, leaving a lower ceiling for opposing pitchers; this is more of a middling matchup right now (at best).
Dobnak made his debut in 2019 but never went higher than 50 2/3 innings in any season until 2026, as he currently sits at 57 2/3. He spent a ton of time in the minors, racking up nearly 800 innings below the majors, and was fine in that time, though obviously nothing special. He has an ERA of 2.65 in the big leagues this year, a fantastic number, but he's just average with walks and far below average with strikeouts, not holding many underlying numbers that portend such great run prevention moving forward.
Dobnak is a low-level streamer. The matchup isn't great based on recent performances, and though Dobnak has some good superficial numbers, I don't trust him to keep up that level of play. There's just a little intrigue here.
Gage Jump, Athletics @ Seattle Mariners
Jump made his big league debut on May 26 as has made 18 starts since that time, racking up 92 2/3 innings in the process. He has been above average with strikeouts and done well limiting home runs, but Jump has walked too many hitters, helping lead to a 5.15 ERA. Every box number other than his walk rate is around average or better, so if Jump could improve his control, he would likely find much better results. He found plenty of success in the minors, doing strong strikeout work with a 3.58 ERA in 150 2/3 innings, but there's work to do to excel at the highest level.
Seattle is one of our favorite targets based on season-long numbers, as the Mariners have faltered in pretty much every area. They have hit some home runs, but Seattle ranks in the bottom five (or very close to it) in runs, hits, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. They also strike out at a top-10 rate, setting a nice fantasy ceiling for opposing pitchers. The Mariners have continued as a bottom-10 offense over the past month, doing nothing to change our minds about their spot on our streaming list.
Jump is a low-to-mid-level streamer. He has some decent numbers, but the control issues are real and can sink him in any given start. With his K work and Seattle's propensity to strike out, there's also a decent ceiling here if everything breaks right.
Walbert Urena, Los Angeles Angels @ Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates have only been a recent friend here, not showing up on our streaming list since the beginning of the season (which was based off 2025's numbers). Their season-long stats are mostly better than average (and even top-10 in some instances), but Pittsburgh has been a clear bottom-10 offensive team over the past month, ranking among that lowly group in most areas. The Pirates also strike out as much as any other team in the league, setting a high ceiling for opposing pitchers.
Urena is owned in closer to 50% of leagues, making him more or a fringe streamer, but there's still enough availability to make it worth checking to see if you can grab a guy who has been successful this season and has a positive matchup. Another rookie, Urena has been average or better in every area aside from walks, where his 12.2% BB rate is far worse than average. It hasn't brought him down yet, but there have been outings in which Urena has lost his control and been limited to a short start.
Urena is a mid-level streamer. His success this season matched with Pittsburgh's struggles over the past month or so set him up with a positive outlook, and there's a nice ceiling given his K work and the way the Pirates strike out often.
Sunday's Streamer Rankings
- Walbert Urena, LAA
- Andrew Alvarez, WSH
- Gage Jump, ATH
- Randy Dobnak, KC
