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Straight Cheese Week 9 Streaming Pitchers – Skaggs, Gibson, LeBlanc

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Seattle Mariners Wade LeBlanc

Chris wouldn’t think of rostering Wade LeBlanc under normal circumstances, but facing the Texas Rangers provides the right circumstances to include LeBlanc in his week 9 streaming pitchers.

Straight Cheese, an exercise identifying less than desirable, questionably talented, low-owned pitchers that you can use for a spot start for your fantasy baseball team. These are week 9 streaming pitchers.

First, lets take a look back at my picks from last week.

Week 8 Review

Name Date GS IP ER H BB K Dec ERA WHIP
Ross Stripling 5/25 vs. SDP 1 6.67 0 6 0 10 W 0.00 0.90
Daniel Mengden 5/26 vs. ARI 1 9.00 0 2 0 5 W 0.00 0.22
Marco Gonzalez 5/28 vs. TEX 1 6.67 0 4 4 4 W 0.00 1.20
Week 8 Total   3 22.33 0 12 4 19 3-0 0.00 0.72
Season Total   29 161.33 79 155 54 155 9-9 4.41 1.30

Well, like the new Han Solo movie, that went better than I anticipated. Cahill’s start was pushed to Monday vs. the Rays but I wouldn’t have recommended him since they actually do alright vs. RHP on the road. Didn’t matter as he went out and tossed 8 scoreless innings; striking out 6 and only giving up 4 hits with no walks. The only real blemish from last week was falling further under my self-imposed strikeout per inning goal.

With that out of the way, let’s check all our jean pockets looking for a few dollars!!!

Week 9 Streaming Pitchers

The pitchers are listed in order of appearance as of Wednesday morning. Ownership info from Yahoo! (Y) and ESPN (E) and all 2018 stats are through Tuesday, May 29th.

LHP Wade LeBlanc, SEA
Owned Y11%/E7% · vs. Texas Rangers – Thursday, May 31st

Recommending LeBlanc is more about pointing out just how bad the Rangers are vs. LHP on the road. Through Tuesday in that situation they are putting up a 0.250 wOBA (worst in MLB), 0.124 iso (25th) and striking out 28.8% of the time (worst in MLB).

Let me make it clear. I wouldn’t think of rostering Wade LeBlanc under normal circumstances. His 2.70 era and 1.10 whip are an illusion. His 4.38 xFIP, 0.277 babip and 83.8 lob% are all signs telling the buyer to beware. Stuff like this could be overlooked if he was striking batters out… but he isn’t (19.1 k%). The Rangers are the perfect team to stream an otherwise unattractive pitcher against.

RHP Jordan Lyles, SD
Owned Y16%/E8% · vs. Miami Marlins – Thursday, May 31st

Much like LeBlanc, Jordan Lyles is a middling starter finding himself in an advantageous situation this week. I’ve picked on the Marlins numerous times in this column and for good reason. They struggle on the road and especially against righties. Currently vs. RHP on the road they have a 0.272 wOBA (29th), 0.119 iso (worst in MLB) and 25.7 k% (26th).

Lyles currently has an overall 3.83 era, 1.16 whip and 40 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings. I like him better since joining the rotation recently. In his 4 starts he has a 3.90 xFIP and 25.5 k%. As a reliever he has a 4.84 xFIP and 20.0 k%. I look for him to continue putting up good, usable numbers against the Marlins.

LHP Tyler Skaggs, LAA
Owned Y51%/E47% · vs. Texas Rangers – Sunday, June 3rd

Take everything I said earlier about how bad the Rangers are on the road vs. LHP and add it to how well Skaggs is pitching and you have news you can use. Through 11 starts, Tyler has a 3.60 era, 1.28 whip and 64 strikeouts in 60 innings. I’m not going to waste any more of your time on this one.

Unlike Rizzo’s slide, there is no debate here. Roll Skaggs out there confidently.

RHP Kyle Gibson, MIN
Owned Y18%/E20% · vs. Cleveland Indians – Sunday, June 3rd

It might be time to take a look at what Gibson is doing and graduate him from streaming. Through 11 starts he has a 3.57 era, 1.25 whip and 66 strikeouts in 63 innings. He’s striking out batters at a 24.8% clip while also holding them to a 0.290 wOBA and 0.132 iso.

The Indians are awful on the road. They are averaging a full TWO RUNS less in road games than home games (most in MLB). In fact their 5.93 runs per game at home is 2nd in MLB while their 3.88 runs per game on the road ranks 23rd in MLB. What’s even better for Gibson (and for us) is that on the road vs. RHP they have a 0.280 wOBA (25th), 0.160 iso (15th) and 25.3 k% (23rd). The stars are aligned for Gibson this weekend. Take advantage.

Remember, these suggestions aren’t ludicrous. They’re @Roto_Chris [Editor’s Note: Oy 🙄]

Double Dipping Two-Start Pitchers, Week 22

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Matt Kemp has had a poor season for the lofty expectations that were set for him. I projected the Los Angeles centerfielder at .301BA/25HR/111RBi/28SB. He was ranked as the second best fantasy outfielder by most, but just hasn’t been that good. He is currently at .255/22/74/18.

While most players would be more than happy to post these numbers for a season, Kemp has been outperformed by teammate Andre Ethier and there have even been rumors of trading Kemp away from the Dodgers.

For those in keeper leagues, now is the time to pounce. This guy turns 26 at the end of September and is likely to return to his once lofty status. The batting average and RBi are lower than expected, but he quietly went .302/5/17/3 in August. This is not a guy to ignore, Kemp is a guy to pursue and his owner might be willing to sell him at a discount.

Another Dodgers outfielder not putting up the stats he was expected, Manny Ramirez appears to be on his way to Chicago’s south side. A grumpy Manny is not a useful piece to his team, but a happy Manny can be a one-man wrecking crew.

For a reminder of his ability to turn it on, see his stats from 2008 when he was traded to the Dodgers. After sulking in Boston for 100 games, he was sitting at .299/20/68, but in only 53 games with the Dodgers, Man-Ram posted a line of .396/17/53. The moral of the story is that Manny gets bored and needs a change of scenery to regain his interest. He’s about to get the change he desires.

This week, all team are scheduled to play at least six games this week while Cleveland, New York (both), Oakland, Seattle, Atlanta, Colorodo, and Philadelphia are all on the docket for seven.

Now, the projected 2-start pitchers for this week. For those of you in leagues who require you to set your lineup at the beginning of the week, these are guys you should strongly consider:

American League
BAL Brian Matusz
BOS Josh Beckett
CWS Mark Buehrle
CLE Mitch Talbot, Justin Masterson
DET Armando Galarraga
KC Kyle Davies
LAA Ervin Santana
MIN Brian Duensing
NYY Dustin Moseley, Phil Hughes
OAK Trevor Cahill, Vin Mazzaro
SEA David Pauley, Felix Hernandez
TB Wade Davis
TEX C.J. Wilson
TOR Brett Cecil
  
National League
ARI Joe Saunders
ATL Jair Jurrjens, Mike Minor
CHC Carlos Zambrano
CIN Homer Bailey
COL Jorge de la Rosa, Esmil Rogers
FLA Alex Sanabia
HOU J.A. Happ
LAD Hiroki Kuroda
MIL Randy Wolf
NYM Pat Misch, Jon Niese
PHI Roy Halladay, Kyle Kendrick
PIT Paul Maholm
SD Wade LeBlanc
SF Jonathan Sanchez
STL Jake Westbrook
WAS Jason Marquis


Rick’s Picks
Five best bets for double-start pitchers this week

1. Roy Halladay. Best pitcher in baseball. Enough said.

2. Carlos Zambrano has had his fair share of drama this season but when his head is in the game, he is one of the best. Getting the Pirates and Mets at home this week will be the right tonic for Big Z.

3. Phil Hughes gets Oakland and Toronto at home. What’s not to like?

4. Wade LeBlanc gets the benefit of two starts this week of a somehow still upright Padres team. This team is still winning despite all the signs that say they should be mediocre. LeBlanc will take advantage at Arizona and at home against Colorado.

5. Jair Jurrjens is a tremendous pitcher at home and mediocre on the road. He gets the Mets in Atlanta and then the Marlins on the road, so look for one big outing and then a crap shoot in the second matchup.

Double Dipping Two-Start Pitchers, Week 19

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Now is the time of the season to be the most diligent. As some owners are losing interest in the baseball marathon and gearing up for their fantasy football draft, now is the time to make your move. With their lack of focus, you can move up the standings.

The long baseball season takes focus and dedication and it is easy to refocus your attention elsewhere when your team is not living up to expectations. The best part about fantasy sports is that there’s always another sport and another opportunity just around the corner if the last didn’t work out like you planned. But if you are in the hunt, now is the time to be vigilant scanning the waiver wire and making trade offers that can move you into the money or towards the championship.

Of note, the Texas Rangers are scheduled to play only five games this week while Arizona, Baltimore, Boston, both Chicago teams, Kansas City, Milwaukee, New York (AL), and San Francisco are all on the docket for seven. All other teams are scheduled to play six games this week.

Now, the projected 2-start pitchers for this week. For those of you in leagues who require you to set your lineup at the beginning of the week, these are guys you should strongly consider:

American League
BAL Brian Matusz, Jake Arrietta
BOS Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka
CWS Edwin Jackson, Freddy Garcia
CLE Justin Masterson
DET Armando Galarraga
KC Sean O’Sullivan, Bryan Bullington
LAA Ervin Santana
MIN Scott Baker
NYY Dustin Moseley, Phil Hughes
OAK Vin Mazzaro
SEA Doug Fister
TB David Price
TEX none
TOR Ricky Romero
  
National League
ARI Ian Kennedy, Barry Enright
ATL Mike Minor
CHC Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster
CIN Mike Leake
COL Ubaldo Jimenez
FLA Anibal Sanchez
HOU Bud Norris
LAD Vicente Padilla
MIL Chris Narveson, Manny Parra
NYM Mike Pelfrey
PHI Kyle Kendrick
PIT Jeff Karstens
SD Wade LeBlanc
SF Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum
STL Chris Carpenter
WAS Stephen Strasburg


Rick’s Picks
Five best bets for double-start pitchers this week

1. Chris Carpenter is a must play any week he gets two starts. The first matchup is a tough divisional battle (at CIN) but the second should be a walk in the park (vs CHC). You have to play Carpenter if he is on your squad.

2. Stephen Strasburg gets two teams who are already looking towards next season at home (vs FLA, vs ARZ). Neither has an offense that will do much and the boy wonder is likely to strike out a ton this week. This is a guy you want.

3. Ervin Santana gets two great matchups at home (vs KC, vs TOR). The Angels are desperate to catch up in the A.L. West, so two wins here would go a long way to helping the team’s playoff chances and your fantasy team’s stats.

4. Wade LeBlanc gets two weak offenses (at SF, vs PIT). The Padres continue to defy logic and win games. This week should be no different.

5. Jon Lester is a heck of a pitcher, but gets two tough teams on the road (at NYY, at TEX) this week. Neither matchup is favorable, but this kind of pitcher is the kind you have to play.