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About the only things anyone can trust in life right now is that a loved character will be killed off in Game of Thrones and the Toronto Blue Jays will crush left-handed pitching. Yesterday at the wall, er, Fenway Park, the Blue Jays torched young pitching stud Eduardo Rodriguez by dropping nine runs on him in 4.2 innings. And they did it by hitting only one home run off him. Toronto now has a team 144 wRC+, .379 wOBA, .353 BABIP, and a .192 ISO against left-handed pitchers on the season. These numbers are all first by a large margin.
What’s fascinating is that during Toronto’s current 11-game winning streak is that they are scoring at will without Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion doing most of the damage. The biggest offensive threats of the last three or so years, Bautisita and Encarnacion have been suspect to some nagging injuries over the last month. Instead, lefty mashers like Josh Donaldson, Jose Reyes and Chris Colabello have more than willing taken the work load and have just put up some gaudy numbers over this streak. Should the Jays pitching get healthy and maintain any level of consistency, look out AL East. Now, if only they could do something about those white walkers.
Below are some of my starting pitcher streamer sleepers for the first half of Week 11 to consider adding off your league’s waiver wire. Some of these SP options can be considered sleepers for your team depending on the league format and depth, including NL-Only, AL-Only and head-to-head formats.
Monday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Carlos Rodon (CHW at PIT) – Ownership: 48% Yahoo!, 17% Fleaflicker
With a 25.2% K rate (ranked 29th) and an 81 wRC+ (26th) against left-handed pitchers, the Pirates have looked awfully stinky this season. Since his promotion to the starting rotation, Rodon has looked awfully sharp striking out batters but is still allowing a high amount of baserunners. One of these trends has to snap.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Wei-Yin Chen (BAL v. PHI) – Ownership: 49% Yahoo!, 21% Fleaflicker
It seems like year in and year out, Chen puts up decent enough numbers to be an effective Major League pitcher. Though his stuff isn’t quite elite, he does not have to be in his next start against an atrocious Phillies offense. He should get plenty of run support as well.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Taijuan Walker (SEA at SF) – Ownership: 45% Yahoo!, 18% Fleaflicker
All those Walker owners at the beginning of the season who dropped him need to take notice now, as their former investment has been throwing quite nearly lights out. In his last three starts, Walker has gone 2-1 with 21 K, 3 ER, 15 H, and 3 BB in 22 IP. He’s back,.
Matchup Rating: Must Stream
Tuesday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Charlie Morton (PIT v. CHW) – Ownership: 18% Yahoo!, 13% Fleaflicker
There’s nothing sexy at all about Morton. He doesn’t strike guys out, usually gives up a walk or hit per inning, and boringly leads his team to victory. I’ll take those four out of five categories he gives his owners any day.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Scott Copeland (TOR at NYM) – Ownership: 0% Yahoo!, 1% Fleaflicker
This is an intriguing spot start. Copeland was okay not great in Triple-A Buffalo. He pitches mostly to contact with should bode well against a poor-hitting Mets team. Owners should not expect a ton of help in the K department, but with the way the Jays are scoring runs right now, he’ll get plenty of run support.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Shaun Marcum (CLE at CHC) – Ownership: 2% Yahoo!, 5% Fleaflicker
Marcum is quite the wild card. He could go out and go eight strong and strike out 12 or he could get run after two innings after giving up six earned. Chicago is dangerous, but not quite as dangerous as people are making them out to be. Expect higher-end numbers in strikeouts and a three earned in six innings.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Wednesday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Matt Andriese (TB at WAS) – Ownership: 0% Yahoo!, 1% Fleaflicker
Like Marcum on the mound, the Nationals at the dish are no exactly easy to figure out. There are times when Washington will drop 10 runs or get no-hit through eight innings. Andriese isn’t exactly a guy you’d peg to have a great start in DC. Though he has been effective on the road, there’s just something about a 4.01 FIP and 13.6% HR/FB rate that cannot be trusted.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Ubaldo Jimenez (BAL at PHI) – Ownership: 50% Yahoo!, 29% Fleaflicker
It’s a guaranteed lock that whenever Jimenez makes this list, he will soon get torched by in his next start. Hopefully the 2015 Philadelphia Phillies will buck the trend. Jimenez has been eerily effective this season as he has improved his K and BB rates while allowing fewer homeruns as compared to last season. Strangely, hitters are actually hitting better off of him than last season and his HR/FB rate is just a wee bit higher as well. Overall, these numbers don’t scare the way the Phillies offense does. At least scary to their fans.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Wandy Rodriguez (TEX at LAD) – Ownership: 10% Yahoo!, 9% Fleaflicker
Lefties have fared better than righties against the Dodgers than season, but there’s no reason to trust Wandy Rodriguez in this one. The Dodgers are finally starting to get completely healthy in preparation for a mid-summer run. Rodriguez has been a rather effective pitcher this season, but it appears that his luck has run out, at least for his next start.
Matchup Rating: Desperate Stream
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