It’s not easy being a statistics nerd. It’s even rougher being a baseball nerd. Talking baseball with family and friends is difficult. All a baseball nerd wants to do is talk wOBA and hate on a guy for his weighted run creation against lefties. Talking baseball with significant others is even more frustrating. An extraterrestrial flying a UFO could land right next door and explain that the ET’s species is responsible for creating life on Planet Earth, and still a non-baseball-watching significant other would be less confused than if a baseball nerd was attempting to explain a walk-off victory.

Fear not fellow baseball nerds! I believe I have found a universal language when attempting to explain some baseball. On a recent day trip, my girlfriend listened to (see: was forced to listen to) a baseball podcast when her boyfriend was getting into a shouting match with iTunes over why K% rate was better than K/9 rate. After the usual arguments such as “K rate is tight, K/9 rate is stupid” proved fruitless, I used simple math to prove why the K% rate was a better statistics. She understood completely in mathematically and we were on our way to have an excellent conversation speaking in simple arithmetic. Baseball nerds, use the math to your loved one’s heart.

Below are some of my starting pitcher streamer sleepers for the first half of Week 21 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 8/24 Starting Pitcher Streamers

J.A. Happ (PIT at MIA) – Ownership: 7% Yahoo!, 9% Fleaflicker

Do not even fret about Happ’s away numbers. Sure, his ERA is a solid run and a half higher and opponents own an average nearly 30 points higher on the road, but what can numbers really prove? The only thing you need to know is that the Pirates will be squaring off against a team led by Dan Jenningers.

Matchup Rating: Solid Stream

 

Kris Medlen (KC v. BAL) – Ownership: 13% Yahoo!, 6% Fleaflicker

It’s been about two years, and one huge Tommy John surgery, since Medlen was last listed as a starter. He should get plenty of run support from the offensive juggernaut that is the Royals, but it will be very clear even to three-year-olds in Row ZZ that he will be on an innings limit/pitch count. If you need innings, Medlen probably will not give them to you. On a side note, it still feels very weird to incorporate the words “offensive juggernaut” and “Royals.”

Matchup Rating: Solid Stream

 

Robbie Ray (ARI v. STL) – Ownership: 10% Yahoo!, 8% Fleaflicker

With a 22.7% K rate, .298 wOBA, and wRC+ of 89, the Cardinals have been rather sub-par against southpaws on the season. Though Ray has given up his fair share of walks over his last six starts- 15 BB in 33 IP- and has struggled as a result, we baseball nerds have faith in his talent and trust the K rate. However, that first name really needs to not be ‘Robbie.’

Matchup Rating: Risky Stream

 

Tuesday 8/25 Starting Pitcher Streamers

Nate Karns (TB v. MIN) – Ownership: 35% Yahoo!, 27% Fleaflicker

Despite sweeping the Orioles in Baltimore, Minnesota has been among the worst offensive teams in the league on the road. The Trop will not be as forgiving to the Twins as Camden Yards was. Karns has been a better pitcher on the road than at home, but you have to figure that his 21.9% Trop K rate and 3.99 xFIP at home is enough evidence to support a solid start. By the way, I may use the “Trop K rate” from here on out when talking about Rays pitchers at home.

Matchup Rating: Must Stream

 

Charlie Morton (PIT at MIA) – Ownership: 13% Yahoo!, 12% Fleaflicker

Congratulations to Dan Jennings! Jennings recently improved his managerial winning percentage to .400, good enough for second all-time on the 2015 Marlins manager list. It’s numbers like these that separate Jennings from the pack. Meanwhile, Morton only gets a risky stream because he does typically pitch to contact rather than strike out hitters. Our Rotoballer pitcher matchup tool likes him a lot more than I do as Morton comes in with a rating of 109, tops on this list.

Matchup Rating: Risky Stream

 

Danny Duffy (KC v. BAL) – Ownership: 22% Yahoo!, 12% Fleaflicker

Duff-Man got shelled by the Red Sox in his last start. Then again, who hasn’t been shelled by the Red Sox as of late? It seems Duff-Man is on a weird streak of throwing out four straight quality starts, and then getting rocked. So, for those of you streaming him regularly off the waiver wire, the baseball Gods have determined that he will give you a solid start on Tuesday, followed by three more, before he gets whacked.

Matchup Rating: Risky Stream

 

Wade Miley (BOS at CHW) – Ownership: 7% Yahoo!, 12% Fleaflicker

Selecting Miley for two straight streams is like letting it ride with house money. Sure, you’ve already gotten a nice payday from the initial stream last week, but do you really want to continue to bet it all on black? The parents of South Park did it once and failed miserably. I'm betting that Miley gets roughed up.

Matchup Rating: Desperate Stream

 

Wednesday 8/26 Starting Pitcher Streamers

Jeff Locke (PIT at MIA) – Ownership: 6% Yahoo!, 9% Fleaflicker

Seriously, Dan Jennings fired Mike Redmond after he went 16-22 this season. That’s a .421 winning percentage. Jennings is at .400. Shouldn’t he fire himself? In terms of streaming Locke, he should be pretty solid as long as he does not go past six innings. He usually doesn’t.

Matchup Rating: Solid Stream

 

Jimmy Nelson (MIL at CLE) – Ownership: 53% Yahoo!, 25% Fleaflicker

Strikeouts and homeruns. That’s the name of the game for Mr. Nelson. So long as he keeps that 3.02 BB/9 rate down then he can minimize the damage done by the (probable) long ball that he will (probably) give up. Cleveland’s .296 OBP over the last week plays nicely into that.

Matchup Rating: Solid Stream

 

Kyle Hendricks (CHC at SF) – Ownership: 23% Yahoo!, 17% Fleaflicker

­It would seem that Hendricks has a solid matchup against San Francisco. The Giants are so depleted and thin right now that they are throwing out guys like Kelby Tomlinson into their lineup. Of course, baseball is a funny game. Hendricks has allowed at least three earned runs in six of his last seven starts. The numbers suggest he will produce, but the gut says he will struggle.

Matchup Rating: Risky Stream

 

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