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Something happened at the start of this week that not even great baseball journalist Tim Kurkjian has ever seen happen before. Coming off a 6-0 loss in which they were almost no-hit and on the heels of a 16-22 record, Marlins GM Dan Jennings fired manager Mike Redmond. As the rest of the baseball world waited to see who Jennings would hire in Redmond’s stead, Jennings evidently had a plan in mind. In fact, it would be he who could light a spark on this team.
On Monday, Jennings announced that he would be the new manager of the Miami Marlins. A guy that had only coached at the high school level and instead made his bones through the system as a scout is now in charge of day-to-day, play-to-play and pitch-to-pitch operations of a professional baseball team. Miami has now lost in three straight games under Jennings by scores of 3-2, 4-2 and 6-1. Eventually the Marlins will win another game. The baseball season is just too long for them to lose their remaining games. But certainly the Jennings managerial regime is not exactly off-and-running.
On a personal note, your witty and amazing author made a gentlemanly wager with a colleague at the beginning of the season that the Marlins would win more games than the Cubs. Is it possible to take the Marlins organization and Jennings to court when the inevitable occurs?
Below are some of my starting pitcher streamer sleepers for the second half of Week 7 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.
Thursday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Archie Bradley (ARZ at MIA) - Ownership: 45% Yahoo!, 23% Fleaflicker
Normally a young pitcher with a 15.2% BB rate and coming off a mostly disastrous last start would never make this list, but have you seen how unbelievably putrid the Marlins offense has been as of late? Over the last seven days, Miami has a .240 wOBA and a 45 wRC+. It’s hard to remember that last time the author has seen numbers like that. Plus, Miami sports that new unique variable known as the Jennings Factor.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
J.A. Happ (SEA at BAL) - Ownership: 30% Yahoo!, 21% Fleaflicker
This stream is quite possibly the scariest of the weekend. The Orioles typically crush soft-throwing lefties and Happ is just that. Happ is getting a lot of value out of his curveball and Baltimore has struggled at times against that pitch.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Jaime Garcia (STL at NYM) - Ownership: 9% Yahoo!, 5% Fleaflicker
The Mets have not been as bad as the Marlins over the last couple weeks, but they haven’t exactly been the 1927 Yankees either. Garcia will make his season debut after sustaining a shoulder injury and normally it takes pitchers a few starts to get going. Garcia’s career 3.42 FIP and 18.9% K rate, coupled with the Cardinals win probability, is a little too enticing to ignore against the Metropolitans.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Alex Colome (TB v. OAK) - Ownership: 5% Yahoo!, 4% Fleaflicker
Speaking of inconsistent and inadequate offenses, what happened to Oakland? For a team that is fourth in the league with 185 runs scored, there seem to be a plethora of A’s box scores that end up with 2, 1 or 0 runs. The 26-year-old pitcher has taken his command to a new level this season as he posts a stellar 17.1% K-BB rate. Colome makes for a great option and is barely owned, so he should be available even in deeper leagues.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Friday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Colby Lewis (TEX at NYY) - Ownership: 36% Yahoo!, 25% Fleaflicker
With Jacoby Ellsbury out for the next few weeks, suddenly that Yankees offense does not look so scary. The Lewis project seems to be panning out this season as he has been surprisingly productive. His 3.16 FIP is by far his career best and he is holding opponents to a .230 BAA, his best since 2010. The Rangers will probably not give him a ton of run support, so his owners may not get a point in the W column.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Chris Young (KC v. STL) - Ownership: 16% Yahoo!, 13% Fleaflicker
Before this season is over, Chris Young is going to have to reveal the location of the Fountain of Youth. Last season, Young surprisingly finished with 12 wins in 165 IP due to keeping batters in check with a low BABIP and stranding runners on base. This year is no different and in fact has been even luckier. He is holding offenses to a silly .132 BABIP and an 84.3% LOB rate. Clearly this is unsustainable and at some point a good offense- like the Cardinals- will take advantage.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Josh Collmenter (ARZ v. CHI) - Ownership: 16% Yahoo!, 11% Fleaflicker
Normally a RHP makes for a good stream option against the Cubs. The senior circuit Chicago team has the highest team K rate- 25.9%- in the league against righties. There’s nothing quite like stacking a strike out pitcher off the wire against a team that strikes out a ton. Unfortunately, Collmenter only strikes out batters 11.1% of all at bats. And there’s really not a whole lot of anything else that he brings to the table.
Matchup Rating: Desperate Stream
Saturday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Nick Martinez (TEX at NYY) - Ownership: 34% Yahoo!, 24% Fleaflicker
By inducing a lot of groundballs and trusting his defense, Martinez has so far been one of the season’s fantasy successes. He sports a 3-0 record and a 1.88 ERA in 48 IP this season. The lefties on the Yankees will give Martinez fits, but the catalyst of the New York offense is out a few weeks. Expect something in the vicinity of 5 IP, 4 K and 2 ER for Martinez on Saturday.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Nate Karns (TB v. OAK) - Ownership: 26% Yahoo!, 20% Fleaflicker
The young Tampa pitcher will be pushed back a day so that he can have extra rest before his next start against Oakland. Hopefully that helps with his command as his 11.1% BB rate is entirely too high. If that number maintains on Saturday, even an inconsistent offense like Oakland will take advantage.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
C.J. Wilson (LAA at BOS) - Ownership: 49% Yahoo!, 40% Fleaflicker
For an offense that started out the season hot, Boston sure has cooled down. Some of that was due to the injury to Hanley Ramirez, but mostly it is because the team from top to bottom just is not effective. Against LHP, Boston has a fourth-worst .280 wOBA and fifth-worst 73 wRC+. He won’t get a high number in the strikeout category, but Wilson should roll through this lineup.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
Sunday Starting Pitcher Streamers
Jimmy Nelson (MIL at ATL) - Ownership: 23% Yahoo!, 16% Fleaflicker
Nelson has been Milwaukee’s best starter this season but he continues to be owned less than his teammate, Mike Fiers. With a 52.2% GB rate and a 21.3% K rate, Nelson has stymied opponents en route to a 3.73 ERA. He should plow through Atlanta’s lineup on Sunday.
Matchup Rating: Must Stream
Mike Foltynewicz (ATL v. MIL) - Ownership: 6% Yahoo!, 8% Fleaflicker
If Nelson is not available in deeper leagues, Foltynewicz presents some not all of the value that Nelson brings to the table. Folty has been the victim of some bad luck this year as his batted balls have fallen for hits and runners have been crossing the plate. That .375 BABIP and 69.0% LOB rate will both even out before it’s all said and done. At the very least, if owners want to stream both Nelson and Folty, then that maximizes their probability in the W category.
Matchup Rating: Risky Stream
Erasmo Ramirez (TB v. OAK) - Ownership: 1% Yahoo!, 2% Fleaflicker
In the deepest of leagues, Ramirez offers good value against that Oakland offense that is being targeted this weekend. The Rotoballer SP Streamer Matchup Tool gives a matchup rating of 101 on Sunday, among the best on this list. Pay no heed to his 6.44 ERA as all of Ramirez’s peripherals, including a 19.8% K rate and 3.84 FIP, suggest that the ERA will even out.
Matchup Rating: Solid Stream
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