These last 30 or so regular season games in the last month or so of the season will feature a ton of interdivisional matchups that will most definitely affect the playoff races. With the exception of the Royals, who are currently sporting a sleek 13 game lead over the second place Minnesota Twins, every divisional race can potentially be turned inside-out. The remaining five divisional leaders play their respective divisional foe that is chasing them enough times for the second place team to catch them during the next few weeks.

But that’s real baseball. For our fantasy lives, divisional matchups mean that there is an increased probability for pitchers to face the same lineups multiple times within a short time frame. Normally this leads to more volatile second starts for those pitchers, especially if they are streaming options. It is a good idea in most cases to stay away from a pitcher making his second start against the same team in a short period and sometimes it pays off to take a flier on a pitcher that just got rocked by the same lineup in his previous start. Oh, how baseball is oh-so affected by the law of averages.

Below are some of my starting pitcher streamer sleepers for the first half of Week 22 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 8/31 Starting Pitcher Streamers

Vidal Nuno (SEA at HOU) – Ownership: 3% Yahoo!, 2% Fleaflicker

This is a complete boom-or-bust streaming option based mainly on Houston’s offense. Nuno’s counterpart will be red hot Dallas Keuchel, thus decreasing Nuno’s win probability. He has also struggled recently and the Astros own an overall HR/FB rate of 13.8%. The veteran southpaw should have no problems piling up some K’s, but will get hit hard by some homeruns.

Matchup Rating: Desperate Stream

 

Felix Doubront (OAK v. LAA) – Ownership: 2% Yahoo!, 3% Fleaflicker

It shouldn’t be a coincidence that as soon as Mike Trout started to get cold that his team could barely score. Once a solid team against southpaws, the Angels overall team wOBA against left-handed pitchers has dipped all the way to .290, good enough for fourth worst in the big leagues. They’re worse than the Padres. The Padres.

Matchup Rating: Risky Stream

 

Jake Peavy (SF at LAD) – Ownership: 11% Yahoo!, 13% Fleaflicker

I really do not put much stock into pitchers that have dominated a team over their respective careers. Rosters change so much during the course of a year, let alone multiple seasons, that it is just so hard to put faith into that statistics. But Peavy’s home away from home is one hundred percent Dodger Stadium. In 89 IP, the veteran owns a 7-1 record with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP in Los Angeles. Considering how much the Giants have owned the Dodgers this season, it’s reasonable to suggest that he should get the run support as well.

Matchup Rating: Solid Stream

 

Tuesday 9/1 Starting Pitcher Streamers

Drew Smyly (TB at BAL) – Ownership: 42% Yahoo!, 32% Fleaflicker

Smyly owns juicy advanced numbers, including a 24.4% K rate and 5.3% BB rate, in a small sample size of 30.2 innings pitched. So why the high 4.68 FIP? Probably because he’s stranding roughly nine in ten baserunners, a number that cannot possibly be sustained long term. Meanwhile, the Orioles are smack dab in the middle of a sinking ship and it may be too late for it to be salvaged. Smyly’s good numbers live to see another day.

Matchup Rating: Solid Stream

 

Joe Ross (WAS at STL) – Ownership: 32% Yahoo!, 15% Fleaflicker

Though initially this seems like a bad spot for Ross, the Cardinals sub-par overall wRC+ of 96 over the last month lands them in the bottom third of the league during that span. Anyone that thinks Ross may be due for regression should probably not hold their breath. Dude has seemingly gotten better as the year goes on. His ERA has steadily shrunk to match his already low 3.12 FIP and xFIP. The Nats may not score for him, but he can give his owners valuable numbers.

Matchup Rating: Must Stream

 

Anthony DeSclafani (CIN at CHC) – Ownership: 19% Yahoo!, 20% Fleaflicker

With 150 innings under his belt this season and the Reds clearly out of the playoff race, you have to wonder if Cincinnati management will start to think about an innings limit for DeSclafani. Despite giving up six earned to a then-hot Arizona team two starts ago, the young pitcher has recorded a quality start in six of his last seven outings. Though the Cubs have a lot of firepower, they are still the most strikeout prone squad against right-handed pitchers with a 24.0% K rate.

Matchup Rating: Risky Stream

 

Chris Bassitt (OAK v. LAA) – Ownership: 25% Yahoo!, 12% Fleaflicker

Though the Angels have struggled mightily in the month of August, I fully expect Trout and his goons to step their game up when the calendar his September. And coincidentally, their first game in September is right here in this little post. Bassitt is still a good streaming option in deeper leagues as he has been as near as unhittable at home as you can imagine someone named Chris Bassitt is: 3.07 FIP, .203 BAA, 0.97 WHIP and 21.4% K rate.

Matchup Rating: Risky Stream

 

Wednesday 9/2 Starting Pitcher Streamers

Raisel Iglesias (CIN at CHC) – Ownership: 42% Yahoo!, 14% Fleaflicker

Through over 80 innings pitched on the season, Iglesias owns one of the most irresistible K rates among all young pitchers. He currently strikes out 26.2% of all opposing batters while maintaining a respectable-for-a-young-pitcher 6.6% BB rate. As good as DeSclafani could be against the Cubs on Tuesday, Iglesias figures to have a double-digit strikeout game on Wednesday.

Matchup Rating: Solid Stream

 

Andrew Heaney (LAA at OAK) – Ownership: 47% Yahoo!, 21% Fleaflicker

As good as Heaney has been all season, he has experienced some growing pains during the month of August. He was torched by the Blue Jays- which leftie hasn’t?- on August 22 but he came back strong against the Indians in his last start on Friday. He should do well against the lowly A’s, but he will have only had four days of rest in an afternoon game. Could be trouble.

Matchup Rating: Risky Stream

 

Taylor Jungmann (MIL v. PIT) – Ownership: 50% Yahoo!, 24% Fleaflicker

Taylor Jungmann has been good at blah blah blah blah. If you don’t know at this point in the season that I really love streaming Jungmann against teams that tend to strike out at high rates, then clearly you haven’t been paying attention. That, or this is your first visit to this article. If that’s the case, then know that I really like streaming Jungmann every week against teams that tend to strike out at high rates.

Matchup Rating: Solid Stream

 

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