August 15, 2016

A wise fantasy baseball manager never rests. He is never satisfied with his team and is always on the hunt for the player that can help in both the present and future. For this article, we’ll focus on the present, as we present the top pitcher streamers who’ll be making two outings this week.

We do this every week, because deep down we all know those last two or three guys taken in drafts won’t be with us the whole way through. Mix and match is the name of the game and maximizing these players’ values is the goal. Here are the top five two-start pitching streamers for week 20. NOTE: these are expected starts.

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Going Twice, Roll The Dice

Drew Smyly (TB, SP) - 47% Fleaflicker

vs. SD 8/15, vs. TEX 8/21

It’s been a tale of two halves for Smyly, who came out of the All-Star break with a 5.47 ERA. That number is now at 5.04 after posting quality starts in each of his last four outings. He also has 130 K in 130.1 IP, and is a candidate for double-digit strikeouts every time out.

Awaiting Smyly in Week 20 are the Padres on Aug. 15 and the Rangers on Aug. 21. As mentioned earlier, the Padres’ strong numbers against lefties are misleading considering two of the biggest culprits, Matt Kemp and Melvin Upton Jr., were shipped off before the trade deadline. Plus, opposite Smyly will be Luis Perdomo, who holds a 6.80 ERA on the year.

The Rangers have one of the more explosive offenses in baseball — and one that has had success against lefties — but the same can be said for the Blue Jays, whom Smyly held to just two runs on six hits over six innings on Tuesday. When Smyly is dealing like he has been over the last month, he is worth a start no matter the opposing team— especially for owners looking for a strikeout boost.

Bartolo Colon (NYM, SP) - 44% Fleaflicker

@ ARI 8/15, @ SF 8/20

Colon has been incredibly reliable for the Mets this year, with 13 quality starts in 22 outings. He owns a 3.35 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP with 91 K and a 10-6 record in 134.1 IP. He has only allowed more than three runs in a single game four times — three of which came in July — and he seems to have put that poor stretch behind him.

Colon kicks off the week against the Robbie Ray and the Diamondbacks. Colon and Ray met just the other day, and the 43-year-old walked away with a no-decision despite yielding just one run on seven hits and one walk with eight strikeouts in seven frames. There is no reason why he cannot produce a similar stat line on Monday.

Next, he will take the mound in pitcher-friendly AT&T Park against Matt Moore. The Giants are last in baseball in home runs off of righties, and Colon has allowed just 17 long balls on the year, so fantasy owners can expect Colon to limit the damage again on Saturday.

Ervin Santana (MIN, SP) - 43% Fleaflicker

@ ATL 8/16, @ KC 8/21

Santana is currently working on a four-game quality start streak, during which he has lowered his ERA from 4.12 to 3.62. He holds a 5-9 record on the season with 93 IP in 126.2 IP, but he did begin the year with just one win in his first 12 outings. Additionally, in his two years with the Twins, he has posted his best numbers away from Target Field.

This upcoming week, Santana will go on the road to face two of his former teams, the Braves and the Royals. Those two teams rank 29th and 27th, respectively, in OPS vs. right-handed pitching. In Atlanta on Monday, Santana is expected to pitch opposite Joel De La Cruz, who is winless in five starts and seven relief appearances. It shouldn’t take much for the Twins’ No. 1 pitcher to walk out with a victory.

The 33-year-old Santana has an admittedly tougher task later in the week, as he will match up against surprise Cy Young candidate Danny Duffy. However, if he can hold the Royals to two runs like he did last time he pitched in Kansas City on April 8, he will have a good chance of picking up another win. Santana has a real shot to continue his quality start streak over the next two series.

Robbie Ray (ARI, SP) - 16% Fleaflicker

vs. NYM 8/15, @ SD 8/20

Ray’s 2016 campaign has been plagued by inconsistency. Over his last 11 outings, he has three games of at least seven shutout innings and five games with at least four runs allowed. The 24-year-old owns a 4.57 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP with 156 K in 128 IP on the year.

Ray’s first start of the week will come on Monday, at home against the struggling Mets and their MLB-worst .236 batting average. The Mets’ current outfield trio of Curtis Granderson, Alejandro De Aza and Jay Bruce all have an OPS right around .700 against lefties. Ray tossed seven scoreless innings against the Mets this past Wednesday, and should have no problem matching that dominance the next time around.

His next start is scheduled to come on Saturday in San Diego. Now, the Padres are fourth in baseball with a .803 OPS against left-handers, but Matt Kemp and Melvin Upton Jr., two of the four San Diego hitters with an OPS above .900 vs. LHP, are no long with the team. Ray could easily produce two quality starts this week, and is always a strong strikeout pitcher.

Braden Shipley (ARI, SP) - 5% Fleaflicker

vs. NYM 8/16, @ SD 8/21

Shipley’s Major League career began with a six-run outing against the Brewers in late July, but he has posted three quality starts in as many outings since— just two runs on 12 H and 8 BB with 13 K in 19 IP over that span.

The first of Shipley’s two starts this week will come against the Mets. This past Thursday, he held the Mets scoreless with just three hits in seven innings, striking out seven in the process. Kelly Johnson is the only active Mets hitter with an OPS above .800 vs. righties.

Then, Shipley has an even better match-up with the Padres than Ray does, considering San Diego is dead last in OPS vs. right-handed pitching. In fact, Ryan Schimpf, who has managed a 26.0% strikeout out this year, is the only player with an OPS above .900 against righties. Shipley is worth a stream in all leagues as he looks to continue to perform at a high level in his rookie year.

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