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Top daily fantasy baseball streamers and waiver wire adds for 5/4/21. Mike Marteny identifies MLB hitters and starting pitchers to stream based on matchups.
Welcome to the another edition of our daily fantasy baseball streamers! Are you playing in leagues with daily moves and looking to beef up those rosters? We here at RotoBaller are there for you and all of your streaming needs. Whether you are just trying to get that elusive category win or you are trying to give your pitching staff a lift because Aaron Civale had a subpar start, we can help. Each day RotoBaller will provide you with some of the best streaming options to consider in both shallow and deep fantasy baseball daily leagues. Streaming hitters and pitchers to exploit matchups are important to help you win your league.
It is important to know your league if you're going to stream. I'm not just talking about which teams your leaguemates root for. I'm talking about whether strikeouts count against you for hitters or if fielding stats are included. Most importantly, you need to know how many transactions you have per week. You don't want to blow your allotment within a couple of days. You can also use these recommendations to help build your DFS lineups. This article will use rostered percentages and position eligibility from ESPN leagues.
Only 11 pitchers are more than 50% owned, and with two double dips on the slate, that accounts for less than a third of them. We have plenty of good streaming options today. We do have to keep an eye to the sky though. It looks like it's going to be rainy in St. Louis and Cincinnati.
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- Fantasy baseball injury reports
Hitter Streamers for 5/4 - Shallow Leagues
Jorge Polanco (2B/SS, SHB, MIN) - 47% Rostered
Matchup: vs. TEX RHP Kyle Gibson
Kyle Gibson is off to a great start, but closer examination of the numbers suggest there are ways to get to him. Gibson has a superb 0.45 ERA in three home starts, but it balloons to 4.73 on the road. Yes, Gibson used to pitch in this park, but he never did pitch well. In 95 career games at Target Field, Gibson has a 4.72 ERA. It's hard to find middle infield help, and Polanco has been hitting well lately with a .375 clip over the last week with a homer and four RBI. Sign me up! I'll take a crack at Gibson.
Mitch Garver (C, RHB, MIN) - 40.3% Rostered
Matchup: vs. TEX RHP Kyle Gibson
We knew that Garver wouldn't be cold forever, right? He has three homers and six RBI over his last three starts. The Twins have been resting Garver more than they did last year, but he got the night off last night. He should be in there tonight. Gibson hasn't given up a homer yet this year, but Garver's hot streak has me thinking it could happen tonight.
Alex Kirilloff (OF, LHB, MIN) - 35.4% Rostered
Matchup: vs. TEX RHP Kyle Gibson
Kiriloff's hot streak is almost as drastic as his cold streak to start his career was. Kiriloff is 6-16(.375) with four homers, 10 RBI, and seven runs scored in the last four games. This Twins offense is starting to take off. This is the last couple of chances to get pieces of this team for free. I'll go all-in on Kiriloff again without thinking twice.
Nico Hoerner (2B/SS, RHB, CHC) - 29.6% Rostered
Matchup: vs. LAD LHP Clayon Kershaw, LAD RHP Trevor Bauer
This stream isn't for the faint of heart. I like picking up guys in doubleheaders for obvious reasons, but Hoerner has to face two aces. Still, Hoerner is hitting .364 with three runs, three steals, and four RBI in the last week. He's not going to hit a homer here, but Hoerner should pick up a couple of counting stats at least.
Hitter Streamers for 5/4 - Deep Leagues
Josh Rojas (2B/SS/OF, LHB, ARI) - 14.9% Rostered
Matchup: at MIA RHP Sandy Alcantara
Rojas has taken off with Kole Calhoun on the IL. We get rewarded with multi-position eligibility. The .333 average with three homers, five RBI, and seven runs scored in the last week are just icing on the cake, right? This is not an easy matchup by any means, but Alcantara isn't going to pitch a complete game. We should get something out of Rojas.
Brandon Belt (1B, LHB, SF) - 7.9% Rostered
Matchup: vs. COL RHP German Marquez, TBD
What's better than getting a streamer with a double header? A streamer getting a double header in Coors Field! That's where we are with Belt. Belt is a career .319 hitter in 238 at-bats at Coors Field with 11 homers. That'd his third-most in any ballpark in the league. His numbers against German Marquez are even better. Belt is hitting .407 in 27 at-bats with a homer and six RBI off of Marquez. I expect good things out of Belt tonight.
Brandon Crawford (SS, LHB, SF) - 4.2% Rostered
Matchup: vs. COL RHP German Marquez, TBD
What's good for the Belt is good for the Crawford. Crawford is only hitting .251 at Coors Field, but the nine homers are the third-most in any ballpark and his 56 RBI at Coors are by far the most of any outside of his home park. I really like the San Francisco streamers here, but we can drop them as soon as this series is over.
Matt Beaty (1B, LHB, LAD) - 1.2% Rostered
Matchup: at CHC RHP Kyle Hendricks, TBD
Beaty should play in at least one of these games. He homered and drove in seven runs on Sunday and he has driven in 11 runs in the last week. On top of facing a struggling Hendricks, the Cubs have a struggling bullpen as well. Beaty is one of the few Dodgers out there on waivers and they are in a superb matchup. This is the easy way to get a piece of this action.
Pitcher Streamer for 5/4 - Shallow Leagues
Nick Pivetta (RHP, BOS) - 26.6% rostered
Matchup: vs. Detroit
If it weren't for the astronomically high walk rate, Pivetta's numbers would border on elite right now. His strikeout rate of 24% is right in line with his career numbers, but the 16.3% walk rate is by far the highest of his career so far. The 4.48 xERA also suggests that regression is coming. I doubt it's against the Tigers. This team is hitting just .195 as a team on the season with a 33.7% strikeout rate. Until this offense improves, they are worth targeting. Pivetta wont be confused with an elite arm anytime soon, but he has nice potential to pick you up a win here. Just be careful if your league counts walks.
Mike Minor (LHP, KC) - 20.2% rostered
Matchup: vs. Cleveland
There's not much sexy about Minor, and the 5.26 ERA suggests that we proceed with caution. However, Cleveland is hitting a miserable .201 against LHP. It didn't improve last night against Daniel Lynch, a guy making his first start above high-A ball. Cleveland didn't get going until they pummeled the bullpen. The current Cleveland lineup is hitting just .133 against Minor with 14 strikeouts in 45 at-bats. There is solid potential here.
Pitcher Streamer for 5/4 - Deep Leagues
Shane McClanahan (LHP, TB) - 12.8% Rostered
Matchup: at Los Angeles Angels
There's a lot to like about McClanahan here. There are also some things not to like, such as a pitch count. He's not going to go very deep into this game, but he throws really hard with a nasty curveball. That's going to keep his strikeout rate high. If you're using McClanahan, it's to chase the strikeouts. He shouldn't hurt you too much in any category, but it can't be ruled out either.
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