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 17. NOTE: these are expected starts.

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Going Twice, Roll The Dice

Anthony DeSclafani, CIN

@ SF 7/25, @ SD 7/31

Owned In: 28% of Fleaflicker Leagues

26-year-old Anthony DeSclafani seems to have finally gotten the hang of things in his third Major League season. Following periods of success throughout his first two seasons at the top level, the right-hander has turned it up a notch since making his season debut last month. DeSclafani has made eight starts and holds a 5-0 record with a 2.50 ERA. He’s also on a streak of six consecutive quality starts and has won three consecutive decisions. While his strikeout numbers are slightly down and his walk rates are slightly higher, the key has been the lack of home runs surrendered and effectiveness stranding runners.

This week DeSclafani makes a pair of road starts in California, one considerably more manageable than the other. His first start will be Monday night in San Francisco against the first place Giants. While the Giants have once again emerged as one of the best teams in baseball, they’ve struggled out of the All-Star break. Additionally, his opponent will be Jake Peavy, who holds a 5.15 ERA on the year. Already having quality starts on the road against the Rangers, Nationals and Cubs, look for DeSclafani to hold his own in the bay. His second start will be against the Padres, who’ve been one of our favorite targets all year. Last month, DeSclafani tossed eight shutout innings against San Diego for his second win of the season. Expect more of the same.

 

Jeremy Hellickson, PHI

@ MIA 7/25, @ ATL 7/30

Owned In: 28% of Fleaflicker Leagues

Seven-year veteran Jeremy Hellickson has been a bright spot for the Phillies, who appeared to have a chance at contention earlier in the season before falling off. His performances have fueled trade speculations, although the 29-year-old has stated he’d like to stay in Philadelphia. Hellickson has hit a couple of bumps this season, but has been relatively solid, going 7-7 with a 3.84 ERA. He's recorded quality starts in five of his last six outings, and his most recent performance saw him go a season-high eight innings while giving up just one run.

That performance, which resulted in a victory, came against the Miami Marlins, who he’ll face again to start the new week. Hellickson has already beaten the Marlins twice and has been solid in all three starts against them this year. His control will be the key, as his zero walks allowed against Miami last time served well in deciding this game’s outcome. If he can replicate the performance, he will be successful again. His second start will come against the Braves in Atlanta, as if that makes much of a difference. The Braves are a whopping 22 games under .500 at home and have already been held in check by Hellickson this month. If he hasn’t been traded by then, expect similar results.

 

Bud Norris, LAD

vs TB 7/26, vs ARI 7/31

Owned In: 14% of Fleaflicker Leagues

Since escaping the clutches of Atlanta Braves baseball, Bud Norris has made four starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers, each one getting progressively worse. Following a strong debut against the Rockies and a respectable followup against the Orioles, the 31-year-old has struggled on the road. This is why Norris’ upcoming week looks encouraging, as he’s scheduled to make two home starts.

The first will come against the Tampa Bay Rays, who are in last place of the American League East. One of the worst road teams in baseball, the Rays could struggle mightily on the West coast. His second start of the week will come against the Diamondbacks, who pounded him for eight hits and four runs on July 15th. Norris has proven to be much more comfortable at Chavez Ravine than on the road, meaning a change is to be expected. Considering that Arizona has lost most of their games coming out of the all-star break, their form also plays a factor. While the sample size has been small so far, expect a different Bud Norris at home than what we’ve seen on the road these past two starts.

 

Bartolo Colon, NYM

vs STL 7/26, vs COL 7/31

Owned In: 28% of Fleaflicker Leagues

43-year-old All-Star Bartolo Colon’s importance to the Mets continues to grow as the team's pitching staff teeters. For his part, the crafty veteran continues to remain effective, posting a 8-5 record with a 3.48 ERA so far this season. After a solid month of June, however, his results in July haven’t been up to par. Starts against the Cubs and Nationals have been dreadful, but this week he’ll get a shot at two teams of lower quality.

First up will be the St. Louis Cardinals in a battle for the National League wild card. Perhaps Colon’s greatest strength in the match-up will be St. Louis’ energy. By the time they take the field against Colon on Tuesday, they’d have played 12 games in 11 days and could very well be low on stamina. If Colon can keep them in the ballpark and strand runners as he’s done so often, he’ll be successful. His second start will be against the Rockies, who are third place of the National League West, yet seven games under .500 at the time of this writing. Colorado’s impatience at the plate will serve Colon well, as they rank as one of the worst National League teams in the walks department. While he’s already a relatively polished pitcher, keeping the Rockies off the bases and forcing them to put balls into play will go a long way in making this another successful start for the ageless wonder.

 

Hector Santiago, LAA

@ KC 7/26, vs BOS 7/31

Owned In: 30% of Fleaflicker Leagues

28-year-old Hector Santiago is one of the hottest pitchers in baseball at the moment. The Newark native hasn’t lost in over a month since getting rocked early and often at home by the Cleveland Indians. Since that start on June 10th, he’s delivered five quality starts and is 5-0 with a 2.28 ERA. His opponents haven’t exactly been throwaways either, as he defeated the Red Sox at Fenway earlier this month. Santiago has been effective by keeping home runs at a minimum and striking out plenty of batters. His one persisting issue seems to be control, as he’s walking 3.83 batters per nine innings.

His first start of the week will come on the road against the Kansas City Royals. The outing has two immediate positives to look at, as Santiago is a better pitcher on the road and he’ll be facing Ian Kennedy, who’s fresh off a demolition at the hands of the aforementioned Indians. Kansas City also currently has the least walks of any team in baseball, something that looms very large for Santiago. These factors appear to show that this will be a positive start. The second start will come at home against the Boston Red Sox. While Boston is currently one of the best teams in the American League, Santiago already beat them at Fenway, as previously mentioned. The victory came despite four walks, which he can’t afford to duplicate. Should he fix this one remaining issue, he could be in for two victories this week.

 

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