Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitcher Rankings: Welcome to a great streaming week!

Yahoo

4 hours ago

This is a good week to find some two-start pitchers on the waiver wire, as the list includes one especially exciting option and several hurlers who should post solid results. Things are less exciting on the hitting side, as few teams play four games over the next four days. However, those who are desperate for a hitter can likely find some help from the Giants.
Two-Start Pitchers (listed in order of preference)
Eury Pérez, Marlins, 56% (@PIT, @WSH)
Pérez's roster rate will surely skyrocket prior to first pitch on Monday. After all, the 22-year-old is one of the most talented young starters in baseball, as he showed in 2023 when he logged a 3.15 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and a 10.6 K/9 rate at age 20. Despite the long layoff, Perez is easily the best streamer this week and will likely stay on rosters for the remainder of the season. Check if he's still available.
Griffin Canning, Mets, 48% (vs. WSH, vs. TB)
Canning bounced back from a pair of subpar outings when he struck out seven across six shutout innings against the high-scoring Dodgers. The right-hander walks too many batters (10.4%), but he minimizes the damage by getting his share of strikeouts and ground balls. Having two starts at his pitcher-friendly home park against average offenses makes Canning one of the safest options on this list.
Jeffrey Springs, Athletics, 31% (@LAA, @KC)
Springs is one of a few Athletics pitchers who have fared best when pitching on the road, logging a 3.86 ERA in those contests (5.51 ERA at home). The lefty had a hiccup in Toronto on May 30 (2 IP, 6 ER) but even when factoring in that start, he has recorded a 3.66 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in six outings since the calendar flipped to May. Springs belongs in most lineups this week, as both of his opponents rank among the bottom-10 teams in OPS vs. southpaws.
Shane Smith, White Sox, 26% (@HOU, @TEX)
Smith continued to overcome his expected stats last week, as he held the Tigers off the scoreboard for 5.1 innings. The 25-year-old has benefited from a .245 BABIP, and all of his ERA estimators are between 3.50-4.00, but that still makes him good enough to be a viable streamer in 12-team leagues. He will face two disappointing offenses this week that rank 20th and 28th in runs scored.
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Mitch Keller, Pirates, 35% (vs. MIA, @CHC)
Keller has been consistently mediocre for several years, and in each of the past three seasons, he has logged an ERA between 4.13-4.25 and a WHIP between 1.25-1.30. The right-hander has polarizing matchups this week, as the Marlins rank 23rd in runs scored and the Cubs place second. Overall, he's an uninspiring option who makes the most sense for managers who are aggressively chasing volume.
Luis L. Ortiz, Guardians, 34% (vs. CIN, @SEA)
Ortiz strikes out plenty of batters (25.4%) but the good news stops there. The right-hander gives up too many walks (11.8%) and too much hard contact (93.0 mph average exit velocity) to have consistent success. His matchups are average this week, and I would be much more comfortable using him in points leagues, where he could make a major impact by striking out 12+ batters.
Colin Rea, Cubs, 15% (@PHI, vs. PIT)
Rea followed up a pair of six-run starts by shutting out the Nats across 5.1 innings last time out. Unfortunately, his scoreless start came with seven baserunners and zero strikeouts. The 34-year-old is not as safe as is suggested by his 3.59 ERA, and managers would be wise to heed the warnings of his 1.35 WHIP.
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He's on this list for one reason — a Sunday start against the Pirates, who rank 29th in runs scored. It's enough to get him into some deep-league lineups.
Shane Baz, Rays, 46% (@BOS, @NYM)
Baz has had a couple of serviceable starts of late, but his overall ratios since May 1 (7.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP) leave plenty to be desired. The right-hander still carries some name value in fantasy circles thanks to his former prospect status. But I would avoid using him for a pair of road starts against above-average offenses.
One-Start Streamers
In order, here are the best streamers for the week, with their start date and Yahoo roster rate in parentheses.
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Lance McCullers vs. CWS (Tuesday, 46)
Bryce Elder vs. COL (Friday, 10)
Cade Horton vs. PIT (Friday, 32)
Hayden Birdsong @COL (Wednesday, 37)
Ryan Weathers* @WSH (Saturday, 31)
Luis Severino @KC (Friday, 28)
Chris Paddack @HOU (Friday, 33)
Tomoyuki Sugano vs. LAA (Saturday, 49)
Chad Patrick vs. ATL (Wednesday, 28)
Bailey Falter vs. MIA (Wednesday, 17)
Cal Quantrill @PIT (Wednesday, 3)
Jack Leiter @MIN (Wednesday, 39)
Tyler Anderson @BAL (Saturday, 22)
Erick Fedde @MIL (Friday, 18)
Grant Holmes @MIL (Tuesday, 32)
Will Warren @KC (Thursday, 39)
José Soriano vs. ATH (Tuesday, 19)
Michael Lorenzen vs. ATH (Saturday, 19)
Slade Cecconi vs. CIN (Tuesday, 4)
Favorable Monday-Thursday hitting matchups
Giants @ Rockies: The Giants get their turn to face a beleaguered Rockies staff (6.16 home ERA) at Coors Field. Wilmer Flores (43%) and Tyler Fitzgerald (18%) are the best options to add from the waiver wire.
Cardinals vs. Blue Jays, Brewers: St. Louis is one of just a few teams that play four games over the next four days, and it does not face an ace in any of its contests. Victor Scott II (24%) is the most obvious player to add in roto leagues, and those in shallow formats who sometimes bench Masyn Winn, Ivan Herrera, Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Arenado may want to move them into the active lineup.