Fantasy Baseball: Best SP Streamers for May 22

Aaron Harang Braves

Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The waiver wire can be a gold mine for fantasy players who are looking to boost their pitching stats. On just about any day, there is sure to be a starter or three just waiting to be picked up who can help lead a fantasy team to glory. In today’s slice of fantasy advice, let’s take a look at some hurlers who should be in for a solid night on the hill on May 22 and are quite possibly available on a waiver wire near you.

Now hurry up and grab one of these pitchers before some other cagey owner gets to them first.

Ownership percentages based off ESPN standard leagues

Matt Garza: Milwaukee Brewers (74.1 percent): This season has been a pretty huge disappointment so far for Garza. Not only does he have just two wins in nine starts to this point, but his ERA sits at an ugly 4.83. Hopefully for him, a date with the Atlanta Braves is just what the doctor ordered to get things turned around.

The Braves’ bats have really had a tough go of it this year, as they rank just 29th in baseball with 3.33 runs scored per game. Garza kicked off the 2014 campaign against this same team and had his best outing of the season, holding them to one earned while striking out seven in eight innings. This guy is far too talented to continue pitching this poorly, so he qualifies as a high-risk, high-reward option today.

Aaron Harang: Atlanta Braves (79.3 percent): Squaring off against Garza tonight will be this surprisingly dominant starter. Harang has had his moments in his career, but he’s never looked this good on the mound. Aside from that disastrous game he had against the Miami Marlins in which he allowed nine earned runs, his ERA sits at a shimmering 1.65 in his other eight starts. If you haven’t jumped on board yet, it’s time to purchase your ticket my friend.

The Brewers’ offense that he’ll be going up against hasn’t fared much better than his own team’s, as they’ve managed to score just 3.79 runs per game, good for 26th in the league. Harang is also likely to pile up some strikeouts in this one, as the Brew-Crew strike out eight times per game as a team. If this fellow is available on your local waiver wire, he won’t be for much longer, so scoop him up for today and find a comfy spot for him on your roster.

Roenis Elias: Seattle Mariners (10 percent): On the surface, this rookie’s stats are pretty good (3.88 ERA, 1.33 WHIP) but don’t exactly blow your doors off. When you take the competition into account, though, they look far better. Seven of his nine starts have come against teams that rank in the top 12 in the league in runs scored, so the schedule has done him no favors.

No favors until today that is, as he’ll been blessed with a start against the hapless Houston Astros. Houston ranks just 27th in the league in runs scored per game, they’ve struck out the sixth-most times per game as a team and only the sorry Chicago Cubs have fewer wins this season. When all the math is added up, it certainly seems like Elias should be in for a very solid evening.

Brian Davis is a fantasy sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @SportsGuyBrian, ”Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google


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