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Streaming starting pitchers can be one of the most effective strategies in fantasy baseball. Here are three pitchers who are widely available and should be useful on July 2.
Jake Odorizzi @ New York Yankees
Odorizzi has been a strikeout machine so far this season; he’s racked up 97 strikeouts over 82.2 innings and since Apr. 23, he’s recorded at least five strikeouts in all of his starts except one. He got off to a rough start to the season, but since the calendar has flipped to May, he’s had a 3.05 ERA (2.66 FIP) to go with a 1.14 WHIP and a very impressive 30.4 percent strikeout rate.
The Yankees have been middle-of-the-road against right-handed pitching this season. Their .249 AVG against righties is 18th in baseball, their .309 wOBA is 15th and their .133 ISO is 19th. If you need to start a guy with major strikeout potential on Wednesday, Odorizzi’s your guy.
Jason Vargas @ Minnesota Twins
Vargas got roughed up a bit in his last outing (four innings, six earned runs against the Los Angeles Angels), but prior to that he had a six-game stretch in which he had a 2.27 ERA to go with a 1.24 WHIP; for the season, he has a very respectable 3.53 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. Minnesota’s offense has been slightly below average all season; their .248 AVG against lefties is 18th in baseball, so is their .311 wOBA, and their .128 ISO is 21st.
Chris Tillman vs. Texas Rangers
In his last four starts, Tillman has faced all four of his divisional rivals and over that stretch, he has a microscopic 1.61 ERA to go with a 1.11 WHIP. On Wednesday, he gets to face a Rangers team that hasn’t been all that threatening against right-handed pitching. The Rangers’ .303 wOBA against righties is 22nd in baseball, their .118 ISO is 27th, and their .687 OPS is 21st.
Jacob deGrom @ Atlanta Braves
In his first ever big league stint, deGrom has posted a 3.62 ERA to go with a 1.39 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. The 26-year-old New York Mets pitcher is coming off back-to-back excellent starts (13.2 innings, two earned runs, 1.17 WHIP, 11 strikeouts), and he gets to face an Atlanta team that has been horrendous against right-handed pitching this season.
Against righties, the Braves are 27th in baseball with a .291 wOBA, 22nd with a .126 ISO, seventh with a 21.9 percent strikeout percentage, and 25th with a .235 AVG. In deeper and NL-only leagues, deGrom is definitely a guy you should be considering on Wednesday.
Billy Moy is a Fantasy Sports writer at www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @william_moy6, “like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on .
