5ive Guys to Stream: Week 7 (May 16 - 22)

Disclaimer: Only stream if you have to. By no means should you be getting fancy with streamers. If you have a stud pitcher, start him. If you have fringe-names like Joe Ross or Chris Tillman who get a good match up, start them. Streams should be your last option.

Robbie Ray (5.4% owned ESPN)

Mon, May 16 vs NYY

On Friday, the Yanks faced off against Chris Sale. Girardi set up an all righty line that game in search for some offense against lefties. They could only muster up 1 run that game and now have a not-so-hot wRC+ of 84 against LHP on the season. The Yankees can't hit lefties. They have a .236 AVG against lefties on the season and are are hitting .235 overall in May.

I offered Robbie Ray to you guys a couple weeks ago and he stunk it up. I'm sorry? He pitched 4 innings, gave up 5 runs, and got the loss. I am giving him a second chance to prove his worth. He got on track last week and struck out 9 batters but couldn't make it through 4 innings in Colorado. This week he is at home where he owns a 5.87 career ERA (this is my attempt to scare my league-mates away that are reading this). He's had it tough at home but I'm going against the grain this week with Robbie and penciling him in to have a good start against a team that hasn't seen his delivery before.

Wei-Yin Chen (57.7% owned ESPN)

Tues, May 17 @ PHI

Every week I have at least one starting pitcher on here that faces the Phillies. Last time Chen saw the Phillies was at home on 5/6 when he gave up 11 hits over 5 innings of work. This time he goes into Philly with his confidence through the roof. His most previous start was a doozy. He struck out 11 over 6.1 innings and gave up only 2 runs.

The fact that Chen is hot right now mixed with the fact that the Phillies are the second worst hitting team vs LHP makes me feel good about his chances. The Phils have a .282 OBP against LHP this year. That's horrendous, but still not as bad as the Braves with a .269 OBP vs LHP. Although Chen couldn't figure them out a few starts ago, I really do expect him to bounce back in a big way vs a team that has a wRC+ of 59 at home! Good thing the Phils have had some incredible pitching this year. If they didn't, they'd be damn near impossible to watch.

Mike Foltynewicz (1.8% owned ESPN)

Thurs, May 19 @ PIT

Since his putrid 2016 debut outing, Mike has looked like a new man. He's had 3 starts this year and over his last 2, Mike has posted these numbers: 15IP, 2ER, 0BB, 12K. The big righty has lowered his xFIP on the season to 3.61 and his ERA down to 2.89. He's pitched well and now gets a no-as-tough-as-you-might-think Pirates team for his next battle on Thursday.

The Pirates have hit .244/.315/.399 in the month of May and have recently been demoralized by the division-rival Cubs. I think Folty will take control of this game early and get his high-nineties fastball by some of the big hitters of the Pirates. I doubt he holds Pittsburg to less than 2 runs though. I expect a line like this one for the young sensation on Thursday: 6IP 6H 3ER 2BB 8K. I'll take that.

Tyler Duffey (5.1% owned ESPN)

Fri, May 20 vs TOR

*This was written the night before Tyler Duffey went 7IP, 6H, 0ER, 1BB, 6K. So, the supportive numbers below now look even better.*

This guy might be trickling off the waiver wire soon, so I'd look to swoop him up if you find the opportunity. Over 13 starts and 75.1 career innings Tyler has shown some serious potential. He owns a 2.99 ERA and a K to BB ratio of 70:24. This year he's looked just as impressive sporting a 2.60 ERA through 17.1 innings.

Duffey gets the Blue Jays at HOME. I emphasize home because that's where Tyler has truly been special to start his career. Stretching back to 2015, the Twins' pitcher has posted a 1.48 ERA to go along with a wOBAA of .243. That's filthy. He's only given up 1 HR at home in his career and it was this year to a man he shouldn't even have faced (an error earlier in the inning really screwed him).

All in all, I really like Duffey even if he has to face the Blue Jays. Pitchers have great outings against the Blue Jays all the time, but it normally goes unnoticed. The Toronto bats have been pretty quiet as of late, hitting .240 over that past 2 weeks.

Alex Wood (29.7% owned ESPN)

Fri, May 20 @ SD

As you can tell, I really like lefties this week. They are just so majestic and aesthetically pleasing. I started with 2 and will end with 1. This one might be the best streamer of all recommendations for the week.

Alex Wood has been outstanding over his last 3 starts. He's pitched absurdly well: 18.1 innings, allowed only 15 hits, and has struck out 12.27 per 9. One of those outings was against the Pads, who he will be facing again on Fri, May 20th. That specific outing was his best to date in 2016. He went 7 strong, struck out 9, and allowed only 1 run. He didn't get the win due to a lack of run support, but he did pick up the quality start and the confidence to keep his good pitching rolling for his next couple starts.

I fully believe this is the Alex Wood we grew to love back when he was a rookie and sophomore for the Atlanta Braves. He looks like his old self and I am glad he's been reeling off some great games. He deserves to be back in the mix of being a top 50 pitcher. I truly think he has turned a corner. I'm starting him this week against the struggling Pads who will have a poor pitcher (TBD - either Friedrich or Campos) on the mound against Wood. Chances are the Dodgers outscore the Padres in this one.

Good luck this week. Stream away.