Streaming Pitchers for Monday 8/12: Can you really consider Ariel Jurado?

Not meant to be an epic, the Streamer Report will provide you with a few starting pitcher selections and then call it a proverbial day. The criteria is starting pitchers who are 50% owned or less in Yahoo leagues. We’ll consider matchup, track record versus opponent, recent performance, and more.

How did yesterday’s streamers perform?

Chris Bassitt: 7.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, 0 homers, 1 win
Dinelson Lamet: 5.0 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts, 1 homer
Jakob Junis: 6.0 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 0 walks, 6 strikeouts, 1 homer, 1 win

Really well! Only four earned runs over 18 innings, two wins, and 20 strikeouts against three walks. Ballin’. Would have been even better if Ryan Yarbrough (8.2 IP, 1 win, 8 Ks, 0 ER) would have met our 50% threshold. Alas, I am a man of my word and Ieft the then 51% owned Yarbrough off of the list.

Streamer performance so far:

49 ¹⁄₃ innings, 41 hits, 20 earned runs, 17 walks, 42 strikeouts, 9 homers, 2 wins

Wins have been hard to come by, but after a strong Sunday effort our ratios are sitting pretty at a 3.64 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. It’s too early in the game to compare our stats to the league average (obviously the Streamer Report numbers are better) but we’ll do that when the sample size gets a bit larger.

Monday’s Streamers

Zach Plesac vs. Boston Red Sox (45% owned)

A scary matchup, to be sure. But Plesac is unbeaten in six turns and has a sparkling 3.13 ERA and 1.15 WHIP on the season. It’s a formidable first four hitters for Boston, there’s no getting around that. But the 5-9 hitters have all mostly underwhelmed (looking at you, Benintendi). Anyway, this is a tough day to be streaming, but if you must do so I think you start with Plesac or with the next guy...

Anthony DeSclafani at Washington Nationals (28% owned)

A weakened Washington lineup (no Juan Soto) and only nine games today puts DeSclafani on the radar. At least, I am assuming Soto misses today with his ankle strain (likely). Anyway, DeSclafani’s 9.50 K/9 this year is a career-high, and his 2.69 BB/9 is above average. Striking guys out and not walking many is generally a recipe for success. Like the Boston lineup, if DeSclafani can navigate the top three hitters, the rest of the squad gets a fair bit easier.

Ariel Jurado at Toronto Blue Jays (6% owned)

Again, only nine games means we are digging deep. But Jurado’s last turn was very strong, totaling seven innings against the Indians, striking out five, and allowing only two runs on three hits. The Blue Jays have some pop and can be a scary matchup, but today is such a slim day that I’m banking on Jurado’s recent history and on Toronto’s 24.6% strikeout rate in this split (8th-worst in the MLB). I know it’s sketchy, okay? But welcome to streaming land.

If I had to rank them in order of preference, I’d go DeSclafani, Plesac, Jurado. Good luck out there streamers. Might be a messy day.

Who did I miss? Anyone you are leaning on that fits our criteria?