Mike Foltynewicz has a very exploitable matchup against the Marlins on Tuesday
Each week this column will scour the waiver wire and look for pitchers who are less than 50% owned and could be useful streamers for your fantasy team. All ownership percentages come from Yahoo. Please note the probable pitcher matchups could change throughout the week due to rainouts or other circumstances, so be sure to check back before picking up and starting one of these recommendations.
Sunday, 8/30
Robbie Ray – Arizona Diamondbacks (9% owned)
vs. Oakland Athletics
Ray, outside of his record, has put up some decent stats for the Diamondbacks this season. He is just 3-10, but he has a 3.86 ERA and 79 strikeouts over 91 innings of work. The Athletics are not great against left-handed pitching with a .295 wOBA and .118 ISO. Ray should be able to provide a productive fantasy line if you choose to stream him.
Monday, 8/31
Mike Foltynewicz – Atlanta Braves (1% owned)
vs. Miami Marlins
This recommendation is based more off of Miami’s struggles to hit right-handed pitching and less based off of Foltynewicz’s performance this season. Foltynewicz has not pitched very well for the Braves, but the Marlins are last in the league with a .290 wOBA against right-handed pitching. Foltynewicz has a 5.71 ERA and 77 strikeouts over 86.2 innings of work on the year.
Tuesday, 9/1
Jeff Locke – Pittsburgh Pirates (6% owned)
@ Milwaukee Brewers
Locke has pitched inconsistently during the second half of the season, but he has also pitched a few gems this year. He has the chance to do so again on Tuesday considering the Brewers’ struggles against left-handed pitching. Milwaukee is 29th in the league in wOBA against lefties with a mark of .284. Locke doesn’t bring much strikeout upside to the table, but he has a decent shot at picking up a win.
Wednesday, 9/2
Raisel Iglesias – Cincinnati Reds (42% owned)
@ Chicago Cubs
Two starts ago, Iglesias turned in a 13 strikeout effort against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He now faces a Chicago Cubs team that has the second-highest strikeout percentage in the league against right-handed pitching with a mark of 23.90%. Iglesias has a 3-5 record with an ERA of 3.93 and 77 strikeouts in 73.1 innings of work this season.
Thursday, 9/3
Mat Latos – Los Angeles Dodgers (46% owned)
@ San Diego Padres
Based off his advanced stats, Latos is pitching much better than it appears this season. He may have an ERA of 4.81, but his FIP of 3.54 and xFIP of 3.68 suggest he still has something left in the tank. Latos has a few more factors working in his favor as he gets to pitch in pitcher-friendly Petco Park against a Padres team that has struggled against right-handed pitching. Against righties, San Diego is 24th in the league with a wOBA of .300. They have also proven to be easy strikeout victims with a strikeout percentage of 21.50%.
Friday, 9/4
J.A. Happ – Pittsburgh Pirates (14% owned)
@ St. Louis Cardinals
Happ has been on fire since being acquired by the Pirates at the trade deadline. In 21.2 innings of work on his new team, he has a 2.08 ERA and 22 strikeouts compared to just six walks. The Cardinals are very good against right-handed pitching, but they do not hit lefties nearly as well. Against southpaws, St. Louis has a .298 wOBA, .127 ISO and a 22.80% strikeout rate. Happ should be able to continue his success in a Pittsburgh uniform in this one.
Saturday, 9/5
Nathan Eovaldi – New York Yankees (47% owned)
vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Eovaldi has a quite impressive 14-2 record, backed by one of the better offenses in baseball. He gets to face a Rays team that does not hit righties very well. Tampa is 29th in the league in wOBA against righties, ahead of only the Marlins. Eovaldi has a good chance at improving upon his stellar record this Friday.
Matthew Terelle is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @supermt.
