Fantasy baseball daily notes: Pitcher and hitter rankings for Friday
With the White Sox and Yankees getting an off day following Thursday’s Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa, there are only 14 games on tap, as opposed to the usual 15. Outside of the first two weeks, it’s just the third time all season that we’ve had fewer than 15 games scheduled for a Friday slate.
Here’s a look at Friday’s top streaming options, focusing on players rostered in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues.
Shane McClanahan (L), rostered in 50% of ESPN leagues, Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins: McClanahan struggled to pitch deep into games early in the season, but he’s seemingly turned the corner. The 24-year-old southpaw has thrown at least 88 pitches in five straight starts, and he’s tossed at least six frames in each of his last three turns, including a career-high seven innings against the Orioles last Saturday. All told, McClanahan sports a 3.22 ERA with a 10.2 K/9 over his last nine starts, as his slider and curve combo continue to rack up Ks. This is a young arm worth getting excited about, and that holds true for Friday’s matchup against the Twins, who have been a bottom-10 offense over the last month.
Austin Gomber (L), 49%, Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants: Some fantasy managers have steered clear of Gomber after getting burned early on, but the Colorado lefty has been a fantasy asset for roughly 2/3 of the season so far. Over his last 12 starts, Gomber has posted a 2.42 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and more than a strikeout per inning. Only twice during that stretch did he allow more than two earned runs in a start. While the Giants rank seventh in baseball in runs scored, they’ve been middle-of the-road against lefties this season, which puts Gomber in a favorable spot at the pitcher-friendly Oracle Park.
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Josiah Gray (R), 20%, Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves: Gray has impressed since being acquired by the Nationals at the trade deadline, surrendering just two combined runs over two starts. He really shined in his last outing, delivering five frames of one-run ball against the Braves while fanning 10 batters and walking two. While Gray’s command could use some work, his stuff is pretty enticing. He averages nearly 95 mph with his fastball, and his curve (61.5 whiff%) and slider (46.4 whiff%) have generated plenty of swings and misses, albeit in a small sample. The 23-year-old draws the Braves again on Friday, and the hope is that Round 2 goes as well as Round 1.
Brett Anderson (L), 12%, Milwaukee Brewers at Pittsburgh Pirates: Anderson has quietly been on a pretty nice run, sporting a miniscule 1.85 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over his last seven starts. The veteran lefty still isn’t getting many strikeouts, instead relying on great command and an elite ground ball rate to limit damage. A pitch-to-contact hurler is always going to have a thinner margin for error than a pitcher who can miss bats, but any risk Anderson carries is lessened by Friday’s opponent. The Pirates have been dismal against lefties this season, ranking dead last in baseball with a 79 wRC+ versus left-handed pitching.
Bullpen:
James Karinchak is currently rostered in 86.3% of ESPN leagues, while Emmanuel Clase is rostered in just 65.9%. It should be the other way around. Not only does Karinchak own a 7.84 ERA since the All-Star break, but he hasn’t registered a save since July 21. Meanwhile, Clase sports a 1.69 ERA in the second half and has five saves since July 21. If you’re looking for saves in Cleveland’s bullpen, Clase is your man.
For the latest team-by-team closer situations, please consult our Closer Chart.
Calculating Bill James game scores: A pitcher starts with 50 points, gets a point for each out, two points for each inning completed after the fourth, and one point for each strikeout. He is docked two points for each hit, four points for each earned run allowed, two points for each unearned run allowed, and one point for each walk.
Note: In 2019 and 2020, the average game score was 50.
Catcher — Pedro Severino (R), 4%, Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox (RHP Nick Pivetta): There are very few catchers who offer consistent fantasy production, so it’s the perfect position to play the hot hand. The current hot hand behind the plate is Severino, who is hitting .300 with five homers and 12 RBI over his last 15 games. Meanwhile, Pivetta has struggled at Fenway Park, where he’s posted a 5.80 ERA this season.
First Base — Rowdy Tellez (L), 14%, Milwaukee Brewers at Pittsburgh Pirates (RHP Mitch Keller): Tellez has become a staple in the Brewers’ lineup whenever there’s a right-hander on the mound, and that’s the case on Friday. The lefty-swinging slugger has put up a .368/.422/.684 slash line over his last 18 games, while Keller has been tagged by left-handed hitters for a .361 wOBA.
Second Base — Aledmys Diaz (R), 16%, Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels (LHP Patrick Sandoval): Alex Bregman is close to returning from the injured list, but Diaz has done an amazing job filling the All-Star’s shoes. Over the last 18 games, Diaz is batting .356 with four home runs and 17 RBI. He’s also hammered left-handed pitching this season (.340/.386/.623), putting him in a great spot against the lefty-throwing Sandoval on Friday.
Third Base — Patrick Wisdom (R), 31%, Chicago Cubs at Miami Marlins (LHP Jesus Luzardo): It’s been a tough season for Luzardo. He sports a 7.36 ERA across eight starts, and he’s been torched for 10 runs in two starts since coming off the injured list. The lefty has also been a pinata for righty swingers, surrendering a .404 wOBA to them. Wisdom, who has swatted 17 dingers in just 195 at-bats, has the opportunity to do some real damage here.
Shortstop — Amed Rosario (R), 44%, Cleveland at Detroit Tigers (LHP Tyler Alexander): In addition to batting .340/.368/.485 over his last 23 games, Rosario is also batting .313/.361/.485 versus lefties this season. For his part, Alexander has been tattooed by right-handed batters this season, allowing a .297/.335/.509 triple slash.
Corner Infield — Seth Brown (L), 1%, Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers (RHP Dane Dunning): Brown has been swinging a hot stick of late, and as a result he’s been earning consistent playing time against right-handed pitchers. The 29-year-old is batting .357 with five homers in his last 14 games, and 13 of his 14 dingers this season have come against righties, putting him in a fine spot against Dunning on Friday.
Middle Infield — Kolten Wong (L), 47%, Milwaukee Brewers at Pittsburgh Pirates (RHP Mitch Keller): Wong’s second half has gotten off to a slow start, but he’s still in a good spot, batting leadoff against one of the day’s most hittable starters. Keller is allowing a .387 wOBA to lefty hitters, and he sports an 8.29 home ERA this season.
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Outfield — Lewis Brinson (R), 6%, Miami Marlins vs. Chicago Cubs (RHP Adbert Alzolay): Are we finally seeing Lewis Brinson break out as a 27-year-old? Probably not, but it’s good to see the former first-round pick have some success. Brinson is batting .349 with five homers and 18 RBI in 20 games since the break, including a two-homer game against the Padres on Wednesday. On Friday, he matches up well with Alzolay, the owner of a 5.90 ERA over his last 10 starts.
Outfield — Corey Dickerson (L), 8%, Toronto Blue Jays at Seattle Mariners (RHP Chris Flexen): It can be difficult to get exposure to the Blue Jays’ exciting, young lineup if you don’t already roster one of the studs, but Dickerson is a way you can do it. He’s been playing consistently versus right-handed pitching, and Flexen has been getting roughed up a bit lately, dropping a 6.89 ERA over his last three outings.
Outfield — Odubel Herrera (L), 7%, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds (RHP Tyler Mahle): The Phillies have been surging, climbing to the top of the NL East, and Herrera has been in the thick of it. He’s hitting .345/.412/.621 so far in August, while mostly slotting into the leadoff spot against right-handed pitchers. That’ll be the case on Friday, when Herrera draws the platoon edge against Mahle in the hitter-friendly confines of Citizens Bank Ballpark.
Hitter ratings account for the opposing starting pitcher’s past history (three years’ worth as well as past 21 days) as well as ballpark factors. “LH” and “RH” ratings account only for left- and right-handed batters, respectively. Weighted on-base average (wOBA) is the primary statistic used in the calculation. Ratings range from 1-10, with 10 representing the best possible matchup, statistically speaking, and 1 representing the worst. So, for example, a 10 is a must-start rating, while a 1 should be avoided (if possible); a 1-2 is poor, 3-4 is fair, 5-6 is average, 7-8 is very good and 9-10 is excellent.