Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Thursday’s MLB games

For an in-depth look at what to expect in this daily article and for how to best utilize the information contained within, check out our handy primer here.

Note: This file will be updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

By Mike Sheets

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With just four games on Thursday’s slate, our streaming options are obviously going to be limited. Fortunately, we do have one high-quality pitcher to stream, and that’s Braxton Garrett (28% rostered in ESPN leagues), who will take the mound against the Washington Nationals. Garrett sports a 2.91 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across his last six outings, notching a quality start in four of those turns. Against a Washington offense that ranks bottom-10 with a 92 wRC+ over the last month, the left-hander finds himself in a favorable spot on Thursday as the day’s top streaming option.

Clarke Schmidt (10%) is another arm at least worth consideration. A recent blowup against the Atlanta Braves (8 ER in 2.1 IP) has skewed his recent ratios, but overall he’s been pretty effective over the last couple of months. Removing that Atlanta outing, the right-hander owns a 2.99 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over his last 17 games (16 starts). Thursday’s opponent, the Detroit Tigers, have a 92 wRC+ since the All-Star break with a 24.8% strikeout rate, putting Schmidt in good position for continued success on Thursday.

Because there are so few games on the slate, there’s inevitably going to be some hitter/pitcher overlap while determining who to stream. Although Schmidt is one of the few pitchers worth streaming on Thursday, the Tigers have some bats with some streaming appeal, as well. Kerry Carpenter (36%), who is batting .319/.391/.597 in the second half, does most of his damage against righty pitchers, while Riley Greene (18%), Zach McKinstry (2%), and Parker Meadows (2%) will all have the platoon edge, too. Spencer Torkelson (25%) is also in play, as he’s slashing .315/.413/.722 with six homers in his last 15 games.

Marcell Ozuna (54%) has been a big part of the Braves’ lethal offense of late, batting a torrid .373/.444/.773 over his last 30 games with 11 dingers, 28 RBIs, and 28 runs scored. During that stretch, the 32-year-old veteran has been a top-10 fantasy player, according to the ESPN Player Rater. Even with a tough matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Julio Urias on Thursday, the red-hot Ozuna will get to enjoy the platoon advantage. He sports a .417 wOBA and 164 wRC+ versus southpaws this season. Speaking of surprising Player Rater performances, reliever Kyle Finnegan (28%) has been the No. 1 relief pitcher in fantasy over the last month. He’s registered a 2.13 ERA in August while racking up nine saves, which ties him for the most in baseball. If you’re hunting for saves, or simply want a quality reliever to plug into one of your vacant lineup spots on Thursday, Finnegan is an easy add.

Pitchers are ranked in order of their Forecaster/Daily Notes projected fantasy points (FPTS), using ESPN’s standard scoring system (2 points per win, minus-2 per loss, 3 per inning, 1 per K, minus-1 apiece per hit or walk allowed, minus-2 per earned run allowed).

T: The pitcher’s handedness. OPP: Opposing team. RST%: The pitcher’s roster percentage in ESPN leagues. ML: Caesars Money Line. O/U: Caesars Over/Under for runs scored. For the projected stat line, W% is the team’s win probability using ESPN projections, IP is innings pitched, ER is earned runs allowed and K is strikeouts.

If a team is planning on using an “opener” to start their game, but will rely on a “bulk pitcher” to follow him on the mound after 1-2 innings, the bulk pitcher is listed and indicated with an asterisk.

Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more.

Jake Burger (MIA, 3B — 13%) at Joan Adon

Wilmer Flores (SF, 2B — 34%) at Pedro Avila

Giancarlo Stanton (NYY, RF — 46%) at Matt Manning

Joc Pederson (SF, LF — 6%) at Avila

Bryan De La Cruz (MIA, CF — 14%) at Adon

Yuli Gurriel (MIA, 1B — 1%) at Adon

LaMonte Wade Jr. (SF, RF — 10%) at Avila

Spencer Torkelson (DET, 1B — 25%) vs. Clarke Schmidt

Joey Meneses (WSH, 1B — 36%) vs. Braxton Garrett

Jesus Sanchez (MIA, CF — 1%) at Adon

Max Muncy (LAD, 3B — 91%) vs. Spencer Strider

Ha-Seong Kim (SD, SS — 80%) vs. Sean Manaea