Field of Streams 2021: Week 4
It finally happened!
After nominating Ryan Yarbrough to stream in each of the first two weeks and him floundering in those selected matchups, I once again picked him last week and he finally came through for me (even though his start got pushed back a day). He came in to provide 5 2/3 shutout IP following an opener, and he sweetened the deal with a 6:1 K:BB rate. *chef kiss*
Our other selections worked out as well. Jake Arrieta pitched well in both of his starts last week earning one quality start and allowing just 2 ER over 11 IP combined, and Trevor Rogers continued his strong start to 2021 with 7 shutout IP and 8:1 K:BB against the Baltimore Orioles in a quality start.
Until we get more games in the season and gather more data on how pitchers are actually performing, I am only going to be listing a couple of guys in each section. As we get through the season and have a better picture on what is going on I will expand out and add more options as necessary, but until then we will have to make do with what we have.
As was the case last year, any game that I reference here is subject to change should individual players or full teams end up missing games due to the COVID protocols. Sometimes we have little to no heads up on any of these schedule adjustments, and games — especially later in the weekdays after this series posts — may not play out as they were originally expected to at the time of this writing. Two-Start Adds may turn into Single Game Streamers if one of their games gets postponed or pushed back in the week and SGS picks may not actually have that selected game happen, so be sure to check on player and team news daily to make sure you put yourself in the best possible position.
NOTE: I will typically try to stay around the 50% owned mark for my selections, but may reach up to guys owned in around 65% of leagues as well depending on different matchup factors. Owned percentages will read (ESPN, Yahoo), and all percentages and stats are current prior to Sunday’s games unless stated otherwise.
Without further ado, here are my streaming picks for Week 4 of the 2021 season.
Two-Start Adds
Corey Kluber — NYY (68.5%, 63%) at BAL, vs DET
As of right now Kluber is not a guy that you should be targeting year long, as he just simply is not the same guy that won multiple Cy Young Awards during his time in Cleveland. However, he may provide some sneaky service in fantasy this week as he is currently scheduled to face the two of the least productive offenses in baseball in the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers.
The Orioles have performed a little better over their last 12 games entering Sunday, but they still rank well below league average in most offensive categories. They have the second-lowest OBP (.278) and OPS (.637), and also rank in the bottom-eight in SLG (.359) and runs per game (3.70). Meanwhile the Tigers sit dead last in OBP (.267), OPS (.634), and RPG (3.19), and they also have the second-lowest AVG (.207) as they have struggled to get much going on offense all year.
With these matchups looking to set him up for better success than he’s gotten so far, Kluber should be able to take advantage and provide some fantasy assistance this week.
Jose Urquidy — HOU (61.6%, 63%) vs SEA, at TB
Urquidy has faced the Mariners twice so far in his short MLB career, and in those two appearances he owns a 2.79 ERA (3 ER) and 1.034 WHIP in 9 2/3 IP. He also has better home splits with a career 3.57 ERA, 0.917 WHIP, and a monstrous 10.75 K/BB ratio in 40 1/3 total innings of work. His numbers against the Mariners and better performance at home could play out in his favor and give him a strong start to the week.
To be completely honest I’m not a huge fan of his second matchup of the week against the Rays, but there aren’t many other two-start guys that I feel comfortable enough putting here. The Rays are on pace to start Rich Hill in that game, and he has struggled this year to a 8.82 ERA (which is considerably higher than his also high 5.48 FIP), 1.531 WHIP, and an average of just over 4 IP per appearance. If the Astros can jump on Hill and give Urquidy enough support, he may be able to sneak away with a win in leagues that utilize that category.
Single Game Streamers
Deivi Garcia — NYY (4.6%, 9%) at BAL on 4/26
Garcia will be called up from the alternate site to make his first start of the 2021 regular season. He did okay in his first slice of big league action last season as he posted a 4.15 FIP, 1.194 WHIP (which is solid for a first season), and a strong 5.50 K/BB ratio thanks to a very low 1.6 BB/9 rate. As I mentioned in Kluber’s blurb above, the Orioles have struggled offensively this year so look for Garcia to take advantage of this matchup.
Ryan Weathers — SD (22.2%, 42%) at ARI on 4/28
After being put into the rotation to help fill in for injuries, Weathers has put up some very strong numbers in two starts. In those starts this year he has not allowed a run to score (earned or unearned) in 9 1/3 IP, has allowed a .067/.176/.067 slash line and .095 BABIP against him, and he has allowed just six batters to reach base in that span as well (3 H — all singles, 2 BB, 1 HBP). He came one out shy of recording a quality start in his last outing, and he should be able to go deeper in games as he continues to get stretched out.
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