The Rockies have one of the worst offenses in the league this season, with a -174 run differential. Baltimore’s offense continues to spiral as well, with the second-worst run differential at -95. These, and a handful of other offenses, have become clear targets for pitching streamers. Fantasy baseball managers can start honing in on several teams to exploit in streaming matchups, and you can find some of those below.
Take a look at some of my favorite targets for the upcoming week.
Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (Over 25% Rostered)
Jameson Taillon (SP – ChC)
Next Start: Sunday, 6/1 vs CIN
Jameson Taillon may only be available at this point in shallow leagues. In 12-teamers, he should be rostered for the long haul. Taillon has proven himself to be a reliable starter this season. He has a 4-3 record, a 3.86 ERA, and seven quality starts, including five in his last six.
Taillon should have a shot at another win and quality start in his next matchup against the Reds on Sunday. Cincinnati ranks fourth-worst in strikeouts and strikeout rate, and seventh-worst in groundball rate. This is great news for Taillon, a typically low-strikeout pitcher. His groundball rate is a bit lower than usual, so the Reds may give him some help there, too. Taillon may also see some positive regression to his home run rate, as it is far above his norm and league average.
The veteran righty has tossed a great fastball, curveball, and changeup combination this season. Those pitches have .225, .097, and .192 batting averages against, respectively. Taillon’s curveball has a 31% K rate, and his changeup has a 35% whiff rate. He has mostly used those pitches against lefty hitters and his sweeper against righty batters. Though the sweeper has been hit more often than last season, it still has induced a 35% whiff rate. Take a look at his curveball, a pitch he typically locates extremely well:
Jameson Taillon, Painted 81mph Curveball. 🖌️🎨
And is Fired up! pic.twitter.com/HiD1uuuMMt
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 26, 2025
If Taillon is available in your league, he is a must add, not just as one of the top pitching streamers for this matchup, but for at least the near future as well.
Max Meyer (SP – MIA)
Next Start: Monday, 6/2 vs COL
Max Meyer has been a bit “Jekyll and Hyde,” tossing six games of three earned runs or fewer, but four games of four earned runs or more. He tossed a six-inning, 14-strikeout gem against the Reds, but followed that with three straight outings allowing five earned runs.
This start against the Rockies should get Meyer back on the right track, after giving up four earned runs against the Padres. Colorado has been historically terrible this season. They possess the league’s worst run differential by a landslide. They also have the most strikeouts and the second-worst strikeout rate in baseball, and have hit the fifth fewest home runs.
Meyer needs some help in limiting home runs, and could see positive regression to his 1.5 HR/9 and 18% HR/FB rates. The young righty has some clear talent, posting a 9.5 K/9 rate, a 71% LOB rate, and a 50% GB rate. Those are skills that should lead to success, which his 3.28 xFIP and 3.46 SIERA reflect. Meyer has an absurd slider, with a .206 BAA, a 43% whiff rate, and a 32% putaway rate. His changeup has a .171 BAA, and a 23% whiff rate. Those two pitches are excellent for getting righties and lefties out, respectively. Meyer needs either his fastball or sinker to develop, though, to become more consistent. Take a look at his slider here, which he uses effectively against a lefty hitter:
Max Meyer, Wicked 91mph Back Foot Slider. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/wIew1mXER6
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 16, 2025
Despite some inconsistency this season, Meyer makes for one of the better pitching streamers in this matchup.
Widely Available Pitching Streamers (0%-29% Rostered)
Brayan Bello (SP – BOS)
Next Start: Tuesday, 6/3 vs LAA
Brayan Bello had a delayed start to the season, pitching well in his first five starts. He had a rough, seven-run outing against Atlanta, then bounced back with a better start against Baltimore in his last game. Despite not finishing the fifth inning in four straight starts, Bello should be a target against the Angels this week.
Bello’s biggest problem this season has been walks – he has allowed five walks per nine innings. Thankfully for him, the Angels have the second-fewest walks in baseball. The Angels also have the seventh-worst run differential in the league, which should benefit Bello. He has allowed 11 earned runs in his last 12 innings. The Angels also own the league’s worst strikeout rate and have the second-most strikeouts in the majors. Bello’s K/9 rate is down this season, about 1.2 strikeouts per nine innings worse than his career norm. Where Bello has excelled historically, and in this season, is in his 52% GB rate. Angel Stadium leans pitcher-friendly, so between his groundball rate, low walks, high strikeouts, and a terrible run differential for the Angels, fantasy managers should feel confident about Bello here.
Bello has four pitches with whiff rates between 21-28%, with his slider posting a 50% putaway rate. He has not used it very much this year, but probably should, considering how well it has performed. Take a look at it in action here:
Brayan Bello, Wicked 86mph Slider. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/zWJGmFI79k
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 27, 2025
While Bello may not make a great long-term starter this season, this looks like a good matchup. He should be on your radar as one of the top pitching streamers in the upcoming week.
Emerson Hancock (SP – SEA)
Next Start: Wednesday, 6/4 vs BAL
Outside of a six-run outing and a seven-run outing, Emerson Hancock has pitched well. He has four quality starts, all in his last six games. Hancock faces a Baltimore offense that has been unable to produce consistently this season, and should be in line for another solid outing.
Baltimore’s run differential is a distant second to Colorado’s league-worst differential. The Orioles also have the sixth most strikeouts in the league, and the third highest strikeout rate. Emerson has never really been a high strikeout pitcher, relying mostly on his ability to limit walks, keep baserunners from scoring, and induce groundballs. This game should play into those strengths. The O’s have the sixth-fewest walks in the league, have had trouble scoring runs, and have the 12th highest GB%.
Hancock has pitched into some bad luck this season. His .352 BABIP is inflated, as are his 1.8 HR/9 and 18% HR/FB rates. Those could start to level out a bit more in this matchup. Those numbers also help to explain why his xFIP and SIERA are more than a run and a half better than his 5.95 ERA. His stuff has not performed as well as last season, but it has looked good in spurts. Check out this wipeout slider, inducing whiffs at a 31% clip:
Emerson Hancock, Nasty 82mph Slider…and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/ZJiIBIzdrW
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 23, 2025
While he may not be a pitcher you hold onto after this game, Hancock should be one of the top pitching streamers for this week at least.
Davis Martin (SP – CWS)
Next Start: Thursday, 6/5 vs DET
Davis Martin has been off to a great start for the White Sox, despite their deficiencies as a whole. On the season, Martin has five quality starts, including four in his last six. Because Chicago’s offense has not helped him much, he has just a 2-5 record, meaning he is a better option in quality starts leagues and less valuable in fantasy leagues with wins.
Detroit has been surprisingly good this season, but this is a matchup to target because of how Martin has performed. The Tigers’ main weakness is that they strike out at a high rate. They have the fifth most strikeouts in the league and the sixth highest strikeout rate. And though it has not happened yet in the majors, Martin regularly had double-digit K/9 rates throughout the minors. He has done well at limiting walks and inducing groundballs, two relative strengths of the Tigers.
Martin’s bread and butter this season has been a fastball, cutter, changeup combination. His fastball, in particular, has been great. It has a .161 BAA and a .21% whiff rate. His cutter has a .190 BAA and a 23% whiff rate, while his changeup has a .236 BAA and an 18% whiff rate. Martin features a slider, but his cutter moves like one, with some decent glove-side break as you can see here:
Davis Martin, Wicked 89mph Cutter. ✂️ pic.twitter.com/AEwKm4TFKI
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 15, 2025
Fantasy managers should deploy Martin in this matchup, making him one of the top pitching streamers, especially in leagues that count quality starts.
Zack Littell (SP – TB)
Next Start: Friday, 6/6 vs MIA
After a rough start to the season for Zack Littell, he has turned it on, picking up six quality starts in his last eight games. He also owns a 4-0 record in his last six starts. Littell’s next start is against a lackluster Miami offense, which gives him a shot at another win and quality start.
Miami has been a great matchup to exploit with streamers this season. As of writing, they have the fourth worst run differential, the ninth highest groundball rate, and the seventh fewest home runs in the league. This is great for Littell in this matchup because his HR/9 rate and HR/FB rate are both higher than his career norm and league average, respectively. Littell also owns a below-average groundball rate, so Miami may help him get his GB% closer to league average as well. Tampa’s home park has leaned hitter-friendly this season, so facing a team with so few homers and a high groundball rate will certainly benefit Littell. Additionally, walks are a relative strength for Miami, but Littell has allowed two or more walks in a game just twice in 11 starts, and has four games with zero walks. That will be a key for Littell in this game.
Littell has found most of his success this season thanks to a quality splitter. Of his five offerings, its 23% whiff rate, 19% putaway rate, and 29% K rate rank highest. Here is a look at it in action:
Zack Littell, Nasty 83mph Splitter. 😨 pic.twitter.com/AxzwkHCBep
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 26, 2025
His fastball and sweeper have also both performed well, with .167 and .077 BAAs respectively. That combination has Littell off to a sneaky good season.
Littell should be on everyone’s radar as one of the top pitching streamers for the upcoming week, and potentially beyond.
Backup Plan Streamers
- SD Randy Vasquez vs PIT – Sunday 6/1
- MIL Chad Patrick at CIN – Monday 6/2
- DET Jackson Jobe at CWS – Tuesday 6/3
- BOS Lucas Giolito vs LAA – Wednesday 6/4
- KC Michael Wacha at STL – Thursday 6/5
- TEX Patrick Corbin at WAS – Friday 6/6
Desperation Streamers
- SF Hayden Birdsong at MIA – Sunday 6/1
- CWS Adrian Houser at BAL – Sunday 6/1
- CLE Gavin Williams vs LAA – Sunday 6/1
- HOU Lance McCullers at PIT – Tuesday 6/3
- ChC Colin Rea at WAS – Thursday 6/5
