The Rockies have a -224 run differential as of writing July 3. They are trending towards blowing past Oakland’s -339 run differential from 2023, the worst in the last 10 years. Teams like the Rockies make for great targets for pitching streamers. That is what this article is here to help with – finding the best streaming matchups to help you win your week.
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Take a look at some of my favorite targets for the week ahead.
Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (Over 25% Rostered)
Brady Singer (SP – CIN)
Next Start: Monday, 7/7 vs MIA
Brady Singer had a tough outing against the Yankees, followed by a short outing against the Red Sox. Prior to those two games, though, Singer tossed three quality starts in six games. He could be in line for another positive outing against Miami on Monday.
This is an excellent opportunity for Singer to perform well. Miami owns the fifth-worst run differential in the league. They also have the seventh highest groundball rate, and the fifth fewest home runs. Singer typically has a high groundball rate, though that has not turned out the same this season. He has much higher launch angles on all of his pitches than in previous seasons. That could be a result of poor location – his Location+ is below league average – and could improve, especially against a team like Miami.
Singer has relied on a sinker and slider combination to get batters out this season. They have .241 and .202 batting averages against, respectively. His slider has been his best pitch at inducing whiffs, with a 28% whiff rate. Singer’s sinker owns a 20% putaway rate, the best of his pitches. Check out the movement on his breaking pitches, and you can see why batters have a tough time against them:
Brady Singer's 2Ks in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/fQNwp8qzis
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 17, 2025
Singer should be one of the top pitching streamers for the week ahead, in any leagues where he is available.
Chase Burns (SP – CIN)
Next Start: Friday, 7/11 vs COL
Chase Burns likely should be rostered in most dynasty leagues, but may not be rostered in shallow leagues. Fantasy managers in shallow leagues may have dropped him after he imploded against Boston. Burns gave up five earned runs, earning just one out before being removed. Most think he was tipping his pitches, which he may have fixed ahead of his outing against Colorado.
The Rockies have an astronomically horrible offense, so this should be an opportunity for Burns to right the ship. Colorado not only owns the league’s worst run differential, but also the worst strikeout rate and the most strikeouts as an offense. They also have the fourth-fewest home runs, despite playing in one of the league’s most hitter-friendly parks. This should play into Burns’ hands, considering his 13.5 K/9 rate across 5.1 innings this season. He also routinely touted high strikeout totals in the minors. Pitching against a team like Colorado should also help Burns’ home run rate come back down to earth, too.
Burns tosses a fastball, curveball, changeup, and slider, and should start to see more whiffs and lower BAAs as the sample size increases. His best putaway pitch, right now, is his changeup, with a 40% putaway rate. But his best pitch overall is a wicked slider. It has a 33% whiff rate and a 21% putaway rate, and looks like this:
Chase Burns, Unhittable 93mph Back Foot Slider. 😳 pic.twitter.com/SP25vlgQzb
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 24, 2025
If Burns is available in your league, he is a must-add as one of the top pitching streamers for the coming week and beyond.
Widely Available Pitching Streamers (0%-24% Rostered)
Hayden Birdsong (SP – SF)
Next Start: Sunday, 7/6 vs ATH
Hayden Birdsong has made eight starts since mid-May, but has made it through the fifth inning in just one of them. That was a quality start at Colorado last month. During his time as a starter this season, Birdsong is 2-3, making him more desirable as a streamer in leagues that count wins instead of quality starts. And this is an opportunity for him to pick up another win.
The Athletics have some serious trouble scoring and keeping opponents from scoring. They have the second-worst run differential in the league. The Athletics have also struck out the 10th most in baseball and own the third-worst groundball rate as well. This matches up well with Birdsong, who has a 9.2 K/9 rate and has struck out five or more batters in five of his eight starts.
Birdsong has some filthy stuff to use against the Athletics. His slider, changeup, and curveball have whiff rates of 30%, 38%, and 34% respectively. His changeup and curveball have 25% and 26% putaway rates. And Birdsong’s fastball, changeup, and curveball have BAAs of .231 or better. If the Giants give him the innings, he could exploit this matchup with these weapons. Here he is getting third strikes with his changeup, fastball, and curveball in order:
Hayden Birdsong's 3Ks thru 2. 🐦⬛🎶 pic.twitter.com/nuG31y5l4w
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 1, 2025
Birdsong should be considered for anyone looking for pitching streamers in deep leagues for the weekend.
Brayan Bello (SP – BOS)
Next Start: Tuesday, 7/8 vs COL
After a seven-run clunker against Atlanta on May 18, Brayan Bello has looked solid. Since then, he has made eight starts, tallying five quality starts with a 2-2 record. He is slated to face Colorado’s historically terrible offense next, and is a must-add for this matchup.
Colorado struggles to score, strikes out a ton, and does not hit home runs. This should help Bello in some areas where he has struggled, but also plays into his strengths in other areas. Bello’s 6.4 K/9 rate is two strikeouts per nine innings lower than his number from last year, and is below his career norm as well. So, facing the Rockies could help get his strikeout totals closer to what we are used to seeing. Bello has been very good at limiting home runs, something that has carried into this season, and should work well against the Rockies. He also has an impressive 55% GB rate, which would rank sixth best if he qualified.
Bello’s sinker, sweeper, and changeup have been keys to keeping the ball on the ground. They all have single-digit launch angles. He has also done well at inducing whiffs – his sweeper, changeup, fastball, and slider all have whiff rates between 23-27%. Opposing hitters have had a difficult time picking up his sweeper, fastball, and slider, all of which have BAAs of .205 or better. When batters do make contact, it has been on the ground, and Bello’s defense has backed him up well, helping him to a 77% strand rate.
Bello has a great opportunity to pick up another quality start and win in this one. He should be considered one of the top pitching streamers for the coming week.
Eric Lauer (SP – TOR)
Next Start: Wednesday, 7/9 at CWS
The name Eric Lauer might not instill confidence in many fantasy managers, but in deep leagues, he should be on everyone’s radar. He has a great matchup against the White Sox coming up and should be a major target. Lauer should mostly be considered in leagues that reward wins instead of quality starts, as he has yet to make it through the sixth inning.
This is an excellent matchup for Lauer because the White Sox own the fourth-worst run differential in the league. And across 45 innings, Lauer has given up just 13 earned runs. Chicago also has the fifth-worst strikeout rate in baseball and has hit the third-fewest homers. Lauer has improved his K/9 rate to nine this season, his best since 2020. A major reason for the improved strikeout totals is likely a combination of adding spin to his pitches and diversifying his pitch mix more effectively. He has relied less on his cutter and more on his breaking and offspeed stuff, and it has worked.
Lauer mostly uses a fastball, cutter, curveball, slider, and changeup. All five pitches have whiff rates between 22-31%. His fastball, slider, and curveball have putaway rates of 21%, 22%, and 32% respectively. His curveball also has a .185 BAA, the second-best in his arsenal behind his .181 BAA on his fastball. Lauer has attacked the strikezone more than ever, as well, which has helped him when he goes out of the zone with breaking and offspeed pitches. This has resulted in a 25% chase rate, his best since 2022 and the second best in his career. If he keeps relying on curveballs like this, he should be in good shape against the White Sox:
Eric Lauer, Filthy 76mph Curveball. 😷 pic.twitter.com/6dNKADIYMk
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 17, 2025
Lauer looks like the real deal and is one of the top pitching streamers for the week ahead.
Logan Allen (SP – CLE)
Next Start: Thursday, 7/10 at CWS
Logan Allen has had some ups and downs this season, but has pitched well in his last four matchups, all against tough opponents. He went 2-2 with two quality starts during that span, striking out 20 batters in 22 innings, while walking seven.
Allen faces the White Sox, an offense that struggles to score runs, strikes out a lot, and does not hit homers. This is great for Allen, considering he does not typically post high strikeout totals. They might help boost his strikeout rate a bit in this matchup. Allen has been successful this season at avoiding homers and stranding runners, posting HR/9 and LOB rates close to league average. Something else that should work in Allen’s favor is Chicago’s inability to earn walks against left-handed pitching. The White Sox have the fourth-fewest walks against LHP. They have just nine more walks than the Royals, but the Royals have 50 fewer at-bats against LHP than Chicago. Allen has a propensity for issuing walks, but might escape without giving up many in this one.
Allen’s best bet in this matchup is to lean on his sweeper and changeup. His sweeper has a .225 BAA, a 20% whiff rate, and a 25% K rate. His changeup has a .261 BAA, a 22% whiff rate, and a 55% GB rate. Also, despite facing the fifth fewest at-bats against lefties, Chicago has the 10th most strikeouts against them. Allen should lean heavily on his sweeper, especially if it moves like this:
Logan Allen, Nasty 79mph Sweeper. 😨 pic.twitter.com/gOahNc0AeC
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 11, 2025
Backup Plan Streamers
- CLE Gavin Williams vs DET – Sunday 7/6
- KC Noah Cameron vs PIT – Monday 7/7
- CIN Nick Martinez vs MIA – Tuesday 7/8
- TB Zack Littell at DET – Wednesday 7/9
- CWS Jonathan Cannon vs CLE – Thursday 7/10
- MIA Edward Cabrera @ BAL – Friday 7/11
Desperation Streamers
- STL Andre Pallante vs WAS – Tuesday 7/8
- HOU Brandon Walter vs CLE – Tuesday 7/8
- BAL Dean Kremer vs MIA – Friday 7/11
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