Fantasy Baseball Pitching Streamers: Horton Hears a Win

What a whirlwind at the trade deadline! There were so many moving pieces, but teams to target for pitching streamers generally remained the same. The very worst teams still remain easy targets like Colorado and Pittsburgh. Many fantasy leagues also passed their trade deadlines, so now the waiver wire will be your best friend. This article will help you navigate the wire to find the best pitching matchups for the upcoming 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 20% Rostered)

Luis Gil (SP – NYY)

Next Start: Sunday, 8/3 at MIA

Luis Gil lines up to make his season debut Sunday after spending most of the season on the shelf with a lat injury. Gil pitched to a 3.50 ERA last year in a breakout season. In 14 rehab innings this season, Gil owns a 15 K/9 and a 5.65 ERA. He allowed a 30% HR/FB rate (about three times what is expected for the league average), so fantasy managers should not worry about the ERA.

Gil debuts against a Miami offense that has not played well. The Marlins own the eighth-worst run differential in the league. They also have the seventh highest groundball rate, and have hit the fifth-fewest homers. Gil has typically landed around league average with his GB%, but had it up to 44% in his rehab outings. He has also been excellent at limiting home runs over his career, so this matchup seems promising.

Gil’s fastball, slider, and changeup combination last season was deadly. All three pitches possessed a .205 batting average against or better. They had 28%, 31%, and 27% whiff rates, respectively. His fastball and slider both had 23% putaway rates.

Gil likely will have a pitch count limit, which will limit his fantasy upside. Fantasy baseball managers in quality starts leagues should not bank on a QS, but if your league rewards wins, he is worth a start. He is one of the top pitching streamers for the weekend slate.

Adrian Houser (P – TB)

Next Start: Monday, 8/4 at LAA

Adrian Houser seems to have come out of nowhere. He is a career 4.00 ERA pitcher who ended last season with a 5.84 ERA. This season, he has a 2.40 ERA with nine quality starts and a 6-2 record.

Houser faces a struggling Angels offense that ranks fifth-worst in run differential. They also have struck out the most as a team, while also posting the league’s second-worst strikeout rate. Houser is not a high strikeout pitcher, owning just a 6.1 K/9 rate this season. But the Angels may help him out in that department. They have struck out the most against right-handed pitchers, with 47 more strikeouts than the second-worst team against RHP.

Houser’s improved ERA this season comes thanks to several factors. Houser has a 47% GB rate this season, which has helped him avoid home runs. He has also shuffled his pitch mix significantly. Houser has nearly doubled his curveball usage and relied much less on his slider. This seems to have worked wonders, because his curveball has a .194 BAA, a 30% whiff rate, and a 22% putaway rate – all improvements from 2024.

Nine of Houser’s last 11 games have been quality starts, and this could be number 10. It is a great matchup and should make him one of your priority pitching streamers wherever he is available.

Brady Singer (SP – CIN)

Next Start: Thursday, 8/7 at PIT

Brady Singer’s season has been a bit of a rollercoaster. He gave up seven earned runs in 2.1 innings to Washington, and two games later, pitched a 10-strikeout, six-inning gem against Atlanta. He faces Pittsburgh next, which should put him in line for another quality outing.

Pittsburgh has the league’s seventh-worst run differential. They have the eighth most strikeouts, the third worst K%, the second worst GB%, and the fewest home runs. They are the only team to rank among the worst 10 in all five of those categories. For Singer, this is an ideal matchup. He has an 8.2 K/9 rate, which could creep closer to his 8.5 rate from last season after this game. Singer’s 3.5 BB/9 rate and 36% GB rate are also lower than last season, but could improve with some help from the low-walk, high-groundball Pirates.

Singer has had a knack for inducing swings and misses this season. His slider, fastball, cutter, and sweeper all have whiff rates between 22-27%. His best pitch, though, has been his slider. Singer’s slider owns a .218 BAA, a 27% whiff rate, and a 17% putaway rate. Typically, a righty pitcher like Singer would use it mostly against righty batters as an out pitch, but it has worked against pretty much anyone this season. It should be a pitch he leans on against the Pirates, who strike out the seventh most against RHP. Take a look at this strikeout here:

Brady Singer, Dirty 85mph Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/UAGcsmuOu3

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 27, 2025

If Singer is available in your league, he should be on your radar as one of the top pitching streamers for the week ahead.

Widely Available Pitching Streamers (0%-19% Rostered)

Jeffrey Springs (SP – ATH)

Next Start: Tuesday, 8/5 at WAS

Jeffrey Springs pitched in relief for most of his career, but was given the reins as a starter this season by the Athletics. He owns a 4.00 ERA and a 10-7 record, with 12 quality starts.

Springs faces a Washington team that was already awful, and got worse at the trade deadline. Washington now has the third-worst run differential in the league. They also have the league’s worst groundball rate, and have hit the eighth-fewest homers. Springs has allowed 1.5 HR/9, slightly worse than his career rate. Playing against a Washington team with limited power should allow for some positive regression for Springs’ home run rate.

Springs’ sweeper and cutter are his two least-used pitches, but he should rely on them in this game. They have induced the highest groundball rates of the five pitches in his arsenal, and Washington already hits a ton of grounders. He should also rely heavily on his changeup, arguably his best pitch. It owns a .210 BAA and a 39% whiff rate, and looks like this:

Jeffrey Springs – A's

6 IP, 9 Ks, 0 ER, 40% Whiff%
Fastball 17 IVB, -12 HB at 90 MPH
Changeup 7 IVB, -14 HB at 80 MPH
Slider 5 IVB, 4 HB at 84 MPH
Cutter 7 IVB, -3 HB at 85 MPH
Sweeper 5 IVB, 16 HB at 79 MPH pic.twitter.com/m1cRGT0saK

— Baseball Unstitched (@BaseUnstitched) March 31, 2025

This is a great matchup for anyone looking for pitching streamers for the upcoming week.

Cade Horton (SP – ChC)

Next Start: Wednesday, 8/6 vs CIN

Cade Horton has just three quality starts in 73 IP, but has four wins and pitches for one of the best teams in baseball. He may not be worth an add in leagues that reward quality starts, but he is certainly worth an add in other leagues for this matchup.

Cincinnati has struck out the ninth most in baseball, while also possessing the ninth highest K% and the 10th highest GB%. This is a great matchup to exploit, as Horton owns an excellent 47% GB rate. He had some elite K/9 rates in the minors, reaching double digits at all but one stop. The strikeouts have not panned out in the majors yet, but this matchup could change that, considering the Reds’ propensity for Ks.

Horton has some ridiculous stuff that should start turning into strikeouts, perhaps if he adjusts his sequencing or location. All of his pitches except his fastball have a .210 BAA or better. He also features a sinker, curveball, changeup, and sweeper that possess 27%, 29%, 55%, and 41% whiff rates, respectively. His changeup is absolutely filthy, with a 23% putaway rate and a 36% K rate as well. Here is a great look at it:

Zoomed-in look at Cade Horton's 87 MPH changeup that he used to strike out Mike Tauchman pic.twitter.com/kH2B8h9qtx

— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) July 27, 2025

Horton should be more widely rostered, and may be difficult to find on waivers if this turns out to be the great outing it could be. He should be considered as one of the top pitching streamers in most leagues.

Tomoyuki Sugano (SP – BAL)

Next Start: Friday, 8/8 vs ATH

Tomoyuki Sugano has tossed a few clunkers recently – allowing 13 ER in 9.2 IP to Tampa and Texas. He bounced back with two quality starts in three outings and has eight quality starts on the season. Sugano has a 3-1 record in his last five starts, as well, and could be in line for a QS and another W against the A’s.

The Athletics have remained one of the worst offenses in baseball. They have the second-worst run differential in the league. They also have the seventh-most strikeouts, the eighth-highest K%, and the sixth-highest GB%. Sugano was an elite ground ball pitcher in Japan and has been about league average this season. He should see some success at inducing grounders in this one. Sugano should also get some help in the strikeout department, something that has never been one of his strengths.

What has been a key for Sugano over his career, including this season, is a wicked splitter. It has a .198 BAA, a 27% whiff rate, a 27% K rate, a 57% GB rate, and a 21% putaway rate. Sugano’s splitter is easily his best pitch and is the sixth best splitter according to run value (17 pitchers have thrown splitters this season). Imagine trying to hit this:

Tomoyuki Sugano, Nasty 88mph Splitter. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/JlfDe2QV4c

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 27, 2025

Sugano has the stuff to be successful, and should be in consideration as one of your pitching streamers for the coming week.

Backup Plan Streamers

• ARI Eduardo Rodriguez at ATH – Sunday 8/3
• SF Justin Verlander at PIT – Monday 8/4
• ATH Jacob Lopez at WAS – Wednesday 8/6
• WAS Mitchell Parker vs ATH – Thursday 8/7
• ATH Luis Severino at BAL – Friday 8/8

Desperation Streamers

• ChC Michael Soroka vs CIN – Monday 8/4