Fantasy Baseball Pitching Streamers: Make a Messick

Another week into the season presents fantasy baseball managers with another week to win. A great way to do that is by finding the right pitching streamers to supplement the holes in you teams and maximize starts and innings limits. At this point, we know a few things. For example, the Reds, Mariners, and Giants are easy offenses to target because they are not scoring many runs. They are among the teams we are targeting specifically in streaming matchups for the coming week.

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Below are some of my favorite pitching streamers for the upcoming week.

Pitching Streamers for Shallow Leagues (Over 20% Rostered)

Parker Messick (SP – CLE)

Next Start: Thursday, 4/16 vs BAL

Parker Messick started off 2026 with two impressive outings against challenging offenses in the Cubs and Dodgers. He earned a win for his performance in Los Angeles and gave up just one run at home against the Cubs. He faces a struggling Baltimore offense in his next start.

Baltimore has scored the ninth-fewest runs in baseball this season. They also rank among the worst in home runs and strikeout rate, third and seventh-worst, respectively. Messick has been excellent at run prevention against some of the best offenses in baseball this season, so he should not have trouble against one of the worst. Messick also excels at inducing strikeouts. He owns a 9.0 K/9 rate and a 27% K rate, well above league average. He has also induced an impressive 52% groundball rate, while walking fewer than three batters per nine innings.

Messick’s fastball and changeup have been keys to his success so far this season. Both have a batting average against of .133 or better. His fastball has a 22% whiff rate and a 30% putaway rate, while his changeup has a 58% whiff rate and a 38% putaway rate. If he can develop his curveball or slider into a better out pitch, he will be nearly unhittable. Here he is striking out Bregman with a filthy changeup:

The Cubs put their first two baserunners on against Parker Messick in the fifth. He retired the next three to escape the threat, including Alex Bregman with an inning-ending strikeout. pic.twitter.com/eLC0UuFuSE

— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) April 5, 2026

If Messick is available in your leagues, he probably will not be after this start. Make him one of your priority pitching streamers for this matchup.

Pitching Streamers for Deep Leagues (0%-24% Rostered)

Ryne Nelson  (SP – ARI)

Next Start: Monday, 4/13 at BAL

Ryne Nelson has a 4.20 ERA after three starts, but has faced the Dodgers and Atlanta, two tough offenses, as well as the Mets. Nelson allowed four homers in those starts, giving him an inflated HR/9 and HR/FB rate, which likely has led to his ERA ticking up. Pitching against the Orioles should help him level out those rates, as well as his ERA.

Here we go, picking on the O’s again. Their offense is struggling, making them an easy team to target for streaming. They are particularly weak at hitting homers and scoring runs, which should lead to some positive regression in those areas for Nelson.

Nelson’s stuff has actually looked great this season. His average fastball velocity is a career best 96 MPH. His fastball, slider, and curveball have BAAs of .200, .067, and .000, respectively. They have whiff rates of 21%, 38%, and 18%, respectively as well. His fastball, in particular, has been truly top-notch and led to a productive outing against the Mets, where he took home a win:

Ryne Nelson's (ARI) four-seamer was outstanding on Wednesday, helping him allow one earned run against the Mets over 5.2 innings with five strikeouts pic.twitter.com/1Z2dPSblUl

— Pitcher List Stats (@PitcherListPLV) April 8, 2026

Nelson should fare well against the Orioles and should be considered among your top pitching streamers for the upcoming week.

Eduardo Rodriguez  (SP – ARI)

Next Start: Tuesday, 4/14 at BAL

Eduardo Rodriguez has been spectacular this season. In three starts across 18 innings, he has allowed just one earned run, giving him a 0.50 ERA on the season. That level of success is likely unsustainable, but he should not fall off too much against the Orioles.

Many of the things the Orioles struggle with are areas of strength (so far this season) for Rodriguez. He has been elite at limiting homers against some of the best homer-hitting offenses of the year so far. He has also been at least league average at inducing strikeouts for his career, though that has not worked out well for him this year. This game could be a turning point for strikeouts against a team swinging and missing a ton.

Rodriguez’s changeup, fastball, and cutter combination has led to his success this season. They have .250 BAAs or better, with his fastball and changeup posting whiff rates of 24% and 25% respectively, and his cutter posting a putaway rate of 30%. He will have to rely on some other pitches aside from his cutter to get outs if he wants sustained success, though. But when those pitches are working, they are filthy. Take a look at these strikeouts with his cutter and then his changeup:

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status2042388242373161158?s=20

Who knows how long this train will go, but it is time to hop on at least for one more start. Make Rodriguez one of your pitching streamers for the upcoming slate of games.

Rhett Lowder  (SP – CIN)

Next Start: Wednesday, 4/15 vs SF

Rhett Lowder pitched well in his first two starts, picking up a start and a win in six shutout innings against Texas. Before that, he allowed two earned runs against Boston. But he was knocked around for four earned runs against the Marlins in his last start. He will look to get back on track against the Giants next.

The Giants have the fourth-fewest runs scored in all of baseball. They have also hit the fewest home runs and have the league’s fourth-highest groundball rate. Lowder has allowed just one home run in 16 innings of work so far this season, so do not worry about San Francisco going off in this one. The rookie has also fared well when it comes to inducing grounders throughout his time in the minors, though his GB% in the majors is about league average. Of all the teams to have a bounce-back against, this is the perfect one for Lowder.

Lowder’s sinker and changeup have been lights out this season. His sinker has a .158 BAA and a 27% putaway rate. His changeup has a .167 BAA, a 45% whiff rate, and a 25% putaway rate. Here he is striking out a batter with his changeup, followed by another with his slider:

Rhett Lowder's 2Ks in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/WrPEueHV34

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 9, 2026

Lowder has been good this season and has a chance to continue performing well. He should be on your radar as one of the top pitching streamers for the week ahead.

Aaron Civale  (SP – ATH)

Next Start: Friday, 4/17 vs CWS

Do not expect a quality start out of Aaron Civale, as it seems the Athletics are holding him to five-inning outings. In his first two starts, he went five innings against the Yankees and Braves, giving up three earned runs total, and picking up one win between the two starts. He should be in line for another win against a poorly performing White Sox team.

The White Sox are the only team in baseball to be bottom-10 in runs scored, groundball rate, home runs, strikeouts, and K%. They are sixth worst, seventh worst, seventh worst, fourth worst, and third worst, respectively. Civale needs the help, considering his low K-rate and inflated home run rate. Though he has been above average at inducing grounders, his BABIP suggests he is in line for some regression, but he should be able to avoid it in this one.

Civale’s had a few pitches working exceptionally well this season. His cutter and splitter have yet to be hit. His curveball has a .100 BAA. His sinker and fastball have putaway rates of 20% or better, and his splitter, cutter, and curveball have whiff rates of 20% or better. With all these pitches performing well, he should be able to continue to manifest good outings, especially against offenses struggling like the White Sox. Take a look hear at his curveball and fastball earning strikeouts in a recent outing:

Aaron Civale's 2Ks in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/dMEmD6rcEx

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2026

Civale is not a long-term answer, but a perfect off-the-radar pitching streamer for the week ahead.

Luis Severino (SP – ATH)

Next Start: Saturday, 4/18 vs CWS

Luis Severino tossed a four-run clunker against Atlanta, lasting only 3.1 innings in that start. In his other two outings this season, he pitched five innings and gave up two earned runs in each. He has yet to earn a win, but faced Toronto, Atlanta, and New York (Yankees). He has a much better shot of earning a win in his next start against the White Sox.

Severino takes the bump against one of the worst offenses in baseball. And he should be able to take advantage. Severino has 17 strikeouts in 13.1 IP, an 11 K/9 rate, and is throwing harder than ever. Unfortunately, he has also given up eight runs per nine innings, although he has yet to allow a homer and has induced an impressive 46% GB rate. This start should help balance out some of the inflated numbers with his walks, while also playing into his strengths.

Arguably, his best pitch this season has been his sweeper, which has a .182 BAA and a 30% whiff rate, though his fastball has been nearly as good. It has a .200 BAA, a 27% whiff rate, and a 23% putaway rate. Four of his pitches have putaway rates over 20%, and four have whiff rates over 25%. He clearly has the stuff. He just has to put it together – and locate the ball better too:

Luis Severino (ATH) allowed two earned runs and struck out seven in five innings against the Yankees. pic.twitter.com/Nnvc7gQBc8

— Pitcher List Stats (@PitcherListPLV) April 9, 2026

Severino is probably not a long-term hold, but he makes for one of the top pitching streamers for the upcoming week.

Joey Cantillo  (SP – CLE)

Next Start: Sunday, 4/19 vs BAL

Joey Cantillo has been sneaky good for the Guardians this season. In 14.2 IP across three starts, he has a 2.45 ERA, with a 20:7 K:BB ratio. He has one win and has lasted longer in each start, with his last going 5.2 innings.

He has the Orioles lined up for his next start, which is a great matchup for him. The O’s have struggled offensively, especially at scoring, homers, and strikeouts. Cantillo has a 12 K/9 rate this season. He has consistently shown high strikeout ability. He also has yet to allow a homer, and may escape another game without allowing one, considering the Orioles’ deficiencies.

A huge key for Cantillo has been some tweaks to his arsenal. He modified his changeup, curveball, and slider, basically adding some deception to his pitches:

Joey Cantillo

• Added 11 in. of drop to slider
• Added 2 ticks to changeup
• Added 2 ticks to curve

Although Stuff+ doesn't like the new slider, look how it spins exactly like his curve now (right), which gives him 2 pairings (4s/CH; CB/SL) that look similar out of hand. pic.twitter.com/GSmxixgo85

— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) April 10, 2026

This has resulted in a higher strikeout rate. He will need to cut down on the walks, but he looks like a potential star in the making. Fantasy managers need to add him now as one of the top pitching streamers for the upcoming week, but should keep an eye on him for future matchups.

Backup Plan Streamers

• SF Tyler Mahle at CIN – Wednesday 4/15
• SF Landen Roupp at CIN – Thursday 4/16
• WAS Zack Littell vs SF – Friday 4/17
• ATH Jeffrey Springs vs CWS – Sunday 4/19

Desperation Streamers

• TB Joe Boyle at CWS – Wednesday 4/15
• MIN Simeon Woods Richardson vs BOS – Wednesday 4/15
• TB Steven Matz at CWS – Thursday 4/16
• CWS Sean Burke at ATH – Sunday 4/19