Pitching Streamers to Target in Week 22 of Fantasy Baseball

Here we are entering week 22 of the fantasy baseball season. This is the home stretch! Many of you reading this will be looking for pitching streamers for the first round of your playoffs (or the consolation bracket). Hopefully, these selections will guide you in the right direction to win your matchups and your leagues.

Below are my top Week 22 pitching streamers.

Pitching Streamers Available in Some Leagues (Over 30% Rostered)

Brandon Pfaadt (SP – ARI)

Next Start: Monday 8/19 at MIA

Brandon Pfaadt has a great matchup coming up against the Marlins. In his last start as of writing, he gave up four earned runs against Colorado but struck out 11 batters and did not give up any walks. The Marlins have one of the worst offenses in baseball and should provide fantasy managers with a great chance to stream Pfaadt.

In his last 42.1 innings, Pfaadt has a 41:3 K:BB ratio. During that span – seven starts, he also has three quality starts and four wins. On the season, he has an 8.4 strikeout-per-nine rate and a 1.8 walk-per-nine rate. Pfaadt has had some tough luck at allowing runners to score, and his advanced ERA metrics reflect that. Despite a league-average 10% HR/FB rate and a 41% GB rate, he has a 3.98 ERA. His 3.66 xFIP and 3.75 SIERA show a better pitcher than his surface stats.

His matchup with Miami is excellent in terms of playing to his strengths. Miami has the third-worst run differential in baseball, the fourth fewest home runs, and the worst groundball rate. Against right-handed pitchers, in particular, they have the fewest walks and fourth fewest home runs.

Pfaadt has the stuff to keep the Marlins off the basepaths and away from home plate. His sweeper and changeup have .187 and .218 batting average against respectively, as well as 35% and 34% whiff rates, and 22% and 26% putaway rates. Here is a look at his ridiculous changeup:

Another nasty changeup by Brandon Pfaadt (2Ks in the 1st). pic.twitter.com/JHNqGDA6Ng

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 7, 2024

Miami struggles to score, and with Pfaadt’s ability to limit walks and induce grounders, they should not put up much of a fight in this one. Make Pfaadt one of your priority pitching streamers wherever available.

Nick Lodolo (SP – CIN)

Next Start: Thursday 8/22 at PIT

Nick Lodolo is in the midst of a rough stretch through July and August, which have included an outing where he allowed four earned runs and another where he allowed eight. Those outings ballooned his ERA. However, his advanced ERA metrics show that fantasy managers should not worry and that he should improve. Lodolo possesses a 3.99 ERA, but a 3.88 xFIP and a 3.75 SIERA. His matchup against the Pirates could help right the ship.

On the season, Lodolo has done a great job at striking batters out, with a 9.2 K/9 rate. He also has a 2.6 BB/9 rate and a 46% GB rate. A major factor in his ability to induce strikeouts and ground balls at such high rates is his filthy curveball. It has a .217 BAA, but a .165 xBAA, as well as a 42% whiff rate, and a 28% putaway rate. Take a look at his wipeout curve here:

Nick Lodolo announcing his return with authority. pic.twitter.com/BLkSJwY3TU

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 9, 2024

Pittsburgh has a tough test against Lodolo, since many of their weaknesses on offense line up with his strengths. The Pirates have the 10th worst run differential, the fourth most strikeouts, the fifth highest K%, the sixth-fewest homers, and the second highest ground ball rate overall. Basically, they do not score or hit home runs, plus they strike out a bunch and hit a ton of grounders. On top of that, they are particularly terrible against lefty pitchers. Against them, they have the 10th worst AVG, the eighth most strikeouts, and the ninth fewest home runs.

This could not be a better matchup for Lodolo as he goes up against one of the worst offenses in baseball. Trust him in this one as one of your pitching streamers for the upcoming week.

Widely Available Pitching Streamers (0%-30% Rostered)

Paul Blackburn (SP – NYM)

Next Start: Sunday 8/18 vs MIA

Since his acquisition by the Mets after spending time with Oakland this season, Blackburn has tossed 16 innings over three starts. During that span, he had two quality starts and one six-run clunker against his old club. On the positive side, he has a 16:6 K:BB ratio over that span and pitches against a struggling Miami offense in his next outing.

Blackburn has pitched well this season, with a 7.2 K/9 rate, a 2.6 B/9 rate, a 70% LOB rate, and a 47% GB rate. He also has a 15% HR/FB rate, which is a bit above league average and helps provide context for his 4.43 ERA against a 4.09 xFIP and a 4.29 SIERA. This matchup against Miami could get his ERA closer to those advanced metrics considering the Marlins’ shaky offense and poor performances versus RHP. Not to mention that this game will happen in the sixth friendliest pitcher’s park in baseball.

Blackburn has some solid stuff to help put away Miami batters. His cutter has a 24% whiff rate and a 32% putaway rate on the season. His changeup, slider and curveball all have BAAs under .200. Blackburn’s changeup and curveball each have whiff rates above 30%.

Blackburn should be able to keep the Marlins from putting up many runs and should be on your radar as one of the top pitching streamers for the week ahead.

Zack Littell (P – TB)

Next Start: Tuesday 8/20 at OAK

Zack Littell has just eight quality starts on the season, including two in his last 11 starts, but he picks up wins. He has a 3-3 record in his last 8 starts and has looked especially good in his last four games. During that span of 22.2 IP, he allowed just three earned runs, while posting a 16:5 K:BB ratio, and earning a 2-1 record. He matches up with Oakland in his next start, which should keep him trending in a positive direction.

Littell has an 8 K/9 rate and a 1.8 BB/9 rate while stranding 77% of runners on the season. Not only is he excellent at keeping runners from reaching base, he is well above league average at keeping them from scoring too. His xFIP and SIERA are each within 6 points of his actual ERA, meaning what we are seeing is what we are likely getting the rest of the way.

Littell’s matchup against Oakland should play in his favor considering Oakland’s offensive deficiencies. They have the sixth-worst run differential, the fifth-most strikeouts, and the third-highest K% in the league. Against RHP, Oakland has the fifth-worst AVG and the second-most strikeouts.

He likely will lean on his slider, which is his most used and most effective pitch this season. It has a 21% whiff rate and a 24% putaway rate. Here is a look at it in action from earlier in the season:

Zack Littell, Nasty 87mph Slider. 😨

6th K. pic.twitter.com/5TmBaBJwLL

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 5, 2024

Littell should be available in many leagues and should be considered one of the top pitching streamers for the upcoming week.

Nick Martinez (SP – CIN)

Next Start: Wednesday 8/21 at TOR

Nick Martinez has pitched most of this season in relief but converted to a starter in his last two outings. In those games, he pitched a total of 12 innings. He did not allow an earned run or a walk, and struck out 12 batters in that span. He also picked up a win and a quality start in those games. He should be able to keep those winning ways coming in a favorable matchup against Toronto.

Martinez has a 3.16 ERA on the season that could regress as he continues to make more starts. He also has a 7.4 K/9 rate and a BB/9 rate under one. That walk rate and his 5% HR/FB rate are most likely to regress and cause regression to his ERA. Though, he should likely avoid regression against the Blue Jays.

Toronto has the fifth-worst run differential overall and the fifth-fewest home runs in the league. That should certainly help Martinez, despite pitching against Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Pitching in the seventh friendliest pitcher’s park should also aid Martinez in keeping runs and home runs off the board.

Martinez should continue leaning on his changeup, which has been his best pitch this season. It possesses a .202 BAA, a 40% whiff rate, and a 22% putaway rate. Imagine trying to hit this:

Nick Martinez, Nasty 81mph Changeup. 👌

5th K pic.twitter.com/v5eVhVbsou

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 11, 2024

Martinez has the ability to get batters out and should pitch well in this matchup. Consider him as one of your pitching streamers for the week ahead.

Andrew Abbott (SP – CIN)

Next Start: Friday 8/23 at PIT

Andrew Abbott has been a mainstay in this article throughout the season because of his reliability and consistency. That has been on display the last few months. Since the start of June, Abbott has just three games with more than three earned runs allowed. In eight games since July, he has four quality starts and a 3-3 record. His last game was a 6.2 inning outing against St. Louis where he struck out six batters while allowing just two walks and one earned run.

Abbott has a disappointing 7.4 K/9 rate this season despite double-digit K/9 rates throughout the minors. He has a 3.4 BB/9 rate, an 84% LOB rate, and a 34% HR/FB rate. He also possesses a modest 3.59 ERA. His next matchup comes against a Pittsburgh offense experiencing significant issues. They are not just terrible overall, but against lefty hurlers too.

Against LHP, the Pirates have the 10th worst AVG, the eighth most strikeouts, and the ninth fewest home runs. Abbott’s sweeper and changeup combination should result in continued offensive woes for Pittsburgh as long as he leans on them in this matchup. His sweeper has a .185 BAA and a 28% whiff rate, while his changeup has a .217 BAA and a 27% whiff rate. You can see why batters have a hard time getting ahold of his sweeper here:

Andrew Abbott, Nasty 83mph Sweeper. 😨 pic.twitter.com/hsGbyhK2KP

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 12, 2024

Trust Abbott’s skill set in this matchup, but also trust Pittsburgh’s batting issues to result in a great matchup for Abbott. Make him one of your top pitching streamers for the week ahead.