Fantasy Baseball: 5 weekend warriors to stream at SP

If you’re lagging behind some in your fantasy baseball league with regards to the pitching statistics this week or you’re looking for some relatively cheap options at starting pitcher over the weekend for DFS, here are five names to consider.

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Jon Gray was a popular option yesterday for a lot of of managers, but the Cardinals were having none of it. Coming off three solid outings in a row and flashing his strikeout appeal, the Colorado Rockies’ starter was shelled for eight hits and nine earned runs. He was yanked after recording only one out in the fourth inning.

Gray was trending up and that’s why it can difficult sometimes to play the streamer game right. Gray’s ownership went up from 10 percent to 15 percent in Yahoo leagues the day before his start. Since the rough outing, he’s been dropped by nearly 9,000 managers in the last 24 hours.

It’s a cruel and unforgiving game and there is little loyalty when it comes to streaming, even for a pitcher like Toronto’s J.A. Happ, who was cruising along this season until his last start versus the Rays. His ownership is down two percent in the last day and he is currently un-owned in three of the four leagues I participate in.

Fear not, here are five starters scheduled for Saturday and Sunday starts you can confide in.

Next: Number 5

5. Sean Manaea vs NYY 5/21

8% owned

The big southpaw wasn’t great in his first three outings, but Sean Manaea settled in during his fourth big league start against the Texas Rangers.

Manaea worked deeper than he had in any previous start, pitching 6.2 innings while allowing only four hits and one earned run on May 16. His command was on point as well, registering only one walk to the competition and striking out three in his first big league win.

He will get the Yankees on Saturday at home. New York has a .235/.303/.353 slash line against lefties in 2016 and they fare even worse on the road, with a .225 BA and only 12 home runs.

Next: Number 4

4. Adam Conley vs WAS 5/22

36% owned

Another southpaw with a favorable matchup makes the list. The Nationals’ lineup might be an intimidating one, but Adam Conley kept them in check back on April 19 at Marlins Park — for the most part. He’ll get them again there on Sunday.

Last time versus the Nats, Conley worked deep into the game, not allowing a single run across home plate through the first six innings. In the seventh, he ran into a little trouble, giving up back-to-back solo home runs to Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos with one out in the seventh. He recorded another out before giving way to reliever Nick Wittgren who eventually served up a grand slam to Bryce Harper.

But through six innings and opposing Stephen Strasburg, that one was a pitcher’s duel. Even still, the four earned runs and eight K’s shows Conley’s upside. He is probable Sunday along with Max Scherzer for the Nats. Conley showed he can rise to the occasion when pitted against an guy with ace stuff. Washington is hitting an ugly .197 in four previous 2016 games at Marlins Park.

Next: Number 3

2. Phil Hughes vs TOR 5/22

8% owned

The Toronto Blue Jays are not scoring runs in bunches like they did in 2015. They are also hitting .233 as a team, good for dead last in the American League. Add to that the second most strikeouts in the AL and it makes Phil Hughes a hot commodity for his Sunday start at home.

The Jays were held in check Thursday night by Ervin Santana, scattering only four hits and scoring twice in eight innings against him. Toronto eventually won in extras, but their nine hits tied the number of times they struck out in the game.

Hughes has not been dominant in 2016, but he’s coming off a nice outing against the Tigers on May 17. If he’s been one thing in his career, it has been accurate with his pitches. Hughes’ career BB/9 of 2.2 should mean Jays hitters will be swinging a lot on Sunday, so it’s possible Hughes bests his mark of seven strikeouts in a game for the season. He has walked only eight hitters all of this year so far.

Toronto is a club that likes to take pitches, having recorded the second most bases on balls in the AL. Hughes and his elite command of pitches should bode well for his cause with respect to backwards K’s. Over his last two starts versus Toronto, Hughes is 1-1 with a 2.13 ERA and 12 strikeouts.

Next: Number 1

1. Alex Wood @ SD 5/21

40% owned

The pros are, Alex Wood gets to pitch on the road in one of the most pitcher friendly parks in MLB. The Padres are hitting only .215 at home compared to .238 on the road and their best hitter, Matt Kemp, is stuck in a 13-for-72 funk this month, hitting only .181.

Wood is 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA in five career starts versus San Diego and has not allowed an earned run in his career while pitching at PetCo (8 IP). What’s more, tomorrow night’s scheduled opening pitch time of 10:10 pm EST means this will be a night game. He is 23-19 with a 3.04 ERA under the lights in his life and only 4-10 with a 4.28 ERA in day games.

Next: M's pitching has been all the difference in '16

Wood’s opposition on Saturday night is the 24-year-old Cesar Vargas, who will be making only the sixth start of his big league career. He is 0-2 with a 3.55 ERA and coming off two tough outings against the Cubs and Brewers where he gave up 18 combined hits and didn’t pitch out of the fifth inning in either contest.