Streaming pitchers isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you find yourself without enough reliable options in a given scoring period, it may be what you need to stay afloat. Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in no more than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. Generally, only the top two or three are full-throated endorsements, while the rest are more about making the best of a bad situation.
All information is up to date as of early Monday, but be forewarned: The most extensive changes likely won’t happen until after the trade deadline Monday at 6 p.m. ET.Sleeper pitchers for Week 20 (Aug. 3-9)
Ian Seymour
RP
TB
Tampa Bay
• #61
•
Age: 27
Matchups
at COL, at SEA
Rostered
67%
Ian Seymour has technically followed an opener in his past two outings, but it’s gotten him back on track after a two-start rough patch. Since the Rays first began pushing him beyond three innings 10 appearances ago, he has a 3.80 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 10.8 K/9, and for that kind of upside, you can look past the fact that one of his upcoming two starts is at Coors Field.
Joey Cantillo
SP
CLE
Cleveland
• #54
•
Age: 26
Matchup
vs. NYM, at CHW
Rostered
73%
By ERA (2.89) and strikeout rate (11.8 per nine), Joey Cantillo has been excellent in his past nine starts, which corresponds with him making his curveball his primary pitch. Then again, he also has a 1.37 WHIP during that stretch, denoting the inefficiency that’s generally limited him to five innings or less. Still, he’s in line for two turns.
Walbert Urena
SP
LAA
L.A. Angels
• #57
•
Age: 22
Matchup
at MIA
Rostered
61%
Walbert Urena can struggle with walks, which leads to shorter outings from time to time, but he’s been remarkably steady at run prevention thanks to a 54 percent ground-ball rate. He’s coming off three straight starts of six innings or more, having allowed just two earned runs in between them.
Shane Drohan
SP
MIL
Milwaukee
• #55
•
Age: 27
Matchup
vs. PIT
Rostered
63%
Shane Drohan’s upcoming matchup against the Pirates seems extremely unfavorable at first glance, but less so when you consider that they rank only 19th in OPS against left-handers. Drohan has been stretched to the point that he’s throwing six innings consistently while still averaging more than a strikeout per inning.
Sean Manaea
RP
NYM
N.Y. Mets
• #59
•
Age: 34
Matchup
at CLE, at PIT
Rostered
27%
Sean Manaea has enjoyed a small taste of success recently, with three of his past four outings being quality starts, but he isn’t missing bats at a rate that would suggest it’s something he can sustain. He might be worth a roll of the dice, though, with two favorable matchups this week.
Brandon Young
SP
BAL
Baltimore
• #63
•
Age: 27
Matchup
vs. LAA
Rostered
57%
Apart from a pretty good slider, it’s unclear what’s elevated Brandon Young to a 2.65 ERA over his past 11 starts, which makes me skeptical it’ll continue. But against the strikeout-prone Angels, maybe it can for at least one more turn.
Christian Scott
SP
NYM
N.Y. Mets
• #45
•
Age: 27
Matchups
at CLE
Rostered
56%
Christian Scott finally lasted six innings in his just in start, his first time doing so all season, but he’s been pitching well for a while now, putting together a 1.77 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 11.1 K/9 in his past four starts. He’s in line to face a Guardians lineup that ranks second-to-last in runs scored.
Shane Baz
SP
BAL
Baltimore
• #34
•
Age: 27
Matchup
vs. LAA
Rostered
68%
Shane Baz is about as middling as middling gets, which puts his overall roster rate about where it should be. But he at least tends to work deep into games, going six innings or more in 11 of his 22 starts, which makes him usable against offenses that he’s likely to keep at bay, such as the Angels.
Michael McGreevy
SP
STL
St. Louis
• #36
•
Age: 26
Matchup
at NYY
Rostered
69%
Michael McGreevy has been a quality start machine, accomplishing the feat 13 times, and while his 5.68 xERA makes him out to be one of this year’s biggest overachievers, I’m betting he can do it against a slumping Yankees offense. Even Yankee Stadium isn’t such a big deal for a ground-ball pitcher like him.
Dustin May
SP
STL
St. Louis
• #3
•
Age: 28
Matchups
at NYY
Rostered
60%
Dustin May is a possible trade candidate as an impending free agent and may not line up for the matchup shown here if he’s indeed moved Monday. But he’s coming off two strong outings and is scheduled to face a struggling Yankees lineup that’s averaged just 3.6 runs per game since the start of July.
