Mondays are always hard days to find good streaming pitchers. Thursdays are often the same way. Those are the days that have short schedules, which means fewer matchups to take advantage of. I probably won’t always post on these days, but I’ll try to find the best matchups possible and if I can squeeze a couple opportunities out of a Monday or Thursday, I’ll make sure to write about it on these fine pages for you. Now, on to tomorrow’s streaming pitchers!
Streaming Pitchers: 6/22/2015
Tommy Milone LHP MIN (vs. CWS)
Former A’s pitcher Tommy Milone is getting another chance to stick in a major league rotation. After spending some time in the minors, Milone was called up back on April 10. He had four starts with mediocre results, including a 5.16 K/9, a 4.37 BB/9, and a 37.5% ground ball rate, posting a 4.76 ERA. Getting sent back down to the minors to work on some things, he was recalled again on June 4, and has since made three starts with much more promising results, including a 6.16 K/9, a 0.95 BB/9, a 45.8% ground ball rate, and a 2.37 ERA. The .250 BABIP makes him seem lucky, until you realize that he has a 14.3% IFFB rate that helps drag the BABIP down. It’s not that far off his career number of 11.9%, or the 14.1% he put up last year. He’s got a prime matchup on Monday, and not just because of the usual matchup issues. The White Sox already have a low wRC+ of 76 on the road and an even lower 40 wRC+ against lefties. They also are the fifth worst team in IFFB% this year. This is actually a great matchup for Milone, and on a short slated Monday, having this sort of streaming opportunity is huge. I’d suggest you take advantage.
Joe Blanton RHP KC (@ SEA)
I know, I know. With the pitchers I’m suggesting today, you’d think it was 2012 or something. Not that it’s the end of the world, but you could actually do a lot worse than Joe Blanton. He was pitching well in a long-relief role, with a 7.80 K/9, a 1.80 BB/9, and a 45.5% ground ball rate. With the Royals’ rotation dealing with injuries, Blanton had to step in for a start on June 17 against the Brewers, going 5.0 IP, allowing one run on five hits and no walks with four strikeouts. He’s getting another start on Monday, with a solid matchup for him in Seattle against the Mariners. The Mariners have had their fair share of problems hitting this year, only hitting a 95 wRC+ at home and an 87 wRC+ against righties. He probably won’t pitch a complete game, but if he can go even five or six innings and perform like he has, he should probably get a win here. It’s not the end of the world or anything.
Good luck and happy streaming!
