Check out all of our starting pitcher rankings and other lineup selection tools here to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions. All fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.
Note: All information is accurate as of the time of publication. For updates, as well as any breaking news that might impact today's MLB slate, be sure to check out the latest fantasy baseball buzz.
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Pitchers to stream on Thursday
Andrew Abbott is a good example of how home/road splits can be misleading. His ERA at Great American Ball Park is 4.94, compared to 2.89 when the Cincinnati Reds are on the road. Intuitively, this makes sense since Abbott's home park is so hitter-friendly. However, his skills are similar home and away, and the lefty has surrendered more homers on the road. This is relevant since Abbott is getting the streaming nod for a road affair, but it's based on matchup and not a noisy road ERA. He's set to face the Chicago White Sox, whose lineup fans 25% of the time against lefties, with below-average power. They're patient, so Abbott will need to throw strikes, but if he does, a solid effort should ensue.
A topic that has come up a few times when choosing a streamer is opting for a better pitcher facing a challenging opponent or a lesser hurler with an easier matchup. This is worthy of an offseason study, but my experience points to the better pitcher. Roki Sasaki is still a work in progress, demonstrated by six quality starts countered with four outings allowing at least four runs. The 24-year-old rookie is on a roll, but we've seen extended stretches of success for the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the season, only for him to hit a speed bump. Still, over his past four starts, Sasaki has a 1.88 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP, fueled by 26 punchouts with just seven free passes in 24 frames. He faces the dangerous Milwaukee Brewers lineup, but it's at home and the visitors are just average on the road.
Cade Cavalli is another pitcher in a groove facing a strong test when the Washington Nationals entertain the Chicago Cubs. Eight of Cavalli's last nine outings have been quality starts, including his previous six. The control issues plaguing him early this season have vanished, as evidenced by a tidy 5.6% walk rate over his last 113 stanzas. The Cubs will be a good test since they lead the league in walk rate, but Cavalli has proven worthy.
Hitters to stream on Thursday
Tyler Phillips has been serviceable as a starting pitcher for the Miami Marlins, but he's still a good matchup for the Pittsburgh Pirates when they get together in South Beach. Phillips doesn't miss many bats and is prone to the long ball. The Pirates have above-average power, but they also strike out at an above-average clip, so they'll benefit from Phillips' lack of dominance. Jake Mangum, Esmerlyn Valdez, Spencer Horwitz and Nick Gonzales are the chief options.
With limited pitching options on Thursday's slate, fortifying offense on a nine-game slate could be the more prudent approach. This is often a time to target steals, and the best matchup features the Reds and White Sox. Over the last month, the White Sox have yielded the fourth-most stolen bases in the league. Elly De La Cruz is responsible for much of the Reds' aggressiveness on the bases, but Noelvi Marte and Dane Myers have chipped in lately with multiple bags.