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.
Check back Sunday for the latest updates, but be forewarned: The most extensive changes likely won't happen until after the trade deadline Monday.
Sleeper pitchers for Week 20 (Aug. 3-9)
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.
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Christian Scott finally lasted six innings in his latest start, his first time doing so all season, but he's been pitching well for a while, putting together a 1.77 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 11.1 K/9 in his past four starts. His first matchup is much better than his second, but he's a good enough pitcher that you shouldn't turn down a shot at an extra turn, even if the matchup is less than compelling.
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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.
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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.
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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 Rockies lineup that always struggles on the road.
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Dustin May is a possible trade candidate as an impending free agent and may not line up for the matchups shown here if he's indeed moved Monday. But he's coming off two strong outings and will get to face the road Rockies if he stays with the Cardinals, which is a favorable enough matchup to make his first one at the Yankees worth it.
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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 back-to-back one-run efforts against the Cardinals and Astros, and the Marlins offense rates similarly.
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Shane Drohan's upcoming matchup against the Pirates seems extremely unfavorable at first glance, but less so when you consider that they rank only 17th 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.
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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 10 of his 21 starts, which makes him usable against offenses that he's likely to keep at bay, such as the Rangers.
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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, against a Guardians offense that ranks second-to-last in runs scored.
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