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          Fantasy baseball pitching picks: Baz, Pallante lead Saturday streamers

          Shane Baz lines up for another start against the Boston Red Sox, a team he has fared well against. Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
          • Mike Sheets
          Sep 28, 2024, 04:30 PM

          Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by ESPN BET, and fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

          Note: This file will be updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

          Fantasy championships on the line this weekend

          As we enter the final weekend of the regular season, this is our final push to take home those fantasy baseball titles, so let's make every move count. First up on the list of streaming candidates for Saturday is Shane Baz, who draws a road start against the Boston Red Sox.

          Baz has posted a stellar 2.25 ERA and 0.84 WHIP over his past seven starts, with four of those outings coming against playoffs teams. He has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in six consecutive starts, failing to pitch into the sixth inning only once.

          The matchup against the Red Sox bodes well for Baz. Boston's offense has been one of the worst in baseball over the past month, ranking 27th in MLB with a 79 wRC+ and a 26.6% strikeout rate. Baz also faced the Red Sox earlier this month and dispatched them easily, firing seven innings of two-run ball with six Ks and only two hits allowed. The Rays' right-hander is available in 71% of ESPN leagues, and he's one of the top streamers of the day.

          What you may have missed on Friday

          • The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals secured the final two AL Wild Card spots last night so expect both clubs to save their better starting pitchers for the playoffs, most notably Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal and Royals LHP Cole Ragans.

          • Milwaukee Brewers OF Sal Frelick collided with the outfield wall last night, injuring his hip and forcing his exit in the third inning. Frelick is slated for an MRI later today. If Frelick is unable to play today or tomorrow, Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell are the likely replacements.

          • New York Mets C Francisco Alvarez left Friday night's game in the seventh inning back spasms incurred after sliding into third base. Alvarez's status for the remainder of the weekend and possible Monday is unclear. Backup C Luis Torrens will take over behind the plate if Alvarez must miss action.

          • Chicago White Sox OF Luis Robert didn't play last night as he's experiencing rib soreness. The club is optimistic that Robert will rejoin the lineup today.

          • Chicago Cubs OF Seiya Suzuki missed his second straight game last night as he's still nursing a sprained ankle. Suzuki is considered day-to-day for the final two games of the regular season.

          Everything else you need to know for Saturday

          • Andre Pallante (6% rostered in ESPN leagues) has been a stabilizing force in the St. Louis Cardinals' rotation over the season's final two months, registering a 2.74 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across his past eight starts. He's also coming off his two strongest outings of the year. Pallante spun seven shutout innings with nine Ks against the Pittsburgh Pirates, followed by a seven-inning, one-run effort versus the Cleveland Guardians his last time out. Now, the right-hander finds himself on the streaming radar with a matchup against the San Francisco Giants, who sport an 87 wRC+ and a 28.6% strikeout rate over the past month.

          • One of the day's more promising matchups features Kutter Crawford (59%), who will take the hill against the Tampa Bay Rays. Since the All-Star break, Tampa's offense ranks 24th in baseball with an 89 wRC+, and its 26.1% strikeout rate during that period is the worst in the American League. Considering Crawford has faced six top-10 offenses (based on wRC+) in his past seven starts, Saturday's matchup will be a breath of fresh air. Despite the tough competition, the right-hander has surrendered more than three earned runs only once in his past seven outings.

          • Andrew Heaney (19%) provides some start-to-start volatility, which sometimes diminishes his appeal as a streaming option. However, there are reasons for optimism heading into Saturday's matchup against the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels have struggled against left-handed pitching this season, ranking 21st in MLB with a 91 wRC+ against them. Heaney also boasts a solid track record of late, posting a 3.66 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 9.4 K/9 over his past nine starts. With time running out to accumulate wins and Ks, he belongs in the streamer discussion.

          • When choosing pitchers to stream hitters against, we want to find hurlers with blowup potential. The Angels' Griffin Canning fits the bill. The right-hander has allowed six or more runs on four different occasions since the break, resulting in a 5.88 ERA in the second half. With the Rangers in town, Wyatt Langford (48%), Josh Smith (25%), and Nathaniel Lowe (17%) are all prime streaming candidates. Langford, who is batting .306/.385/.600 with six homers and five steals over his past 22 games, is the priority add.

          • Betting tip of the day: With a matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, I'm taking Kutter Crawford over 5.5 total strikeouts (+110). The right-hander has struck out six or more batters in each of his last four starts, and the Rays have been one of baseball's most strikeout-prone teams since the All-Star break, fanning 26% of the time (fourth-most in MLB).

          Starting pitcher rankings for Saturday

          Reliever report

          To get the latest information on each team's bullpen hierarchy, as well as which pitchers might be facing a bit of fatigue and who might be the most likely suspects to vulture a save or pick up a surprise hold in their stead, check out the latest Closer Chart, which will be updated every morning.

          Hitting report

          Plan ahead in fantasy baseball with help from our Forecaster projections. Each day, we will provide an updated preview of the next 10 days for every team, projecting the matchup quality for hitters (overall and by handedness) as well as for base stealers.

          Best sub-50% rostered hitters for Saturday

          Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more.

          Worst over-50% rostered hitters for Saturday

          The BAT X's Best Stacks for Saturday