Duensing Checks In
Photo Credit: resedabear

At “Stream Pies,” we are serving up gooey loads of knowledge. Here, we’ll provide invaluable streaming advice on SPs who are owned in less than 30-percent of Yahoo! leagues. We list the options in order of best option to “least-best” option (with the strongest recommendations starting at the top).

For games played Tuesday, August 2nd
Homer Bailey @HOU
Though he was bombed in his last start, he’s facing a depleted Astros lineup loaded with underwhelming bats. It also doesn’t hurt that Bailey owns a 1.45 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 18.2 innings over three starts for his career vs. the Stroh’s Lights.

Brian Duensing @LAA
He’s been a road warrior (3.48 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 62 innings away from home) and it’s not like the Angels have been world-beaters on offense this season. Cock-beaters maybe, but world-beaters? Definitely not.

For games played Wednesday, August 3rd
Bruce Chen vs. BAL
Don’t let the fact that it’s Bruce Chen fool you. He’s actually been pretty useful at home (3.11 ERA and 1.25 WHIP) and the Orioles pose little threat.

For games played Thursday, August 4th
Brett Cecil @TB
For the most part, Cecil has quietly pitched well over his last few starts and considering the numbers he’s putting up on the road this year (34 IP, 2.91 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 27 Ks), I have no problem throwing him out there against a modest Rays offense.

For games played Friday, August 5th
Jeff Niemann vs. OAK
As of this writing, Niemann is owned in just 27-percent of Yahoo! leagues, but I imagine that number may rise past 30 if fantasy writers follow in the footsteps of your boy and point out his sick numbers of late (34 IP, 1.06 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 34 Ks over his last five starts). Still taking full credit for anything he does on Friday, regardless of his ownership rate on the eve of his start.

Mike Leake @CHC
Not only do the Cubs suck, but Leake is killing it on the road (44.1 IP, 3.25 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 31 Ks).

R.A. Dickey vs. ATL
If the Mets are to have even a glimmer of hope for the NL Wild Card, they have to sweep the Braves in this series. I’m banking on Dickey (who is pitching the series opener) coming up big for the Mets in arguably his most important start of the season.

Jeff Francis vs. DET
Francis the Praying Mantis has been a solid stream option at home, where he owns a 3.52 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. He’s also had success against the Tigers in two starts this year (14 IP, 3.21 ERA, 0.93 ERA, 10 Ks, .212 BAA).

“Stream Pies” Recommendation Results for 2011
44 Wins (105 starts), 650.2 IP, 3.97 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 6.28 K/9 

Ain’t it the truth...

At “Stream Pies,” we are serving up gooey loads of knowledge. Here, we’ll provide invaluable streaming advice on SPs who are owned in less than 30-percent of Yahoo! leagues. We list the options in order of best option to “least-best” option (with the strongest recommendations starting at the top).

This weekend, I’mma be at the Yankees/Orioles game cheering on the greatest team in sports history. What are you gonna be doing? Blowing dudes most likely. To help you get over your shame, here are some stream recommendations to help boost your team up the standings:

For games played Saturday, July 30th
Alex Cobb @SEA
I’ve touted Cobb as a stream option in his last three starts and am rolling with him again versus the awful Mariners offense. He has allowed just five runs over his last 31.1 innings.

For games played Sunday, July 31st
Brandon McCarthy vs. MIN
Minnesota is on fire, but McCarthy is killing it at home (46.2 IP, 2.12 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 33 Ks). Just like a Twink, Minny will be on the bottom here.

Juan Nicasio @SD
Yes Nicasio has been very uneven this season, but he’s had some gems sprinkled in with some bomb-outs lately and you have to imagine that he can put together something useful at Petco Park against the woeful Padres.

Chris Narveson vs. HOU
Even if the Astros keep Hunter Pence, this is an offense that even the inconsistent Narveson can handle. Plus, he’s been pretty good over his last four turns (24 IP, 2.63 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 17 Ks).

For games played Monday, August 1st
Doug Fister vs. OAK
The Fist has been nasty at home (3.00 ERA and 1.19 WHIP) and let’s face it, the A’s suck worse than a broken vacuum cleaner.

Paul Maholm vs. CHC
Maholm has been a stalwart here on “Stream Pies” and he draws another fantastic matchup against a Cubs offense that could be even worse when the dust settles on the trade deadline. Maholm also has a sparkling 2.37 ERA at home this year.

“Stream Pies” Recommendation Results for 2011
41 Wins (99 starts), 611.2 IP, 4.05 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 5.97 K/9

Gotta go to Mose’

At “Stream Pies,” we are serving up gooey loads of knowledge. Here, we’ll provide invaluable streaming advice on SPs who are owned in less than 30-percent of Yahoo! leagues. We list the options in order of best option to “least-best” option (with the strongest recommendations starting at the top).

Admittedly, this is a bad week for streaming. Not a lot of interesting matchups to take advantage of, but there’s definitely enough to

For games played Tuesday, July 26th
Brandon McCarthy vs. TB
McCarthy is rocking a 2.33 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 6.98 K/9 at home, and while the Rays are a good team, their offense isn’t anything special.

Dustin Moseley vs. ARI
Dustin “Mose” Moseley has been a quietly effective SP all year (3.19 ERA and 1.27 WHIP) and while he’s been much worse at home this year (3.91 ERA and 1.40 WHIP), I’m still liking his odds of a useful fantasy start at Petco Park.

For games played Wednesday, July 27th
No-damn-body. Unless you think starting John Lackey is a good idea (which it isn’t, even against KC).

For games played Thursday, July 28th
Homer Bailey vs. NYM
Bailey continues to kill it at home (4-1, 32.1 IP, 2.51 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 25 Ks) and though the Mets offense is finally healthy, Bailey has looked good enough to handle them.

For games played Friday, July 29th
Jeff Niemann @SEA
The Mariners suck, Niemann is on fire right now (1.32 ERA in July), and the Rays SP has been a superior hurler on the road (32 IP, 3.38 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 18 Ks).

Jason Hammel @SD
Though Hammel was rocked in his last start, he’ll be pitching in Petco this time around and he owns a 2.95 ERA there over 18.1 innings. Oh yeah, the Padres also suck.

“Stream Pies” Recommendation Results for 2011
37 Wins (93 starts), 573.0 IP, 4.02 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 5.89 K/9

Freddy Garcia will come back to Earth, just not Monday.
Photo Credit: spablab

At “Stream Pies,” we are serving up gooey loads of knowledge. Here, we’ll provide invaluable streaming advice on SPs who are owned in less than 30-percent of Yahoo! leagues. We list the options in order of best option to “least-best” option (with the strongest recommendations starting at the top).

For games played Sunday, July 24th
Alex Cobb @KC
The Royals offense has been sputtering worse than Al Bundy’s Dodge lately, and Cobb has allowed just five earned runs over his last 24.1 innings (that’s a 1.85 ERA for all you math majors).

For games played Monday, July 25th
Freddy Garcia vs. SEA
At some point, Garcia will tail off, but with a matchup against the light-hitting Mariners, don’t expect it to happen in this start.

R.A. Dickey vs. CIN
The Reds have never faced Dickey, which gives the frustrating knuckle-baller a nice advantage here. It also helps that the Reds offense has been pretty bad of late.

James McDonald @ATL
McDonald has been better recently, and he owns great numbers against the Braves across 17 innings (1.06 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 14 Ks).

“Stream Pies” Recommendation Results for 2011
35 Wins (86 starts), 531.2 IP, 3.96 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 5.86 K/9

"Everytime I see you hit one in the air, you owe me 20 push-ups"
Photo Credit: jbtuohy

Free at last! Free at last! Thank the fantasy baseball gods almighty, he is free at last! The Tampa Bay Rays have (finally!) called up Desmond Jennings. I can hardly believe it, but it's true. Jennings will man Left Field for the (Devil) Rays going forward. The Rays No. 1 positional prospect was enjoying a fine season in AAA-Durham before his promotion (.275/.374/.456). This was the 24-year old's third tour of AAA. He had become so bored with the minor leagues he decided to break his own finger to provide himself a challenge. That's how good he was down there. How good will he be in the major leagues? Make the jump with us and find out. This is your Desmond Jennings rest-of-season forecast.

Jason won't heal Cleveland's wounds, but he can offer them a warm embrace.
Photo Credit: bsstahl

Cleveland sports fans will never run out of things to complain about, but we can check Jason Kipnis off the list. Today the Indians will promote their Second Baseman of the future. Entering the 2011 season Jason was the Indians third ranked prospect (behind Lonnie Chisenhall and Alex White). He hit his way from Rookie ball to Double-A in '10 and fared well in his first tour of Triple-A this season. Kipnis was hitting .279/.361/.481 with 12 HR and 12 SB in 91 games at AAA-Columbus (International League). He has the pedigree we seek, he plays Second Base and he has hit at every level in the minors. Is he a must add for standard mixers? Will he be useful for everyone? I'll let you know what to expect, after these sponsored messages.

Sport some Hammel-toe this weekend.
Photo Credit: HappyHarvick2962

At “Stream Pies,” we are serving up gooey loads of knowledge. Here, we’ll provide invaluable streaming advice on SPs who are owned in less than 30-percent of Yahoo! leagues. We list the options in order of best option to “least-best” option (with the strongest recommendations starting at the top).

For games played Friday, July 22nd
Jeff Niemann @KC
There’s a lot to like about Niemann’s start against the Royals. Not only has he been money over his last three outings (2 Ws, 21.1 IP, 0.84 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 19 Ks), but he owns KC for his career (3-0, 25.1 IP, 0.71 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 22 Ks) and is killing it on the road this year (3.46 ERA and 1.23 WHIP).

Paul Maholm vs. STL
Albert Pujols owns him (.576 BA in 33 ABs), but the Pirates are riding a “we don’t actually suck this year” high and I’m looking for their “ace” to keep it going. Maholm has also been great at home, sporting a 1.93 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 6.17 K/9 over 70 innings.

For games played Saturday, July 23rd
Homer Bailey vs. ATL
The Braves are hitting a lowly .238 as a team and Bailey has been diesel at home in 26.1 innings (2.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 22 Ks). Small sample size? My response to that is, “your penis is a small sample size.”

Chris Capuano @FLA
The Marlins scored four runs off Capuano in 7.2 innings in his last start, but of the seven hits he allowed, only one went for extra bases (a double). He kept the Marlins off balance the whole game, getting 12 grounders while only surrendering three line drives. Even though his ownership level has dipped recently, he still has a 2.90 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 7.79 K/9 over his last eight starts.

Jason Hammel @ARI
Not only has Hammel been much better on the road (50.1 IP, 3.40 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 25 Ks), but he’s also dominated the D-backs this year in two starts (14 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9 Ks). Plus, touting him allowed me to use my Hammel-toe comment in the caption above.

Kyle Kendrick vs. SD
No one is saying Kyle Kendrick will keep this up. In fact, anyone who believes that should get in touch with me regarding some magic beans I’ve recently procured. Though he is pitching in his home band-box, Kendrick has been at his best there (2.89 ERA and 1.25 WHIP) and is facing the lowest scoring team in the National League. Sounds good to me.

Jeff Francis vs. TB
The Rays are a good team overall, but they aren’t a dynamic offense by any means (8th in AL in runs scored) and Francis has been nice at home this year (66.2 IP, 3.38 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 32 Ks).

“Stream Pies” Recommendation Results for 2011
35 Wins (84 starts), 519.2 IP, 3.88 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 5.92 K/9

Man down! Stephen Drew's ankle is no more. His season is done. You might as well have Stephen Baldwin on your team. The younger Drew brother wasn't carrying any fantasy baseball teams on his back, but losing your starting Shortstop hurts no matter how you slice it. Today's edition of MLB For Reals Talk explores our replacement shorties. Thirteen hand-selected individuals for your choosing after the jump.

Reacting to the Giants robbing them of the spanking Jeff Keppinger, the Houston Astros called up Jose Altuve. The 21-year old Second Baseman is a midget (technically classified as a hobbit), but as The Learning Channel has taught us, midgets can do (almost) everything a real person can. I believe Altuve is the shortest player in baseball at 5'6 (150 lbs). His diminutive stature aside, he is a pretty good ball player. You have to be highly skilled to play in the big leagues as a freshly minted 21-year old. Last year he hit .303 with 15 HR and 42 SB between A and A+ ball (125 games total). The pint-sized prospect is making the jump directly from AA-Corpus Christi, where he proudly boasts a .360/.388/.544 triple slash line. Can he make a smooth transition to the big leagues, will he be useful for us? Meet us after the jump for your Jose Altuve forecast.

"Dear Charlie, I still have those pics of you. I'd like to close games again -xox- Brad"
Photo Credit: Shannon Lamond

Whether you need another Closer or not you are chasing Saves. Even if you have a comfortable lead in the category you can use Saves as trade bait and a tool to manipulate the standings. I recently traded away Drew Storen (and Michael Brantley) and the deciding factor wasn't who I received (Nelson Cruz), but which team I helped boost in Saves. I can always find more Saves on the waiver wire (hopefully). As we inch closer to the non-waiver trade deadline we will speculate on which set up men could find themselves closing games in the near future. To the jump!