The starting pitching slate around the Majors on Saturday may be a bit light on brand names — apologies to Luis Castillo and Blake Snell — but what it lacks in star power, it more than makes up for in value. Which is ideal for those of us with fantasy staffs looking for a boost with just a month left to go in the season; there are plenty of under-the-radar options likely to still be available on your waiver wire that could come through in a big way today. As always, our daily starting pitcher rankings are here to break it all down, with recommendations on who to start, who to sit and who to stream.
Starting pitcher rankings for Saturday, September 2
Pitchers to stream
Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels — Canning showed out in his first proper start since late July, fanning nine Mets over seven innings of one-run ball. The beleaguered Angels aren’t a great place to look for wins these days, but the Oakland A’s are one of the few teams the Halos are genuine favorites against. Oakland’s lineup has been dismal of late and the Coliseum is a very friendly place to pitch; if Canning has the feel for his full compliment of breaking pitches again, he carries major upside.
Tanner Houck, Boston Red Sox — The WHIP wasn’t pretty, but Houck still limited the fearsome Dodgers to just one run over four innings — and showed off an awfully wicked slider in the process. Houck should have an easier time getting to the all-important five-inning mark on Saturday against a Royals team that’s cooled off a bit at the plate after a surprisingly frisky beginning to August, and Kansas City doesn’t have the impact lefty bats that could make Houck pay for his lack of a true third pitch.
Logan Allen, Cleveland Guardians — I’m not quite sure what to make of the Rays offense at the moment; the overall numbers of late aren’t bad, but they’ve been prone to going quiet for games at a time. They let a very middling Cal Quantrill put up a quality start last night, after all, and Allen has been a far better pitcher this year than Quantrill — the rookie has allowed two or fewer runs in four of his last five starts.
And now, without further ado, here are your full starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball on Saturday, September 2.
