Fantasy Baseball Streaming Pitchers: Charlie Morton Keeps Getting It Done

Charlie Morton, Pittsburgh Pirates

Yahoo Ownership: 18%
ESPN Ownership: 25%

Charlie Morton has four starts under his belt in 2015, resulting in four wins. Based on his 3.48 FIP, his 2.05 ERA and 1.06 WHIP are due for some regression, but even regressing to 3.00 isn't the worst thing for a streaming pitcher. With that said, the Pirate righty gets to face a sub-par Chicago White Sox team in Pittsburgh Tuesday evening.

The White Sox are hitting a respectable .249 away from Chicago, but that average is mitigated by a .300 on-base percentage (OBP) and a .348 OPS, bottom-third numbers in the majors. Chicago also is tied for worst in baseball with 31 double plays grounded into, sporting a 1.04 ground-ball-to-fly ball ratio, perfect for a pitcher like Morton who loves ground balls and doesn't strike out a lot of batters.

Morton also gets a road start in DC against a Nationals team that isn’t scoring. In their last three home series against the Cubs, Blue Jays and Philadelphia, the Nats have averaged 4.33, 1.67, and 2.33 runs per game per series, respectively. Washington scored four or more runs in three of those 10 games and allowed four-plus runs six times. The Nationals don’t do a ton to manufacture runs, highlighted by a 44.4 stolen base conversion rate at home (four steals in nine attempts).

If Morton limits his walks, any home run threat that Washington bases its offense around could be neutralized, as he hasn’t allowed a home run in 25.0 innings pitched.