Fantasy baseball Saturday advice: Wacha is delivering serious results

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

Wacha's success is no joke

The Kansas City Royals currently hold the second wild card spot in the American League, boasting a +95 run differential that ranks second-best in the league. While Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo are the clear 1-2 at the top of the starting rotation, Michael Wacha has quietly asserted himself as a reliable arm who doesn't receive enough attention in both in real-life and fantasy circles.

Wacha sports a rock-solid 3.34 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP across his 26 starts this season. In his 10 second-half starts, he has posted an impressive 2.63 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP. The veteran right-hander has also delivered a quality start in seven of his last eight outings.

Wacha continues to rely heavily on his changeup, which is his most-used pitch (32%). It's the only pitch in Wacha's repertoire that grades as an above-average offering (110 Stuff+), but he maximizes its effectiveness by changing speeds and hitting his spots.

With a matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, Wacha stands out as one of the top streaming options of the day. Over the past month, the Pirates rank bottom-five in baseball with an 87 wRC+, and they've been even worse over the last two weeks (79 wRC+). Available in 64% of ESPN leagues, Wacha is poised to continue his strong performance in this favorable matchup.

Everything else you need to know for Saturday

• After having been sidelined since late July due to a shoulder injury, Max Scherzer (37% rostered in ESPN leagues) is set to rejoin the Texas Rangers rotation on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners . He pitched well in his last rehab start at Triple-A Round Rock, logging four scoreless innings while striking out eight. A matchup against the Mariners presents a soft landing spot for the veteran, as the M's have the highest strikeout rate in baseball against right-handed pitching this season (27.6%). Manager Bruce Bochy has stated that Scherzer could go "five innings, 60 pitches" in his return, tempering any immediate streaming appeal, though he could be an option in his subsequent starts.
• While a matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies isn't ideal, Luis Severino (35%) still comes out pretty well in our rankings. He has been in excellent form lately, posting a 1.95 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and a 9.8 K/9 over his last five starts. Severino also stands a good chance of securing a win in this matchup, as the Phillies are handing the ball to journeyman Kolby Allard , the owner of a 5.92 career ERA over his 263 big league IP.
• Speaking of Allard, this is indeed a hurler we want to exploit. With the Mets in town, Mark Vientos (28%), Starling Marte (14%), J.D. Martinez (11%), and Francisco Alvarez (32%) all draw the platoon advantage in this matchup. They'll each enjoy a nice park boost at Citizens Bank Park.
• There may be some hesitation in starting Justin Verlander (50%), who has had a few rough outings since returning from the IL. Nevertheless, we're inclined to trust in the favorable matchup. On Saturday, the veteran righty takes the hill against the Los Angeles Angels , who rank third-worst in wRC+ (77) over the last month and second-worst in strikeout rate (28.1%). Apart from those delightful occasions when one gets to face the Chicago White Sox , matchups don't get much better than this.

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.

• Ezequiel Tovar (COL, SS -- 26%) vs. Jameson Taillon
• Ryan McMahon (COL, 3B -- 43%) vs. Taillon
• Charlie Blackmon (COL, RF -- 5%) vs. Taillon
• Jake Burger (MIA, 3B -- 35%) at Patrick Corbin
• Michael Toglia (COL, 1B -- 9%) vs. Taillon
• Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC, CF -- 16%) at Kyle Freeland
• Shea Langeliers (OAK, C -- 21%) at Chris Flexen
• Nolan Jones (COL, LF -- 32%) vs. Taillon
• Joc Pederson (ARI, LF -- 15%) vs. Tobias Myers
• Michael Busch (CHC, 3B -- 19%) at Freeland

Worst over-50% rostered hitters for Saturday

• Max Muncy (LAD, 3B -- 61%) at Chris Sale
• Anthony Volpe (NYY, SS -- 72%) vs. Brayan Bello
• Adolis Garcia (TEX, RF -- 81%) at Logan Gilbert
• Triston Casas (BOS, 1B -- 51%) at Gerrit Cole
• Randy Arozarena (SEA, LF -- 73%) vs. Scherzer
• Cal Raleigh (SEA, C -- 84%) vs. Scherzer
• Teoscar Hernandez (LAD, RF -- 90%) at Sale
• Julio Rodriguez (SEA, CF -- 93%) vs. Scherzer
• Brice Turang (MIL, 2B -- 67%) at Brandon Pfaadt
• Maikel Garcia (KC, 3B -- 63%) at Mitch Keller