The list of available two-start pitchers is especially short this week, as most teams have one of their best hurlers lined up for a pair of outings. All the players listed below carry significant risk, and Leiter is by far the best option in the group. On the hitting side, players on the Rockies, Dodgers and Mets are sensible streamers for fantasy baseball. 

Two-Start Pitchers (listed in order of preference)

Jack Leiter, Rangers, 36% (@ KC, vs. CLE): Leiter continues to walk too many batters, but he deserves credit for allowing two or fewer runs in seven of his past eight starts. He has also had several recent games in which he tallied strong strikeout totals. Leiter has favorable matchups this week, as the Royals rank 27th in runs scored and the Guardians place 26th. He needs to go deeper into games to get fantasy managers a win, but he should at least be a source of 10-12 strikeouts.

Nestor Cortes, Padres, 21% (vs. SF, vs. LAD): Cortes has been decent in two starts since returning from a long injured list stint. On a positive note, he has allowed just three runs. However, he didn’t finish the fifth inning in either game and logged a mediocre 9:4 K:BB ratio. Cortes could benefit from working at his pitcher-friendly home park this week, and the Giants matchup is a favorable one. But the Dodgers matchup is enough to scare me away, especially when I worry that Cortes isn’t in his top form.

Dustin May, Red Sox, 37% (vs. BAL, @ NYY): May is coming off his best start of the season, when he struck out eight Astros across six scoreless innings. The righty has been inconsistent throughout 2025, which makes it unlikely that he will follow up a dominant outing with an effective two-start week. He would need to have favorable matchups to be considered in mixed leagues, and that’s not the case.

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Spencer Arrighetti, Astros, 29% (@ DET, @ BAL): Arrighetti has not looked his best since returning from four months on the IL, allowing seven runs on 12 hits and six walks over 8.2 innings in two starts. His matchups are tough this week, as the Tigers have had a productive offense this season and the Orioles have been one of the highest-scoring groups since the All-Star break. He should stay on waivers in mixed leagues.

Matthew Liberatore, Cardinals, 22% (@ MIA, @ TB): Liberatore may be wearing down in his first full MLB season. His last quality start came on June 29, and he hasn’t thrown five innings in any of his past five starts. He has also watched his strikeout rate drop, as he has tallied just eight strikeouts in his past five outings. Despite having respectable season-long numbers, Liberatore belongs on waivers in all mixed leagues.

Jake Irvin, Nationals, 11% (vs. NYM, @ PHI): Managers would have to be desperate to stream Irvin this week. After all, he has poor ratios this season (5.14 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) and has logged a 7.88 ERA since the All-Star break. Irvin hasn’t even contributed in the strikeouts category, as he has just 11 punchouts in his past five starts.

One-Start Streamers

In order, here are the best streamers for the week, with their start date and Yahoo roster rate in brackets.

• Emmet Sheehan @ COL (Tuesday, 20%)

• Nolan McLean @ ATL (Friday, 26%)

• Joe Boyle vs. STL (Thursday, 9%)

• Joey Quintana vs. SF (Friday, 46%)

• Joey Wentz vs. NYM (Friday, 7%)

• J.T. Ginn @ MIN (Wednesday, 4%)

• Mike Burrows vs. COL (Friday, 6%)

• Zebby Matthews @ CWS (Friday, 20%)

• Patrick Corbin @ KC (Thursday, 14%)

• Landen Roupp @ SD (Wednesday, 23%)

• Michael Lorenzen vs. TEX (Thursday, 9%)

• Justin Verlander @ SD (Thursday, 22%)

• Cam Schlittler @ TB (Wednesday, 14%)

• Jack Perkins @ MIN (Thursday, 8%)

Hitters with favorable matchups this week

Mickey Moniak, OF, Rockies, 14%: I continue to regularly recommend Moniak, as he is in the midst of a favorable schedule. The Rockies play seven games this week, with four of the contests coming at Coors Field. There are also five right-handed starters on the schedule, which puts the lefty hitting Moniak in a favorable position. My ideal usage for Moniak is to start him until Friday and then send him to waivers before the Rockies face lefty Andrew Heaney and ace Paul Skenes.

Michael Conforto, OF, Dodgers, 4%: I know what you’re thinking — Conforto is no longer a good hitter. I agree with you, but I also want as many shares of the Dodgers offense as possible for their upcoming four-game series at Coors Field. Conforto is one of the few widely-available Dodgers, and he should start three consecutive games against righties from Tuesday to Thursday. I’m fine with dropping him on Friday.

Colson Montgomery, 3B/SS, White Sox, 39%: Montgomery has been a premium power producer since joining the White Sox by hitting 10 homers in 35 games. The slugger is in great position this week, as he will face two teams (Braves, Twins) who rank among the worst clubs in second half ERA. The Braves have run out of effective starting pitchers in an injury-plagued season, while the Twins depleted their staff at the deadline. Additionally, the White Sox have fared much better at the plate since the All-Star break.

Jeff McNeil, 2B/OF, Mets, 6%: The Mets are well-positioned to score plenty of runs this week when they face the Nats (29th in second half ERA) and Braves (28th in second half ERA). And although McNeil is not a flashy fantasy asset, he is slotted fifth in the lineup for nearly every game. Additionally, those who need a catcher should monitor Francisco Alvarez (18%), who jammed his right thumb on Sunday and is getting an MRI. A healthy Alvarez would belong in fantasy lineups this week, as he has logged a 1.054 OPS since being recalled on July 21.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Andy Audette was in pure disbelief.

Earlier this summer, Audette could tell that his son Colton’s Little League team was a pretty talented bunch. But even as the wins kept piling up, qualifying for the Little League World Series felt like a far-off fantasy.

Fast forward to mid-August, and that fantasy has become reality. The Audettes are here in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the epicenter of the youth baseball universe. It is the final stop on what has been a magical monthlong journey for a tight-knit group of a dozen 12-year-olds from Bonney Lake, Washington. And the reward for being one of 20 lucky teams from around the globe to qualify for this renowned tournament was not just the opportunity to live out every young ballplayer’s dream, but something more. As fate would have it, the Little League team from about 40 miles south of Seattle made it to Williamsport in the same year the Mariners were making their debut at the Little League Classic, MLB’s annual showcase event held in cooperation with the opening weekend of the Little League World Series.

“The kids are what this game is all about,” said Mariners manager Dan Wilson, who was back in Williamsport for the first time since his Illinois team reached the Little League World Series in 1981.

Wilson was one of several team personnel and Mariners staff members wearing official Little League apparel representing the Bonney Lake team.

“When we arrived, seeing the team from the Northwest there and their reaction when we got off the bus, and the swarm of all of our guys,” Wilson said. “When you see it through that 12-year-old’s eyes, it’s pretty special.”

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Colton is one of those 12-year-olds. Nicknamed Little Dumper, a nod to the Mariners’ MVP candidate catcher Cal Raleigh’s magnificent Big Dumper moniker, Colton had become a tournament favorite during Bonney Lake’s run. Once the Audettes realized that an encounter with the star catcher could be in the cards Sunday, preparations were made: Custom T-shirts with “Lil Dumper” emblazoned on a drawing of a dump truck and Audette’s No. 22 — one for Colton to wear to greet Cal, and one to give to Cal as a gift.

It wasn’t that long ago that Andy and fellow coaches Scott Seibert and Chris Heacox were just hoping they could lead their boys to a state championship. Now here they were, seated behind home plate during Mariners batting practice, watching Raleigh swing away while wearing his brand new “Lil Dumper” shirt. A few hours later, they watched Raleigh send a soaring fly ball just over the left field wall for his MLB-leading 47th home run.

“It’s just been unbelievable — a dream,” said the elder Audette, still shaking his head in awe as he watched Colton gawk at the big leaguers alongside his teammates. “When I went to bed last night — I haven’t slept well at all — I’m walking around at 3 in the morning, I go down to the field, and I sit there and just look up like, what is this?”

“And I’m just visualizing what today might look like. And this is exactly what I envisioned.”

Why small ball works for this event 

For as special as the Audettes’ experience turned out to be, they are hardly alone in their wonder from the day’s events. The eighth edition of the Little League Classic provided another generation of Little League teams and thousands of lucky fans in attendance at the iconic complex in Williamsport a collection of new, vivid memories that will sustain for a lifetime.

It was a little over two weeks ago that MLB set an all-time record for single-game regular season attendance when over 90,000 fans filled a massive racetrack in Bristol, Tennessee to watch the Reds and Braves in the Speedway Classic. It is here in Williamsport, however, that MLB has built a refreshing tradition that achieves something completely different. Rather than a gigantic spectacle a la Speedway, the Little League Classic annually features the smallest annual attendance of the season by a comfortable margin.

Delicately tucked in between the Lycoming Creek, which runs north from the Susquehanna River, and a standard neighborhood park featuring a public pool and a couple basketball courts, Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field has a capacity of about 2,500. It’s a staggeringly small total to host a major-league game. For reference, the two minor-league parks currently housing major-league teams in West Sacramento and Tampa hold about 10,000-12,000 fans, while the smallest capacity major-league stadium, Cleveland’s Progressive Field, maxes out around 35,000. And with so few seats available for this unique event, MLB ensures the bulk of the crowd is made up of the Little League players, coaches and families who get to take a break from their own high-stakes competition to enjoy an unrivaled up-close look at some of their favorite big leaguers.

Long day of travel and autograph requests, but ‘it’s worth it’ 

This year’s contest featured the Mariners and Mets, a marquee matchup between two teams jockeying for playoff position in their respective leagues. The teams had split the first two games of the series at Citi Field before taking the quick flight west on Sunday morning for the finale in Williamsport. Entering the weekend, Seattle was one of baseball’s hottest teams while New York had been scuffling hard, but this series brought a reversal of fortunes. After Seattle won an 11-9 slugfest Friday night, the Mets bounced back with a 3-1 win Saturday behind a strong start from top prospect Nolan McLean in his MLB debut. And on Sunday night at Bowman Field, the Mets cruised to a 7-3 victory to clinch their first series win since July 26.

Starter Clay Holmes pitched well for New York in what was, remarkably, his third appearance in a Little League Classic, following relief outings in the event with the Pirates in 2019 and the Yankees a year ago. Juan Soto drew three walks and delivered his signature shuffle to the delight of the crowd. Mark Vientos blasted a three-run homer to break the game open in the fifth inning. Raleigh’s two-run shot was a memorable moment, but not enough to fuel a full-fledged Seattle comeback.

But the truth is, the game that transpires Sunday night is merely an epilogue to everything that unfolds over the course of the day leading up to first pitch. From the arrivals at Williamsport Regional Airport in the morning featuring Little Leaguers greeting the major leaguers on the tarmac to several hours of beautiful chaos at the complex, it’s a nonstop free-for-all of autograph signings, selfies and frantic chants from young kids from all over the world trying to get their favorite players’ attention. Big league stars roam the concourses, slide down the famous hill that looms over Howard J. Lamade Stadium, and talk shop with the kids who hope to be in their shoes some day while spectating the games in progress. For the most part, it’s a mess, in the best way possible, with a constant flow of players moving around the complex, attracting varying degrees of magnetic pull of a larger crowd, depending on their star power.

“I heard this rustling behind me,” said Mariners general manager Justin Hollander. “I saw like, 70 people in a circle, and I thought, ‘Oh, Cal must be here.'”

Multi-time All-Stars get mobbed, middle relievers wander unbothered.

Amid all the madness, some interactions carry more weight than others. Bonney Lake linking up with the nearby Mariners is surely special, but the most powerful connections are those made between the major-leaguers with international roots connecting with their native country’s teams in Williamsport. Ontario’s Matt Brash and Josh Naylor hanging out with Team Canada. Francisco Lindor and Edwin Díaz sitting in the stands with Team Puerto Rico. Andres Muñoz and Randy Arozarena giving a pep talk to Team Mexico. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spending time with the team that made it to Williamsport from his hometown of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, with his fellow Venezuelan players Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens close by to share their own words of wisdom.

“Watching the kids staring at Francisco Alvarez or Francisco Lindor, and you just see that smile on their face, like, ‘Oh my God, this is Francisco Alvarez,’ or ‘this is Francisco Lindor!’” Mendoza said. “And it just kind of takes you back to when I was that age and being around professional players, even from a distance … and just the fact that they were able to be that close, it was a pretty cool experience.”

For tens of thousands of young ballplayers around the world, reaching the Little League World Series is the ultimate dream, with just a couple hundred lucky enough to earn a berth in the renowned summer tournament. For a few dozen major-leaguers, this brief trip to Williamsport represents something different amid the unrelenting grind of a 162-game season, a welcome detour from the dog days of summer.

It’s undeniably a long day at the office for the big leaguers — virtually never do teams fly in and out of cities on game days like they do for the Little League Classic, let alone all the unusual and exhausting activity at the complex that takes place before preparing for their own game — but it serves a greater purpose that is not lost on the players, win or lose Sunday night.

“It’s worth it,” Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez said. “If we don’t impact the youth and the people around us in a positive way, we’re doing this for nothing. And that’s how I see it.

“Even though it’s more work, I think it’s worth it.”

Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles completely erupted during a rehab assignment on Sunday night, throwing a bat at a pitcher after he was hit resulting in Robles’ ejection from the minor league game.  

Robles, who is currently playing with the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate out of Tacoma, was hit by a pitch in the third inning against the Las Vegas Aviators, the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. Aviators starter Joe Estes’ first pitch to Robles went high and inside, and hit Robles near his head, though he swung at the pitch before it made contact.

Robles, after briefly collecting himself, then launched the bat hard at Estes. Robles was immediately thrown out of the game while the catcher stood there, stunned. Robles then charged at Estes and had to be held back as things escalated quickly on the field.

Robles eventually walked away and into the dugout. He ended up throwing a big box of seeds out onto the field before finally leaving for good. The seeds went everywhere while both teams stood around near the mound.

Hours later, Robles posted an apology to his Instagram story:

“I want to take a moment to sincerely apologize for my recent reaction on the field. I let my frustration get the best of me, and I understand how that may have affected not just the game, but the energy and respect we all work so hard to maintain.

“Coming off a long rehab and being away from the game for most of the season has been physically and mentally challenging. Adding to that, the recent passing of my mother has been incredibly hard, and I’ve been doing my best to hold it together. That’s not an excuse, but some context I feel you deserve to understand where I’m coming from. 

“Getting hit 5 times in 15 at-bats added to that pressure, and I reacted in a way I’m not proud of. This game means the world to me, and so do the people who play it. I respect every one of you — my teammates, the opposing players, and everyone in this league.

“I’m committed to being better, not just as a player, but as a teammate and competitor. I appreciate your understanding, and I’m grateful to be back on the field doing what I love. Thank you.”

Robles has been recovering from a dislocated shoulder he went down with while trying to make a catch for the Mariners in April. He ran hard into the wall and netting at Oracle Park during a game against the San Francisco Giants, but awkwardly bent back and fell to the ground after making the catch. He was later carted off the field.

Robles made his first rehab assignment in Tacoma on Tuesday night. He’s now been hit by a pitch at least three times in his short time with the team. It’s unclear if anything else happened Sunday night to prompt that reaction, though he’s likely to face punishment from the league in the near future.

Robles signed with the Mariners midway through last season after he spent his first eight years in the league with the Washington Nationals. He held a .273 average and .624 OPS with 12 hits in 10 games before he went down with the shoulder injury.

It’s unclear how long Robles was going to play in the minors before the incident, but Sunday’s outburst certainly doesn’t help things for him. The Mariners, meanwhile, hold a 68-57 record and sit in second in the AL West.