Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Tuesday: Look to Baz vs. Yankees, Leahy at Reds

ESPN FantasyAug 17, 2026, 04:54 PM ET
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Check out all of our starting pitcher rankings and other lineup selection tools here to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions. All fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

Note: All information is accurate as of the time of publication. For updates, as well as any breaking news that might impact today's MLB slate, be sure to check out the latest fantasy baseball buzz.

Other resources: RP depth chart | 2026 Rankings
ESPN's 2026 Player Rater | Betting notes for Tuesday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR TUESDAY

Pitchers are ranked in order of their Forecaster/Daily Notes projected fantasy points (FPTS), using ESPN's standard scoring system (2 points per win, minus-2 per loss, 3 per inning, 1 per K, minus-1 apiece per hit or walk allowed, minus-2 per earned run allowed).

T: The pitcher's handedness. OPP: Opposing team. RST%: The pitcher's roster percentage in ESPN leagues. W%: The individual starting pitcher's win probability using ESPN projections. IP: Projected innings pitched. H+BB: Projected hits plus walks allowed. ER: Projected earned runs allowed. K: Projected strikeouts.

If a team is planning on using an "opener" to start their game, but will rely on a "bulk pitcher" to follow him on the mound after 1-2 innings, the bulk pitcher is listed and indicated with an asterisk.

FPTS	Pitcher	T	Opp	Rst%	W%	IP	H+BB	ER	K
13.2	Zack Wheeler	R	MIA	98.4%	38%	5.5	5.9	2.0	6.4
11.6	Robbie Ray	L	@NYM	66.1%	37%	5.5	6.7	1.8	5.3
10.9	Kevin Gausman	R	CWS	84.7%	36%	5.7	7.0	2.4	5.5
10.4	Foster Griffin	L	SF	76.8%	31%	5.3	6.3	2.4	5.3
10.3	Nick Martinez	R	TOR	69.3%	33%	5.7	6.7	2.2	4.3
10.1	Jose Soriano	R	@TB	82.1%	29%	5.3	7.0	2.0	5.1
9.8	Braxton Ashcraft	R	DET	86.4%	27%	5.4	6.7	2.4	5.2
9.6	Zac Thornton	L	SD	11.5%	20%	5.0	5.7	1.7	4.0
9.3	Keider Montero	R	@PIT	17.4%	34%	5.6	7.0	2.5	4.3
9.0	Shane Baz	R	NYY	29.1%	29%	5.5	7.2	2.7	5.3
9.0	Kyle Leahy	R	@CIN	23.2%	27%	5.1	6.4	2.6	5.4
8.8	Bryce Miller	R	@MIL	46.8%	27%	5.2	6.5	2.5	4.9
8.6	Andrew Abbott	L	STL	38.5%	32%	5.5	7.4	2.9	5.1
8.5	Tyler Mahle	R	@MIN	10.8%	30%	5.3	7.2	2.6	4.9
8.4	Will Warren	R	@BAL	37.4%	29%	5.2	7.0	2.8	5.4
8.1	Kyle Harrison	L	SEA	70.4%	20%	4.6	6.0	2.3	4.9
8.1	Cristian Javier	R	LAA	1.5%	25%	4.7	6.4	2.1	4.4
7.6	George Klassen	R	@HOU	0.3%	16%	4.8	6.6	2.2	4.5
7.0	Jackson Kent	L	@TEX	0.5%	20%	4.7	6.3	2.6	4.4
6.9	Zebby Matthews	R	ATL	3.1%	26%	5.2	7.4	3.1	5.0
6.6	Carson Whisenhunt	L	@CLE	0.5%	19%	4.6	6.7	2.3	4.2
6.5	Jack Perkins	R	@KC	1.0%	28%	4.9	7.1	2.9	4.7
6.4	Merrill Kelly	R	@BOS	20.3%	28%	5.2	7.3	3.2	4.7
6.4	Erick Fedde	R	@CHC	0.9%	23%	4.9	6.9	2.7	4.0
6.2	Cal Quantrill	R	WSH	0.8%	27%	4.9	6.8	2.9	4.1
6.2	Ranger Suarez	L	ARI	72.9%	21%	4.5	6.5	2.7	4.5
5.4	Tyler Phillips	R	@PHI	2.0%	10%	4.4	6.2	2.5	3.7
4.0	Daniel Lynch IV	L	ATH	0.6%	4%	3.0	4.2	1.7	2.8
1.4	Eric Lauer	L	@COL	4.4%	28%	5.2	8.0	5.5	4.9
-2.4	Ryan Feltner	R	LAD	0.4%	19%	4.5	8.5	5.6	3.8

Pitchers to stream on Tuesday

Shane Baz was hit hard in his last outing, but prior to that, he was solid after the break, posting a 2.15 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 30 strikeouts and only four walks over 29 1/3 innings. The Baltimore Orioles will try to maintain their playoff push against the New York Yankees. There is optimism regarding the impending return of Cody Bellinger and the progress Aaron Judge has made, but for the last two months, the Yankees are averaging the fewest runs per game in MLB.
Kyle Leahy is not dominant, but for the past two seasons, he's logged a strikeout rate over 21%, which is just a tick below average and adequate for streaming purposes. The St. Louis Cardinals are on the road against the Cincinnati Reds. Great American Ball Park isn't ideal for streaming, but on a one-game basis, the quality of the opponent is the driving force. Additionally, the Reds are vulnerable against right-handed pitching, sporting the second-highest strikeout rate and sixth-lowest wOBA over the last two months.
Tyler Mahle has fanned 16 in his first 12 innings with the Atlanta Braves, and he punched out nine in 5 2/3 innings in his final outing for the San Francisco Giants. The veteran will be hard-pressed to maintain this pace, but he's tweaked his pitch mix, throwing fewer cutters and more splitters, so there is a tangible cause for the improvement. Mahle faces a tough road test against the Minnesota Twins, but for the past month, the Twins' offense has been well below average versus right-handers.
Keider Montero is one of the reasons the Detroit Tigers are still in the wild card chase despite dealing Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at the trade deadline. Two of Montero's last three outings have been six innings of shutout ball. Next up is a road affair with the Pittsburgh Pirates. For much of the season, the Pirates were crushing righties, but for the past month, they sport the seventh-lowest wOBA and third-highest strikeout rate with a right-hander on the hill.

Hitters to stream on Tuesday

Carson Whisenhunt broke a three-game losing streak in his last outing, picking up a win over the Houston Astros after allowing just one run over 5 1/3 innings, but he walked three while fanning just two, so it's better to say he escaped with the victory. He'll need to be sharper against the Cleveland Guardians in Progressive Field. Look for Whisenhunt to struggle again, with Jo Adell, Angel Martinez, Rhys Hoskins and Angel Genao enjoying the platoon edge over the lefty.