Week 21 MLB two-start streaming targets showdown across 34 pitchers scheduled for two starts Aug 18–24, with a clear distinction between under-50% rostered sleepers and popular, rostered bets. Spencer Arrighetti leads theBest Available streamer group for his Houston slate, while Matthew Liberatore offers a steadier floor for WHIP and ERA thanks to favorable Miami and Tampa Bay matchups. The risk tier features Jack Leiter, Jameson Taillon, Dustin May, and Nestor Cortés, each with contrasting risk/reward dynamics against KC, LAA, SF/LAD, and SD/LAD. Post-deadline aftershocks tighten the streaming pool, making pace and pitch mix critiques essential for savvy fantasy managers.

Key names to monitor include Arrighetti, Liberatore, Leiter, Taillon, May, Cortés, and Taillon’s health return, alongside the Padres’ Cortés’ two-start set. The column emphasizes arsenal depth, matchup-driven rostering, and weekly waiver-wire discipline as the landscape shifts after the trade deadline. In weekly waiver-wire terms, these are the kinds of plays that can stabilize ratios while still contributing strikeouts and win potential.

Dump of four rising starters in a pitch-shift week, framed for fantasy managers who want actionable reads on who’s adjusting and who’s just hot, with a focus on changes in usage, timing, and pitch mix. Cease shifts to a deeper arsenal, leaning on curve and sinker to back off lefties and jam righties, signaling a real second-half buy window if command holds. Javier re-emerges post-TJ with a fastball that plays up, a sweeper addition, and a plan to deepen the map with a sinker, cutter, and changeup—yet command must follow the stuff. Cavalli shows a deliberate multi-pitch approach in two starts, using four-seam, sinker, curve, and changeup to set up two-strike sequences and keep hitters guessing. May’s swing toward a four-pitch mix in Boston, with a higher location fastball and a more-used cutter, plus a lighter sweeper load, signals a plausible reclamation arc, even if the lack of a true knockout pitch persists. Bergert’s Royals debut stretch features a rising fastball with elite iVB, a new sweeper to diversify looks, and a likely future as a rotation anchor with a potential changeup upgrade. The narrative threads through Judge’s top-season resurgence chatter, Wheeler’s shoulder guard, and Bregman’s frame of reference, all anchored by Roman Anthony’s Sox ascent as a reminder that big-name youth and veteran reclamations ride the same wave of attrition and adjustment.

In sum, recent results are tied not only to raw velocity or one-off changes but to curated tools, sequence work, and the placement of new offerings within two-strike plans. The takeaway for fantasy: prioritize Cease, Javier, Cavalli, May, and Bergert if you’re chasing trend-changes that could endure; monitor Arrighetti, Judge, Wheeler, and Bregman for ancillary impact and roster flexibility; and keep an eye on Roman Anthony as a late-blooming contextual lift for Sox stacks down the stretch.

Dodgers fans finally have the rotation they dreamed of in spring: Snell back from shoulder inflammation and razor-sharp through Toronto, Glasnow flashing 18 strikeouts in 10 innings since returning, and Yamamoto, Ohtani and Kershaw all healthy and performing. A six-man rhythm helps manage workloads as Emmet Sheehan steps in after Dustin May’s deadline move to Boston, giving Los Angeles nightly innings certainty and bullpen relief to boot. The offense followed suit, with Muncy and Betts delivering clutch hits and Ohtani launching his 40th homer as the Dodgers padded a 9-1 win. The club aims to ride this depth deep into October, with Glasnow facing another test against Toronto in a series that also featured a strong St. Louis/Cardinals backdrop and a reminder of Alex Call’s evolving at-bat.

Key to the plan is health: Snell’s continued form after a slow April, Glasnow’s sting-free return, and the veteran pair of Ohtani and Kershaw keeping their prior-career excellence intact. Yamamoto sits atop NL leaders with eight scoreless outings, a signal of the staff’s upside. Dustin May’s departure left a luxury bench for a rotation that can align every night, while the bullpen, banged up earlier, sees reinforcements on the way. It all points to a Dodgers frontline that can outlast rivals in a win-now postseason, provided the health holds and matchups break their way.

The Dodgers have finally assembled the rotation they hoped for in spring, led by Snell, Glasnow, Ohtani, Kershaw, and Yamamoto, with a sixth starter to patrol the calendar. Snell’s shoulder inflammation sidelined him for four months, but his return looks explosive—18 strikeouts in 10 innings across two starts. Offense helped, too, as Muncy and Ohtani supplied big blows in a 9-1 win over Toronto, while the pitching staff pounded the Jays with late rally depth.

Yamamoto has been the quiet engine, 22 starts with a 2.51 ERA and eight scoreless outings, while Glasnow and Kershaw have shown health returning in time for a run at October. Emmet Sheehan, a rookie who endured Tommy John, earned a luxury look as a potential nightly option. Dustin May’s trade to Boston opened room for depth and rest days, a strategic shift that could fuel the Dodgers’ depth-forward plan into late season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' recent struggles continued as they fell to the San Francisco Giants, 8-7, marking their seventh straight loss, the longest streak since 2017. Despite an impressive display of offense in the later innings, the Dodgers found themselves in a hole too deep to escape after a disastrous start from Dustin May, who allowed seven runs in less than five innings.

Shohei Ohtani provided a glimmer of hope in the third with his 32nd home run of the season, but the Giants capitalized on May's wildness, scoring five runs in the fifth. The Dodgers rallied late with contributions from Teoscar Hernández and Michael Conforto, along with Mookie Betts and Will Smith, but couldn't overcome the early deficit. The division lead now shrinks to four games, raising concerns as they approach the All-Star break.