Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Friday: Strikeout potential for Michael Soroka

ESPN FantasyApr 17, 2026, 06:00 AM
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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.

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ESPN's 2026 Draft Guide | Betting notes for Friday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR FRIDAY

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
13.6	Logan Gilbert	R	TEX	98.2%	38%	5.8	6.2	2.1	6.4
12.7	Joe Ryan	R	CIN	97.7%	36%	5.6	6.3	2.2	6.5
12.0	Jacob deGrom	R	@SEA	97.7%	23%	5.2	5.7	1.9	6.0
10.9	Cam Schlittler	R	KC	94.0%	29%	5.2	6.3	2.0	5.7
10.4	Edward Cabrera	R	NYM	64.1%	29%	5.3	6.7	2.2	5.6
10.2	Logan Webb	R	@WSH	97.3%	39%	6.1	8.0	2.9	5.7
9.9	Tanner Bibee	R	BAL	68.2%	35%	5.5	7.1	2.8	5.8
9.2	Michael Wacha	R	@NYY	67.9%	29%	5.4	7.0	2.5	5.0
9.2	Michael Soroka	R	TOR	29.1%	28%	5.1	6.5	2.5	5.1
8.6	Robert Gasser	L	@MIA	0.1%	19%	4.8	6.1	2.0	4.4
8.6	Janson Junk	R	MIL	1.5%	31%	5.4	6.9	2.5	4.2
8.5	Kodai Senga	R	@CHC	25.6%	27%	5.2	7.0	2.5	5.1
8.2	Aaron Civale	R	CWS	8.6%	26%	5.1	6.8	2.5	4.7
7.9	Davis Martin	R	@ATH	6.3%	29%	5.4	7.3	2.8	4.7
7.9	Nick Martinez	R	@PIT	7.8%	30%	5.4	7.0	2.8	4.4
7.8	Ranger Suarez	L	DET	64.4%	33%	5.3	7.4	3.1	5.4
7.7	Jose Soriano	R	SD	90.9%	27%	5.3	7.6	2.7	4.9
7.6	Lance McCullers Jr.	R	STL	17.4%	19%	4.6	6.5	2.2	5.0
7.4	Martin Perez	L	@PHI	0.6%	27%	5.1	6.9	2.7	4.5
7.3	Tyler Glasnow	R	@COL	91.0%	39%	5.2	7.3	4.0	6.5
7.1	Chris Bassitt	R	@CLE	5.6%	26%	5.4	7.9	3.1	4.9
7.0	Zack Littell	R	SF	2.3%	25%	5.3	7.1	3.1	4.4
7.0	Kyle Leahy	R	@HOU	2.0%	22%	4.6	6.3	2.4	4.2
6.7	Bubba Chandler	R	TB	40.2%	20%	4.8	6.7	2.5	4.3
6.4	Matt Waldron	R	@LAA	0.1%	32%	5.3	7.7	3.4	4.9
6.4	Brandon Williamson	L	@MIN	0.9%	18%	4.6	6.6	2.5	4.4
4.7	Casey Mize	R	@BOS	16.8%	23%	4.9	7.5	3.5	4.7
4.7	Taijuan Walker	R	ATL	0.6%	25%	5.0	7.5	3.3	4.0
4.4	Eric Lauer	L	@ARI	3.8%	19%	4.5	7.2	3.1	4.3
-2.3	Tomoyuki Sugano	R	LAD	5.6%	14%	4.7	8.1	5.9	4.0

Pitchers to stream on Friday

One of the keys to in-season roster management is overcoming cognitive bias. When Michael Soroka first debuted, his strengths were command and control as opposed to racking up strikeouts. He was frequently injured over the next few years, so his increased dominance may have been overlooked. In 2019, Soroka logged 174 2/3 innings, with only 142 strikeouts. Over the past two years, he's compiled 169 1/3 total innings, with a combined 179 punchouts. This season, he's fanned 10 in two of his first three outings. With the Arizona Diamondbacks hosting the Toronto Blue Jays, Soroka will be challenged to record his third double-digit strikeout game, but he'll face a lineup missing three productive hitters, with Alejandro Kirk, George Springer and Addison Barger all on the IL.
Nick Martinez began the season with a pair of quality starts, then ran into a patient New York Yankees lineup that ran his pitch count up, sending him to the showers after 4 2/3 innings. Even so, Martinez limited the Yankees to one run, lowering his ERA to 2.16. On Friday, he gets his first look at Tropicana Field as his home park when the Tampa Bay Rays host the Pittsburgh Pirates. The visitors are off to a strong start offensively, but Martinez has been sharp, and he's working in one of the top pitching venues in the game.
After three solid road starts, Aaron Civale will take the hill in Sutter Health Park for the first time with the Athletics. Over the summer, the Sacramento heat and Delta breeze will turn the venue into a bandbox, but it's still manageable, especially since Civale faces the Chicago White and the league's least productive lineup.

Hitters to stream on Friday

The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a slow start at the plate, especially when facing left-handed pitching. However, they have several right-handed batters who usually thrive with the platoon advantage, and the visiting Atlanta Braves will hand the ball to southpaw Martin Perez in the first game of an important early-season NL East clash. Alec Bohm, Adolis Garcia, Edmundo Sosa and J.T. Realmuto line up for a productive evening.
Through three outings, Kyle Leahy has a bloated 1.71 WHIP, courtesy of 16 hits and eight walks in just 14 frames. Fanning only seven has compounded the excessive traffic on the bases. On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Houston Astros. The Astros' pitching has been decimated by injuries, but their offense is off to a strong start. Even without the platoon edge, Yainer Diaz, Carlos Correa, Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith enjoy a favorable home matchup.