Streaming pitchers is a strategy many fantasy owners deploy, often several times a week in an effort to get a boost in certain categories.

Sometimes it works and owners get their desired outcome. Other times, though the matchup looked too good to pass up, it blows up in your face and your start wondering why you picked up Bartolo Colon to face the Yankees (that is a far-fetched example, but anything to get Big Sexy mentioned).

But, what if those streamers, those rental pitchers, start to put together stretches in which they look like they can become permanent fixtures on your team?

Oakland’s Daniel Mengden looks like the second coming of Rollie Fingers (seriously, look at his picture), and recently has pitched like the 1981 MVP and Cy Young award winner.

In six May starts, Mengden went 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA, 24 strikeouts, just four walks and a .181 opponent average. He lasted into the sixth inning in five of those starts, and he has allowed more than three earned runs in just two of his 12 starts.

On Thursday, Mengden extended scoreless streak to 25 innings, a career high. It is also the longest scoreless streak of any A’s pitcher since Sean Doolittle (26 ¹/₃ innings) in 2014, and the longest by an Oakland starter since Cory Lidle tossed 32 scoreless innings in 2002.

Megden is not overpowering hitters — he is striking out just 5.81 per nine innings and has a fastball that averages 92 mph. But, he is limiting his walks (0.97 per nine innings, or 2.7 percent of the batters he faces) and is getting batters out using his secondary pitches.

Though opponents are hitting .269 against his fastball, which he is using a career-low 54.8 percent of the time, they are hitting .184 against his slider, .229 against his changeup, .182 against his curveball and .191 against his sinker.

Mengeden’s .247 BABIP and 3.20 FIP, along with the fact he already has pitched in a career-high number of innings for a season (74 ¹/₃), indicate he is due for a regression, but not to the point that he cannot be a useful fantasy starter. He will face the Rangers (the 27th-worst offensive team) in his next start before facing stiffer tests against the Astros and Angels.

Mengden, who is available in 30 percent or more of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, is not just a guy who looks like he belongs in a barbershop quartet, yanking on his vertically striped vest while singing “Shine On, Harvet Moon” to senior citizens at a carnival. He deserves to be rostered. You can be cautious when he faces the Astros (though, he did limit them to two runs over 6 ²/₃ innings on May 9) and other top-ranked offenses, but don’t drop him from your team and allow someone else to have him.

Here is a look at some other streamers with staying power:

— Ross Stripling made five starts for the Dodgers in May, dominating in each one while going 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA, 40 strikeouts, a .222 opponent average and just four walks. Over his past three starts, opponents are hitting .194 against him and he has struck out 28 batters over 19 ²/₃ innings. In 22 career starts, he has a 3.64 ERA and struck out 8.1 per nine innings, so this should not be considered a total fluke.

— Joe Musgrove has made just two starts for the Pirates, but he is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA, 12 strikeouts and a .231 opponent average. It is a small sample size, but he is armed with a 95 mph fastball and has pitching guru Ray Searage in his corner, which screams huge potential for any fantasy roster.

— Tyson Ross, who had pitched in just 13 games the past two seasons for the Padres, looked solid in April, going 2-2 with a 3.34 ERA. He looked even better in May, going 2-1 with a 3.25 ERA, 37 strikeouts and a .216 opponent average. Imagine if he got traded to a contender?

— Wade LeBlanc might not be piling up the wins (he has one, which he earned Thursday, in six starts) or the strikeouts (7.0 per nine), but since taking Erasmo Ramirez’s spot in the Mariners’ rotation, he does have a 1.72 ERA, 0.989 WHIP and .214 opponent average. Those numbers are not going to hurt your staff, and he still is available in 85 percent of all leagues.

Brett Gardner OF, Yankees

Raised his average from .198 to .256 after going 22-for-59 (.373) with three homers, eight RBIs, nine walks, 12 runs scored, three stolen bases and a 1.100 OPS over his last 15 games in May.

Blake Snell SP, Rays

After allowing five earned runs in 3 ¹/₃ innings on May 13, he has gone 3-0 with a 0.98 ERA, 23:7 strikeout-to-walk rate and a .138 opponent average over his past three starts.

Andrew Benintendi OF, Red Sox

May was a good month for the 23-year-old. He hit .349 with six homers, 23 RBIs, 20 runs score, 12 walks, four stolen bases and a 1.044 OPS.

Christian Yelich OF, Brewers

Had at least one hit in 22 of 27 games in May, hitting .330 with five homers, 17 RBIs, five stolen bases, 22 runs and a .928 OPS.

Trey Mancini 1B/OF, Orioles

Saw his average plummet from .271 to .232 in May after going 20-for-104 (.192) with four homers, eight RBIs, 24 strikeouts and a .597 OPS.

Sean Manaea SP, Athletics

After a stellar first month, the lefty watched his ERA rise from 1.03 to 3.60 after going 1-4 with a 7.18 ERA over six May starts. He allowed 26 runs (25 earned), six homers, a .295 opponent average and a .894 OPS.

Gary Sanchez C, Yankees
Entered Friday night with just two hits in his previous 24 at-bats (.083) with no homers, two RBIs, one run scored, eight strikeouts and a .325 OPS.

Marco Estrada SP, Blue Jays
Has not won since April 20, going 0-5 with a 5.89 ERA in his past seven starts. He allowed 24 earned runs, six homers and a .311 opponent average.

Check swings

— Anthony Rizzo hit .149 with one homer, nine RBIs, 15:4 strikeout-to-walk rate and a .448 OPS, but turned things around in a big way in May after going 30-for-99 (.303) with seven homers, 28 RBIs, 10:18 strikeout-to-walk rate and a .984 OPS.

— Bryce Harper entered Friday tied for the league lead in homers (18), second in walks (47), seventh in RBIs (40) and in the top 20 in slugging percentage (.547) and OPS (.926), but ranked 123rd in batting average (.234).

— Over his past seven relief appearances, Tigers righty Buck Farmer is 1-2 with a 19.80 ERA, 3.60 WHIP and 7:4 strikeout-to-walk rate. He has a 21.21 ERA over his last six outings, allowing 11 earned runs in 4 ²/₃ innings. Do you think Farmer’s favorite candy is a Jolly Rancher? Seriously, using a bad farmer joke was the only reason to even mention Buck Farmer in a fantasy column. But, hey, it’s better than making “another Met got hurt joke,” because those jokes aren’t even funny any more.

Marilyn Melancon