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Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. This article, which began last season, runs seven days a week. Even with only a week and a half of the season in the books, we are always ready to stream.
For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on a daily basis to improve upon your neediest categories, and target players who may be available on your waiver wire.
Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Tuesday, April 10. Let's get to it.
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Agenda
- The Main Cold Weather Effects
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. The Main Cold Weather Effects
Less power: This is a multi-faceted effect. The ball actually travels considerably less distance when the air is denser (i.e. cold). Prevailing winds tend to be less favorable too, especially at Wrigley Field.
Hitters also have less margin for error. A narrow miss can still fly out of the yard when it's 110 degrees on the field. Successful batting requires a certain level of relaxation for most hitters which can be interrupted by cold weather. Try doing anything athletic while shivering.
More strikeouts: Pitchers record more strikeouts, likely due to the effect I just noted.
More walks: Pitchers walk more hitters. The ball is slicker in cold weather, making it difficult to command offspeed stuff and certain types of fastballs. This competes with the first effect (less power) because we'll see a few extra juicy mistakes. Also, pitching is not dissimilar to hitting in that it's easy when warm.
I mention these because...
2. Today's Weather and Updates
Three venues have sub-40 degree temperatures today. The Cubs game has been "rained" out. Five more have sub-50 degree temperatures. Be ready for less power, more whiffs, and more walks. Baltimore and D.C. could see some late rain. It's unlikely.
3. Tomorrow's Picks - Tuesday, April 10
Pitchers to Use
As he often does, Tyler Anderson handled the Padres offense with aplomb. Tomorrow, he gets a rematch at Coors Field. While the venue is obviously concerning, Anderson typically performs fine at home (career 3.39 ERA).
I'm hearing grumbles about Mike Foltynewicz being the guy we missed (by "we," I mean the entire industry). Let's not overreact to two starts. It's nice that he's punched out 15 batters in 10.1 innings, but his peripherals are an exact mirror of past seasons. He hasn't changed. Still, Folty is one of my favorite streaming options in 12-team leagues, a role he should continue to fill this year. A matchup against Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals is worrisome.
Other Targets: Josh Tomlin, Tyler Skaggs, Brent Suter
Pitchers to Exploit
Hyun-Jin Ryu looked lost in his season debut. It's quite possible I'm overreacting to one bad outing. His inability to find the strike zone has me worried against a powerful and surprisingly deep Athletics offense. As always, they have some lefty mashers on hand too. Ryu tends to be homer prone.
Last week, Joey Lucchesi pitched well against the Rockies at Petco Park. Who wants to bet upon a repeat performance at Coors Field? Unlike Anderson, I hold very little hope for the changeup specialist in his first tour of Colorado. His stuff is insufficient for extended MLB success.
Other Targets: Carson Fulmer, Matt Boyd, Andrew Cashner, Homer Bailey, Caleb Smith, Martin Perez, Eric Skoglund
Homers on the Wire
A visit to Coors Field is a special opportunity for Padres hitters. Although I like Anderson tomorrow, I'd be remiss if I avoided San Diego sluggers. Christian Villanueva is my favorite of a batch that includes Hunter Renfroe, Jose Pirela, and even Freddy Galvis. Remember, Coors buffs all types of hits.
Bailey is working on fumes these days. It's very likely he's a homer prone pitcher. Historically, he's ranged from the most to nearly the least homer prone. I'm betting against him due to reduced velocity, poor command, and a visit to power-happy Citizen's Bank Park. Nick Williams is the easiest Phillie to find, but there are others available too.
Other Targets: Matt Davidson, Brandon Guyer, Jeimer Candelario, Niko Goodrum, Yangervis Solarte, Dexter Fowler, Dan Vogelbach, Jed Lowrie, Stephen Piscotty, Enrique Hernandez
Steals on the Wire
It's a Rajai Davis day. He'll see Boyd. Assuming James McCann is starting behind the plate, Davis is very likely to succeed in any steal attempts. Now he need only reach base.
Brewers backstops tend to struggle controlling the running game. Look for frisky Cardinals like Fowler and Kolten Wong. They have a decent chance to reach base versus Suter.
Other Targets: Leonys Martin, Kevin Pillar, Cesar Hernandez, Amed Rosario, Derek Fisher
Skill Positions
If you're looking for a catcher, Chris Iannetta has a long history of lefty mashing. He should enjoy a rematch against Lucchesi. On the opposite end of the matchup lurks all-or-nothing (usually nothing) Austin Hedges. He'll also have the platoon advantage. In other "Austin" news, Austin Barnes is a top 10 catcher when he plays. He'll usually start versus a southpaw.
