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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. 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 weakest categories and target players who may be available on your waiver wire.
Below are your pitcher and hitter streaming targets for Wednesday, May 9. Let's get to it.
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- Bird is the Word
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. Bird is the Word
He's yet to play in 2018, but Yankees first baseman Greg Bird is on the comeback trail from March surgery to remove a bone spur and calcium deposit from his right ankle. He went 1-for-3 with two walks in an extended spring training game on Monday and could return to the Bronx later this month.
The left-handed slugger is owned in only half of leagues because of his injury history and the fact he hit under the Mendoza Line in 48 games with the Yanks in 2017. However, he also had just a .194 BABIP and he has an excellent hitter's eye and plenty of pop.
If he comes back fully healthy, Bird should be a regular at first base with easy 20-homer potential in the best lineup in baseball. Think about stashing him soon if he's available on your waiver wire.
2. Today's Weather and Updates
It's overcast with a 50 percent chance of precipitation and thunderstorms in the Windy City on Wednesday, so there's the possibility of postponement/delays for Pirates at the White Sox and Marlins at the Cubs.
3. Streamer Picks - Wednesday, May 9
Pitchers to Use
Zack Wheeler (5.79 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 7.7 K/9) must start pitching much better if he wants to keep his spot in the Mets rotation. He matched a career worst with eight earned runs in his last outing against Colorado.
On the bright side, he is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA lifetime against the Reds, and they boast just a .236 average and .659 OPS against right-handers in 2018. This will also be an early afternoon start in Cincinnati, so the Reds may be resting several regulars in the lineup.
The Phillies strike out the second most in the majors (267 times) against right-handed arms this year, making Giants starter Chris Stratton intriguing on Wednesday. The 27-year-old is also coming off six strong innings against the Braves in which he allowed three runs on six hits while fanning six.
Stratton's strong start May 4 lowered his ERA under 4.00, and he has a solid 33:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his seven starts over 38 1/3 innings pitched. He's also allowed only three home runs to this point, although all three have come in his last two outings.
Other Targets: Andrew Cashner, Nick Pivetta, Reynaldo Lopez
Pitchers to Exploit
A powerful Cubs lineup against a pitcher making just his third start since coming off the disabled list at Wrigley Field? That's a no-brainer. Wei-Yin Chen has gone only 9 1/3 innings in his first two starts and has walked more (six) than he's fanned (five). He's also allowed three home runs already.
That's a dangerous combination, and he'll be making his first ever start at what could be the unfriendly confines of Wrigley Field after Wednesday. The southpaw doesn't throw very hard and has made just seven starts since 2016. Stack your daily lineups with Cubbies.
While Jaime Garcia does have 32 strikeouts in his 30 innings over his six starts, he's also allowed 22 earned runs (6.60 ERA) and 13 walks. Oh, and he's given up at least one dinger in each of his outings and eight overall.
The Seattle Mariners have an extremely dangerous lineup and will be taking their hacks at the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre. Garcia was rocked for six earned runs in 3 1/3 innings in his last start and is 0-1 with a career 4.97 ERA against the M's.
Other Targets: Jaime Barria, Daniel Mengden, Eric Skoglund, Wade LeBlanc
Homers on the Wire
In terms of recent performance, perhaps nobody is hotter than Ryon Healy, who has 15 hits in his last 43 at-bats (.349) with 10 runs scored, five home runs and 11 RBI. He'll be facing the homer-prone Jaime Garcia, who he is 3-for-6 against in his career at a hitter-friendly park. As if that weren't enough, Healy is a career .304 hitter with 12 home runs in 217 at-bats against southpaws. What else do you want?
We may finally be seeing Jorge Soler deliver on some his post-hype promise in 2018. He has cut down on his strikeout rate (25.2 percent) and has improved his plate discipline (15.7 percent walk rate). That has helped him hit .377 with four long balls and 13 RBI in the last two weeks in 53 at-bats. Use him at hitter-friendly Camden Yards on Wednesday.
Other Targets: Justin Bour, Alex Gordon, Yonder Alonso, Robinson Chirinos
Steals on the Wire
While he won't hit for any power, Mallex Smith continues to be available in over 70 percent of leagues despite hitting .300 with 12 runs scored and four steals in the last two weeks. The speedster has three steals in his last four games and has been thrown out four times in 12 tries.
Other Targets: Delino DeShields, Teoscar Hernandez, Carlos Gomez
Skill Positions
James McCann is being overlooked on a rebuilding Tigers squad behind the dish. He's hitting .275 overall and has 16 hits in his last 49 at-bats (.327) with two home runs and four RBI. He's facing a pitcher on Wednesday (Bartolo Colon) who strikes out just over five hitters per nine innings.
