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Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire all season long. This article, now in its second year, runs seven days a week. Even at this early juncture, there's value in streaming.
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 Thursday, May 10. Let's get to it.
Agenda
- Baseba'al
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. Baseba'al
On the same night that James Paxton throws a no-hitter, Dylan Bundy becomes the first pitcher in MLB history to allow four home runs without recording a single out. Baseball: It's weird.
2. Today's Weather and Updates - Wednesday, May 9
Potential thunderstorms in Chicago could impact Pirates-White Sox and Marlins-Cubs. Otherwise, the weather shouldn't exert any influence over today's contests.
3. Streamer Picks - Thursday, May 10
Pitchers to Use
Caleb Smith has been racking up strikeouts for the Marlins (48 in 34 innings), but he's also walked 17 batters. Then again, 11 of those walks came in two starts against the Yankees and Phillies, both teams which rank in the top three in walk rate. Over his last three turns, Smith has walked just two batters while striking out 26. The Braves are a tough draw these days, but Smith may well be up to the task if recent performance is any guide.
He'll be opposed by Mike Foltynewicz, who's worth a stream himself and might be a better bet for a win if nothing else.
Other Targets: Tyler Mahle, Vince Velasquez
Pitchers to Exploit
It's a battle of marginal starting pitchers in Denver, as Jhoulys Chacin and German Marquez will tangle at Coors Field. Elsewhere, Mike Leake has allowed 20 runs over his last 21 innings and will face a Blue Jays squad that is top 5 in runs scored.
Other Targets: Eduardo Rodriguez, Ty Blach
Homers on the Wire
At this point, it seems like "literally anyone playing against the Orioles" is a solid bet for this spot. So go ahead and grab Jorge Soler, maybe Lucas Duda and Alex Gordon too.
Other Targets: Tyler Austin, Max Kepler, Mark Trumbo, Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel, Franchy Cordero, Matt Kemp
Steals on the Wire
If Tommy Pham is still unable to do more than pinch hit, Harrison Bader should start. He's virtually unowned and has four stolen bases despite starting just 10 games so far this year.
Other Targets: Jonathan Villar, Leury Garcia, Franchy Cordero, Mallex Smith, Michael A. Taylor, JaCoby Jones, Jose Peraza, Manuel Margot
Skill Positions
James McCann and John Hicks are both hitting well in recent days. Hicks is manning first base while Miguel Cabrera deals with a hamstring issue, so both should play close to every day for at least the remainder of this week.
With Roberto Osuna's arrest, the Blue Jays's closer situation is thrown into probable chaos. Tyler Clippard, John Axford, and Seung Hwan Oh have prior experience in the ninth, while Ryan Tepera has been the primary set-up man so far. It's probably a committee approach, at least initially, so monitor closely if you're scrounging for saves.
