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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.
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 Monday, June 11. Let's get to it.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and weekly lineup resources:- Fantasy baseball injury reports
- Fantasy baseball trade analyzer
- Daily MLB starting lineups for fantasy baseball
- Fantasy baseball BvP matchups data (Batter vs. Pitcher)
- Fantasy baseball PvB matchups data (Pitcher vs. Batter)
- Who should I start? Fantasy baseball player comparisons
- Fantasy baseball closer depth charts, bullpens, saves
- Fantasy Baseball live scoreboard, daily leaderboards
Agenda
- The Knuckler Is Back!
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. The Knuckler Is Back!
With the possible retirement of RA Dickey and Steven Wright's legal issues, it looked like the 2018 baseball season wouldn't see a single knuckleball thrown. Wright returned to the Red Sox in a boring middle relief role, resurrecting the gimmick pitch in name only. His excellent spot start against the Tigers combined with an ineffective outing from Jalen Beeks and an injury to Drew Pomeranz gives him a rotation spot for the foreseeable future though, returning the knuckler to its rightful position of prominence. Now if only Dickey would unretire...
2. Today's Weather and Updates - Sunday, June 10
Washington DC is likely to have precipitation issues today, while Chicago, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati have about a 50/50 chance of being affected by rain. As always, try to get an updated forecast before setting your lineups.
Also worthy of note is a high of 97 degrees in Denver. The ball flies out of that park anyway, but the extra oomph of an extremely hot day makes it anathema to use Zack Godley or Kyle Freeland today.
3. Streamer Picks - Monday, June 11
Pitchers to Use
As you may have guessed from the intro, Steven Wright gets top billing here. His excellent line against the Tigers (7 IP, 0 R, 6 K, 3 BB, 2 H) brought his ERA down to 1.57 for the season, suggesting that he may have recaptured his 2016 form. He also has a reasonable 22.7% K% this season, allowing him to contribute strikeouts to accompany a near guaranteed win against the lowly Orioles.
Other Targets: Sam Gaviglio @ TB
Pitchers to Exploit
The White Sox are committing a crime against humanity by allowing Lucas Giolito to draw MLB starts at this point. His ERA stands at an atrocious 7.08, his xFIP is only slightly better at 6.74, and his BB% (13.8%) is higher than his K% (11%). The White Sox provide little offensive support, making Giolito the definition of a pitcher to exploit in fantasy. Bring on the Cleveland bats!
Wei-Yin Chen should be the worst pitcher on any given slate he's scheduled for, but Giolito has been worse. Still, the Giants should have no problem adding to his 5.86 ERA based on his minuscule K% (16.3%) and inflated BB% (11.3%).
Other Targets: Wade LeBlanc vs. LAA
Homers on the Wire
Yonder Alonso is slashing .250/.320/.455 with 11 HR from the middle of a contender's lineup this season, and yet he has a home in only 38% of leagues. His .275 BABIP suggests that he may offer a little batting average upside, making him a complete hitter who quite frankly should be owned in more leagues. At any rate, he's a great stream against Giolito tomorrow.
Other Targets: Franmil Reyes, Teoscar Hernandez, Nick Williams, Lonnie Chisenhall, Yan Gomes, Ryon Healy, Daniel Descalso, Albert Pujols, Luis Valbuena, Nick Ahmed
Steals on the Wire
Alen Hanson is on a power binge to start his 2018 season (.364/.400/.782 with five homers in 60 PAs), but his minor league history suggests that he's more of a SB guy in fantasy. He has three bags already this year and has stolen at least 25 in every MiLB season since 2012, so he should run if he hits enough to play. The Giants are currently using him as a leadoff guy, giving him plenty of chances to reach against Chen.
Other Targets: Travis Jankowski, Jarrod Dyson, Jonathan Villar, Mallex Smith, Denard Span
