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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. We're coming up on the halfway point of the season, but there's still plenty of options on the waiver wire to aid your championship quest.
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, June 28. Let's get to it.
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Agenda
- World Cup
- Today's Weather and Updates
- Tomorrow's Picks
1. World Cup
Anyone watching? Like many Americans, I don't pay much mind to soccer - except once every four years. The fact that the U.S. didn't qualify hardly matters, as they've never been a true contender anyway.
2. Today's Weather and Updates - Wednesday, June 27
Reds-Braves, Mariners-Orioles, and Diamondbacks-Marlins are all under threat of rain. Otherwise, today's slate should be a clean one.
3. Streamer Picks - Thursday, June 28
Pitchers to Use
Junior Guerra continues to hover below 50% ownership despite excellent ratios (2.82 ERA, 1.17 WHIP). He's allowed more than two runs just four times in his 14 starts. He only has three victories to his name despite that performance, but a date with the hapless Reds represents a great opportunity to get into the win column for a fourth time.
Mike Leake has rebounded from a nightmarish April, allowing two runs or fewer in seven of his last nine starts. The veteran has also failed to complete at least six innings just once in that span; along with the Mariners' impressive team showing, that's allowed him to rack up eight wins already. He'll take on the Orioles, who have scored fewer runs than any team besides Kansas City this season.
Other Targets: Chris Stratton, Anthony DeSclafani
Pitchers to Exploit
The White Sox aren't trying to win, and nothing makes that more abundantly clear than the fact that they continue to run Lucas Giolito out there every fifth day. He's easily the worst qualified starter by ERA, FIP, and SIERA. Even after posting 14 strikeouts in his last two games, he still only has 48 on the season against 47 walks. You get the picture. The Twins are far from an intimidating matchup, but Giolito has been so awful that he's a stack target against any team.
In contrast, Jaime Barria has been pretty solid in his rookie season, particularly when you consider that he's just 21 years old. There aren't many pitchers who can be trusted against the Red Sox at Fenway, though, and he hasn't earned his way into that circle yet.
Other Targets: Trevor Richards
Homers on the Wire
Derek Dietrich is having himself a pretty good year. One of the few bright spots on a moribund Marlins squad, he's hitting .301/.353/.492 with 11 home runs, three of which have come in the past week. He hasn't been nearly as good at home, but Zack Greinke has been homer-prone this year, with 16 bombs allowed on the year and nine in his last seven starts.
Other Targets: Joc Pederson, Ryon Healy, Kiké Hernandez, Scott Schebler, Nick Williams, C.J. Cron, Albert Pujols, Daniel Palka, Carlos Gonzalez
Steals on the Wire
Leonys Martin only has seven stolen bases this year, but six of them have come in the last month. He'll face the Athletics, who have allowed more steals than all but three other teams this season.
Other Targets: Michael A. Taylor, Jose Peraza, Niko Goodrum, Jonathan Villar, Dustin Fowler, Denard Span
