Dixon’s Picks: Waiver Wire Additions for the Week of July 2

Welcome to July, a month very important to both Nash and myself. But this month is significant for more than being the birth month of two-thirds of the Crackerjacks. Bad streams really show up now. Every pitcher is tired, leaving pitches up, and those balls are traveling a little further. So, if you’re choosing to stream note a few things.

1. You want pitchers who don’t walk guys. Allowing solo homers is not a huge problem for starters. It’s when pitchers start walking guys followed by hits with men on base that really mess with them. So, look for guys with reasonable walk totals, even if you have to sacrifice strikeouts. If you have guys who keep their WHIP down, you can throw extra starters to make up for the lack of strikeouts. 
2. Be more diplomatic. I don’t have a problem with streaming, some do. We’ll get into that later this week. Just remember that pitching is a little harder now and won’t be any easier until the reinforcements come in September to give your starters some extra rest. You can still stream, just be less aggressive with it. 

Homer Bailey: Pitcher, Cincinnati Reds

Probable Starts - at Los Angeles Dodgers, at San Diego Padres

Lets put it this way, the most imposing team that Homer Bailey will face this week is the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Without Matt Kemp, the Dodgers offense was bad. Now, Andre Ethier is hurt, and they just lack any real significant punch. In a week where they played seven games, Los Angeles was shut out five times. 

When you consider that and the fact that the weekend start down the California Coast is likely to be a good one, Bailey is about as good an option as you’ll find this week. 

A trip to California will be just what the doctor ordered for Bailey this week. He’s a good bet to lead you to a good week heading into the All Star Game. 

Bailey’s Projections for the Week

Jonathon Niese: Pitcher, New York Mets

Probable Starts - vs. Philadelphia Phillies, vs. Chicago Cubs

First of all, an important part of any stream is finding mediocre to poor offenses. I can’t exactly say that either the Phillies or Cubs scare me, especially when they’re in Citi Field. Secondly, you want a pitcher who’s been going strong. Since his first start in June, Jonathon Niese has an ERA below 2.00, is striking out more than a hitter an inning, with a WHIP of just over 1.20 to boot.

The Mets are very quickly turning into a staff like the Giants or Nationals. With maybe one exception, their starters are all people you want your roster. For now, we’re talking about this upcoming week, but I am looking at Niese as a guy to be a permanent fixture on staffs, adding some depth.

In the short term, there’s no reason to think he won’t come through with a solid week.

Niese’s Projections for the Week

Marco Estrada: Pitcher, Milwaukee Brewers

Probable Starts - vs. Miami Marlins, at Houston Astros

In the streaming world, you have to gamble a little bit. But when someone comes off of the DL with a quality start and strikes out two hitters an inning, it’s hard to not take notice. Marco Estrada did just that last week, and it came against the bashing Reds to boot. Now that he’s back in action and going against two offenses that aren’t as impressive as Cincinnati, we’re looking at a nice play this week. 

What makes me really like Estrada is the fact that he doesn’t walk batters. You can deal with an inflated ERA over one start, but if you’re not walking hitters, the WHIP will stay reasonable. On top of that, he strikes out a lot of batters. It may be a risk, but not a bad one.

Estrada’s Projections for the Week