Happy 60th Birthday to the New York Mets. They played their first game on April 11, 1962. They lost against the Cardinals 11-4. In honor of them (and for more rational reasons, I promise), let’s stream a Mets pitcher this week.
Streaming is normally difficult at the start of a season because workloads are limited, but it’s an even bigger concern after a shortened spring training. Many pitchers may not reach the requisite five innings until they’ve regained their form.
Check out our Streaming Pitcher Rankings for the upcoming week
Since this article goes to press early on Sunday, we can only check how we did in three of the matchups so far.
- Patrick Corbin W 0, QS 0, ER 2, K 4, BB 2, IP 4
- Jake Odorizzi W 0, QS 0, ER 2, K 2, BB 0 , IP 4
- Kyle Gibson W 1, QS 1, ER 0, K 10, BB 0, IP 7
Thank you Gibson for giving us a pitcher-of-the-week start. Corbin was chased early. Perhaps I should be grateful. It didn’t hurt too much, and Dan Harris reports an “encouraging outing” in his game recap. So we won’t put him in for the Braves game, but we’ll use him against Pittsburgh and hope for more stamina.
The early question is this: When will we see more five-inning workloads?
*At publication, we use probable starters listed on CBS Sports on Saturday, April 9.
Monday, April 11
Dakota Hudson (STL) vs. PIT 4%
My heart wants to choose Bundy here. I can’t seem to quit him. After mining the news about Bundy this offseason, long-winded explanations essentially concluded with this simple note: He struggled to keep the ball down. Coming off a good spring, even with decreased velocity, I seem to be arguing for Bundy more than Hudson. But I’ll take Pittsburgh; it might suppress more offense. And I’ll take the St. Louis defense here. Also, history says Hudson keeps the ball on the ground more than Bundy.
Other option: Dylan Bundy (MIN) vs. SEA 1%
Tuesday, April 12
Eric Lauer (MIL) at BAL 7%
I could stream Rich Hill against Detroit, but he was pummeled for nine runs in his last spring outing, and Detroit has an improved lineup this year. Eric Lauer pitched to a 3.19 ERA last year with a 23.9% strikeout rate. His FIP and xERA had him closer to a 4.00, but that’s…okay? He’s got four pitches, and his slider is the best. It tends to get groundballs more than his other pitches. Add Baltimore’s decision to move their outfield fence back, and he’s a worthy streamer today.
Other option: Rich Hill (BOS) at DET 5%
Wednesday, April 13
Nick Lodolo (CIN) vs CLE 22%
This is a tough day for streaming for no other reason than many of the starters are rostered by more than 30% of Yahoo teams. My best suggestion is the debut of Lodolo, which means yet another possibility of fewer than five innings from our starters. Lodolo’s minor league stats jump off the page, but the sample size is small. In 69 IP, he struck out 108 batters to the tune of a 2.35 ERA. However, he did basically leapfrog Triple-A, pitching only 6.2 innings there last year. But those numbers look like a major leaguer rehabbing in the minors. Let’s go for it.
Other option: None
Thursday, April 14
Drew Rasmussen (TB) vs OAK 23%
For the second start in a row, I’m going to stream Rasmussen. If you dropped him, it may be hard to pick him up again until the waiver period ends in your league. The idea is simple: Oakland is green in more ways than one. Let’s see if we can take advantage. Although his xERA was 3.63 last year, we’d take that in this outing.
Other option: Reynaldo Lopez (CWS) vs SEA 1%
Friday, April 15
Zach Eflin (PHI) at MIA 18%
It’s hard to choose today. Pivetta pitched five innings in his last spring start, so he might be a better option for a Win. Still, he gives up a lot of hard contact, and Minnesota has made some changes that make me scared. Eflin struck out seven in his final spring start. Returning from knee injuries in August of 2021, he contracted COVID and ended his season. Now he’s back. Eflin is a control pitcher who may need to work up to a full workload, like so many others on our early season list (with the limited spring training), but it’s that control that we’re buying. In fact, if you have a roster spot, you might hold onto him and see if he can increase his innings soon.
Other options: Nick Pivetta (BOS) vs. MIN 14% or Odorizzi (HOU) at SEA 4%
Saturday, April 16
Carlos Carrasco (NYM) vs. ARI 30%
He’s barely eligible for this streamer article (remember I’m limited to 30% or less). Depending on his first couple starts, it may be the only time I can use him. Carrasco’s spring tune-up wasn’t great, but his last outing was against Houston and he went 4.1 IP, 5 K, 2 ER, 1 BB. Again, we struggle to get five innings out of guys in the first week.
Other option: Jameson Taillon (NYY) at BAL 23%
Sunday, April 17
Patrick Corbin (WAS) at PIT 17%
We’re coming back for more. As you can see from our introduction, Corbin wasn’t that bad in his first start. He just got tired. Due to the lockout, it may take a little longer. All the same reasons from last week apply, except this time he gets to face Pittsburgh. I don’t know how his start against the Atlanta Braves went at the time of publication.
Other option: Nestor Cortes (NYY) at BAL 25%
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