Playing Hardball: Cancellations Part of the Game in MLB; More Bad Weather Today

Featuring picks and comments by Rob Dudek

April is the cruelest month, said T.S. Eliot, long before there were daily baseball fantasy leagues. Wednesday was particularly cruel, with three games being cancelled. The blizzard in Denver and the monsoon in Chicago were not unexpected, but the Angels-Twins tilt wasn’t postponed until it was too late to make lineup changes.

Playing two men short (sizzling-hot Joe Mauer and useful Howie Kendrick) I finished 77th out of 550, wasting a couple of excellent pitching lines from bargain-priced starters. Last night is ancient history in this format; we try to avoid those “woulda, coulda, shoulda” laments, learn from mistakes and focus on the next opportunity.

In baseball, Thursday is very often a travel day. Eight teams have the night off entirely, and of the remaining 11 games, four start in the afternoon. Leagues that close at 7:05 EDT will be limited to just seven games — all in playable conditions based on the current forecasts. The early-closing leagues (1:10) involve the most weather risk.

In Chicago, rain and high winds are forecast well into the evening, threatening the Rangers-Cubs game again. It’s crazy cold in Denver with a 60% chance of “mixed precipitation” at game time (3:10 Eastern) — Mets and Rockies hitters should at least get to play, but baseball is never easy, especially in freezing temperatures on a wet field.

My suggestion is to join as many 1:10 leagues as you can afford, but don’t use many players from the day games, unless you can’t resist Colorado’s RH bats or the Mets’ lefty swingers, even in wintry conditions. Let your opponents get stuck with any cancellations.

It’s free to join DraftStreet and you can start by joining free leagues. Or make a deposit — use the code SHHOOP to get a 30% bonus — and choose your level of play, from $2 entry fees up to $420. Good luck!

Best Bets (Pitchers)

With quite a few aces on the mound today, Adam Wainwright ($16,973) looks as safe as any. The Phillies are finding runs hard to come by against everyone — just ten in their last six games — and Waino has improved with each start, whiffing a dozen Brewers in a 4-hit complete game shutout in his latest.

Jon Lester ($14,103) is a fair price; he’s 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA, 18 K and just 3 BB after three starts vs. divisional rivals and gets the Tribe in Cleveland tonight.

In his first two starts, Chris Sale ($14,884) looked like a world-beater, then he got clobbered in Cleveland. The lefty could bounce back against the Blue Jays, in a potential duel with R.A. Dickey, whose $11,455 sticker price is tempting. After two disappointing starts, the knuckleballer looked better beating the Royals, though he still hasn’t flashed last year’s NL Cy Young form in his new league.

If you think they will play, both scheduled starters in the Cubs game are attractively priced. Jeff Samardzija ($12,921) and Alexi Ogando ($12,950) are capable of high-strikeout games. I’m going to pass because of the gloomy forecast.