Another TEN game slate tonight with a LOAD of B level pitching options in decent spots out there today which immediately tells me that we have almost no reason to go the STUD & DUD route on pitching choices today.
The weather should cooperate to allow all 10 games to play without any issues.
PITCHING
- Kevin Gausman … I simply love the idea of Gausman pitching to Tyler Flowers and he was iffy in his first start in Atlanta but dominant last time out. I expect more of that tonight and Flowers will be catching him again.
- Dylan Bundy … Underpriced in this matchup against the Mets, who don’t string together long innings enough to make me fear Bundy tonight. Good strikeout upside and a weak opponent lineup at a reduced price with a guy who has shown he’s matured into a SP who will pitch deep into games.
- Marco Estrada … Vegas has this game wrong, I think it will go under tonight with the cold Jays and the Royals against Estrada. But Toronto will win thanks to a Teoscar Hernandez dong and Marco should pitch well in this huge ballpark. For all the reasons you dont use him in small ballparks, you should use expect him to do well tonight.
- Gerrit Cole … I am ranking him 4th because that’s honestly how low I rank him compared to the other three. That said, Colorado remains fairly easy to attack right now for strikeouts and I’m 100% locked in on Houston winning this game. He makes a nice pairing with Estrada.
TARGET OFFENSES
Let’s try a little exercise here today as we constantly evolve the article’s and picks to help folks out. If I were reading something and it listed stacks and simply mentioned the team name I wouldn’t find that very helpful. So here’s the teams I like and who the core players are from those teams I like. Specifically 2 guys from each spot. Start with that when building a lineup, then if the position availability elsewhere dictates adding a third or fourth player in from those teams then add them as per the list…. But don’t immediately start with a team and say okay I gotta get 4 guys from them.
YANKEES … Didi, Andujar (Hicks)
I am not a Yankee stacker, but then again I am not a Faria backer either…. Hey-ooo. Anyways, this is good weather and the Yankees should pummel this overrated arm tonight with a few bombs.
Red Sox / Phillies … Ramos, Bour, Benintendi, Hoskins game stack…..
This is the game that these two offenses shoot the moon.
BRAVES … Albies-Acuna (Freeman, Markakis)
Hot Braves against Jose Urena? In Atlanta? Should I be feeling bad? Should I be feeling good? Sure, he has pitched 24 1/3 IP there in the short time the new ballpark has been open and he has yielded only 1 home run in that time span. I’m doing it all for the Ozzie-Acuna. The Ozzie-Acuna, so you can take that Urena and stick it up your …. stick it up your ………..
SNEAKY
This is the type of slate where the top stacks I listed above are going to be chalky along with the Indians. But I wouldn’t say that I am in ‘love’ with any of them, which means that we can easily take a dart on another team at 5% ownership.
ASTROS … Bregman-Correa-Marwin G
And that brings us to the defending Champion Houston Astros, losers of 9 straight games and playing without two of their best players. Huh? Yeah. Law of Averages here along with another hidden nugget on the opposing pitcher who is a lanky 6’3, Tyler Anderson. Mr. Anderson has been really good this year and quite frankly for a while he has been good too. Guess where he hasn’t been good? In those things with a ceiling on them. That’s right, in his last three starts in dome stadiums Tyler Anderson has put up scores of -8.15, 3.80 and -3. For those of you keeping score at home those are 3 of his 4 worst scores this year with the only other one being a home start vs the Dodgers. Bregman and Correa jumped out at me today as two guys to get going tonight against the lefty and I would like to get Marwin Gonzalez in the stack as well.
POSITIONAL RANKINGS
Players in BOLD are guys that I like the most.
CATCHERS: Ramos is making his debut tonight against a pitcher he caught earlier this year. Sign. Me. Up.
Buffalo 1st game narrative – Check
Buffalo vs former pitcher narrative – Check
It’s Monday somewhere – …. well… no but its his first game of the week – CHECK
- Wilson Ramos … the Buffalo
- Tyler Flowers … Play the Buffalo
- Michael Perez — value play … Play the Buffalo
FIRST BASE: All aboard the Freeman hot streak now that the attention is all on Acuna. Alonso remains someone to use in Cincinnati and Choi along with the rest of the Rays 1B men are in a nice parkshift tonight in Yankee stadium. Lots of HR upside here tonight, and I am going full f-it mode with the Bour-man to be the best of em all.
- Justin Bour
- Freddie Freeman
- Yonder Alonso
- Ji-Man Choi — value play
SECOND BASE: After a day off, Ozzie returns to the lineup and should be in a perfect spot between Acuna and Freeman to get on base a ton, drive in runs and score as well. He likely has the biggest game of all the Braves today. Scooter along with the Reds lefties should beat up Beebs in Cincy tonight as he struggles with the ole hook hitters.
- Ozzie Albies
- Scooter Gennett
- Jonathan Villar — value play
THIRD BASE: I wonder if Jose Ramirez’ price could reach 7k? Justin Turner has warmed up and gets a good home matchup against lefty Derek Holland, but how do we not pick on Faria in Yankee Stadium??
- Jose Ramirez
- Alex Bregman
- Miguel Andujar
- Justin Turner
SHORTSTOP: Lindor is so due to get ahold of three balls and jack them into the Ohio River. We are paying for a premium player here tonight. Didi should be chalk at 4900 compared to Lindor at 5900.
- Didi
- Frankie Lindor
- Carlos Correa
OUTFIELD – Tier 1: Outfield isn’t great tonight and I suspect that Acuna is just an auto-click for most today. Yeah, I have a theory that all hot streaks end with a double dong but it’s hard to pass on Acuna if you are also going Albies as well.
- Ronald Acuna Jr.
- Teoscar Hernandez
- Andrew Benintendi
- Aaron Hicks
OUTFIELD – Tier 2: This is where we can get sneaky with someone like McCutchen who should destroy that fat waste of a pitcher Ryu tonight…. Other options here are also fairly contrarian tonight.
- Nick Markakis
- Andrew McCutchen
- Mallex Smith
- Jake Bauers
OUTFIELD – Tier 3: Nobody stands out as a must play, but if you want some late night hammer plays look to the Padres who could get on Felix Pena tonight.
- Greg Allen
- Preston Tucker
- Curtis Granderson
- Franmil Reyes
- Manuel Margot
THE DONGERS CLUB
- Wilson Ramos – C – Chairman
- Franky Lindor – SS
- Justin Bour – 1B
- Scooter Gennett – 2B
- Justin Turner – 3B
- Marwin Gonzalez – OF
- Andrew Benintendi – OF
- Franmil Reyes – OF
- BONUS …………………. Didi – SS
