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Just like most Fridays, all 30 teams are slated to play this evening. Unlike Wednesday however, there’s a lack of ace-caliber pitching, but don’t you worry. We’ll find a case for a couple of starters tonight. If you’re unfamiliar with OwnersBox, they offer a unique roster format that includes one pitcher, four IF, three OF, and one Super Flex (OF, IF, and P).
Starting Pitchers
Starting at the top of the board, Kodai Senga is rightfully priced ($10,400 at DraftKings, $10,600 at OwnersBox) as the most expensive pitcher tonight. The A’s ain’t it. We all know this by now. They’re 24th in wRC+ (89) and 11th in K% (24.1%) so far this year. As for Senga and his patented Ghost Fork, he has looked very sharp in his first two starts in the States. They have come against the Marlins, but it’s not like Oakland is a step up from them. It’s as chalky as it gets, but he’s a solid play.
Although it was done against Washington and Oakland, Drew Rasmussen ($10,000 at DraftKings, $10,200 at OwnersBox), just like his team, has gotten off to a hot start this year. The Jays are a clear step up in class than those bottom-of-the-barrel squads, but Ras has had plenty of success against Toronto. Their roster has a paltry .291 xwOBA in 98 plate appearances, but a minuscule 12.1% K% against him. Hopefully, he is able to rack up the strikeouts against them the way he has in his first two starts.
Nestor Cortes stands out as another top-tier pitcher ($9,500 at DraftKings, $9,800 at OwnersBox) worth rostering. Minnesota’s bats woke up yesterday in the Bronx, but that was against Johnny Brito making his third career start. Nestor is a huge step up in class for the heavily injured Twinkies, who are just 26th in wRC+ (86) and 9th in K% (24.9%).
Looking further down the board for some value plays, Marco Gonzales ($7,400 at DraftKings, $8,100 at OwnersBox) draws a fantastic matchup with the Rockies on the road. It doesn’t really matter who they face, the Rockies are always worth fading when they are away from Coors. Marco isn’t likely to put up some gaudy strikeout numbers, but he’s capable of working deep into the game and limiting much scoring.
There aren’t many other matchups really worth spending on, but if you’re playing in the earlier 3-game slate, Sean Manaea ($9,600 DraftKings, $9,800 OwnersBox) looks like he is worth paying for. Really all it comes down to is the fact that he’s facing the Tigers who are lost at the plate. They have the 2nd worst wRC+ (57) and 2nd highest K% (27.1%), so naturally I took the over on his strikeout prop set at 5.5 +120 over at DraftKings.
Bats
Another wager I put down was fading José Berríos, who continues to get knocked around since joining Toronto. The Rays are obviously red-hot heading up to Toronto, so any of their bats are viable to roster. Randy Arozarena ($6,000 DraftKings, $5,700 OwnersBox) has had some success against Berrios in the past (4-8, one double), and Manuel Margot ($3,300 DraftKings, $3,900 OwnersBox) has as well (4-10, one double) but is priced at a fraction of the cost.
Tampa’s hottest bat by far right now though is Bradon Lowe ($4,300 DraftKings, $4,400 OwnersBox). He has hit a homer in five straight starts! Another hitter reasonably priced and hitting the cover off the ball is Franchy Cordero ($2,800 DraftKings, $3,500 OwnersBox). His gaudy StatCast numbers are paying early dividends for the Yankees, as he has smacked four dingers out over his last five games. The Bronx Bombers didn’t show up last night, but with Tyler Mahle’s start pushed back, New York should find a way to get to Louie Varland, who makes his sixth career start.
Another solid lineup to stack with is the Seattle Mariners who face the southpaw, Austin Gomber. He was just torched by the Nationals, so what do you think Seattle is going to do to him? Another seven hits and five earned allowed seem right up Gomber’s alley pitching in Seattle. Honestly, the hitting options are endless tonight with the lackluster starters, so good luck!
Design by J.R. Caines (@JRCainesDesign on Twitter and @caines_design on Instagram)