Slate Details
DraftKings/FanDuel – Main slate (8 games) – starts 7:05 PM EDT.
Weather Impact
If interested in pitchers for SEA@MIN, check forecasts – there is rain expected to be in the area but early reports say it will hang just outside the reach of the ballpark. If that changes though, there is significant risk.
No Coors or GABP today.
Warm with winds out to center for TOR@LAD (top candidate for HRs).
Warm with light winds blowing in for CIN@MIL, but park design still gives balls carry (assuming the roof stays open).
Games with XBH potential are KC@CLE & STL@ARI.
Light winds blowing out to left: COL@WAS (decent overall for runs).
Pitching
Yu Darvish is looking in top form and will be popular facing PIT at home. He should be a solid play in all formats.
Luis Castillo vs Kenta Maeda resulted in 20 Ks when they last started against each other 5 days ago, giving them the top K rates on the slate. Both SEA & MIN continue to swing away, generating both Ks and runs. Assuming the rain doesn’t pose a significant delay risk, either pitcher could be an upside SP2 if you don’t mind 2-3 ERs to go with 6+ Ks. Maeda being at home – and at a $2K discount on DK – will be the more popular choice in this matchup.
Logan Allen has had some pitch count issues limiting him from pitching deep into games, but he pitched vs KC last month only allowing 3 hits and 0 ER over 3.2 innings (5 Ks). He’s had issues with walks in the past, but KC doesn’t walk much as a team, which should help that aspect of his game. Allen + Maeda is an interesting cheaper pair for tournaments if you want to go heavy on a TEX or SD stack (or both).
Ryne Nelson seems like he’s finally turned a corner? PLV ratings are strong on both sides, and his K rates are trending up recently. He’s had solid starts recently vs ATL & TOR, and now he gets STL with a number of players limited or likely to miss today’s game (Willson Contreras, Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, and Brendan Donovan) and Waino being a shadow of his former self. Price-considered, he’s a really intriguing SP2.
Batting
PIT@SD
Quinn Priester had a few solid innings for his debut, then he fell apart in the 6th vs CLE. That was at home with his family in attendance – can he tighten up his control on the road? Meanwhile, Yu Darvish has looked firmly in control over his last two starts while PIT continues their West Coast road trip.
Base plays: Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Campusano, Taylor Kohlwey (SD)
GPP/Stack plays: Henry Davis (PIT)
TEX@HOU
Jon Gray hasn’t been the same since his brief IL stint – he hasn’t had a win in his last 7 starts, hasn’t surpassed 4 Ks in his last 6 starts, and has had 3 ERs or more in 3 of his last 4. Brandon Bielak hasn’t been much better (vs teams not COL) in the same period, struggling with walks and average stats at best. TEX struggled a bit in their last series vs the Dodgers – and lost Corey Seager in the process – but should rebound here, while HOU didn’t do much outside of Bregman & Tucker in their series with OAK.
Base plays: Nathaniel Lowe & Marcus Semien (TEX); Kyle Tucker (HOU)
GPP/Stack plays: Josh Jung & Adolis García (TEX); Alex Bregman (HOU)
STL@ARI
Adam Wainwright is going to give it a go (limited pitch count) coming off a shoulder injury, but even when he’s been healthy this year, he’s been very hittable without missing many bats. The question is how many times through the lineup the D-backs get to tee off on him before a mercy hook.
Base plays: Christian Walker (ARI)
GPP/Stack plays: Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas (ARI)
COL@WAS
The Nats just swept a series vs SF in impressive fashion, scoring at least 5 runs in each of the 3 games (and limiting SF to 3 runs or fewer). More than likely COL will opt for a bullpen game today, but with the Nats swinging hot bats as they are – and the Rockies bullpen being what it is – there is a case for playing WAS bats.
Base plays: Keibert Ruiz & CJ Abrams (WAS)
GPP/Stack plays: Lane Thomas (WAS); Elias Díaz (COL)
TOR@LAD
The Dodgers showed the Rangers no mercy in the last series, and with this game being one of the better spots for hitting on the slate, this might be a good game to go HR hunting.
Base plays: Mookie Betts (LAD); Danny Jansen (TOR)
GPP/Stack plays: Freddie Freeman (LAD); Cavan Biggio & Matt Chapman (TOR)
CIN@MIL
The Reds & Brewers have played two series against each other already this season, giving each team two shots vs each of these pitchers. Sal Frelick has had a strong debut since his call-up, and the Reds have started to heat back up since the All-Star break.
Base plays: Sal Frelick (MIL)
GPP/Stack plays: Matt McLain & Elly De La Cruz (CIN); Christian Yelich (MIL)
SEA@MIN (Rain risk?)
These teams just saw each other last week, with Luis Castillo & Kenta Maeda the starters 5 days ago in Seattle. Maeda had 9 Ks and Castillo had 11 Ks, but both had their share of ERs as well.
Base plays: Cal Raleigh (SEA); Edouard Julien (MIN)
GPP/Stack plays: J.P. Crawford & Mike Ford (SEA); Alex Kirilloff & Max Kepler (MIN)