Pitcher List is excited to be partnering with FantasyDraft, featuring advice articles every morning through the entirety of the 2018 season. Signup and play for free at FantasyDraft.
It’s a great day for baseball as we get all 30 teams playing tonight with clear weather. 15 games combine to make the main slate for tonight and give us plenty of options to construct our lineups. Chris Sale, Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg all take the mound tonight but have very difficult matchups.
Top SP: Chris Sale, BOS ($21,300) @ HOU
Chris Sale and Gerrit Cole face off tonight in Houston and surprisingly Chris Sale’s salary is less than Cole’s salary. I understand the risk of deploying either of them as both the Red Sox and Astros rank in the top 5 in wRC+. However, Sale’s strikeout upside is too much to pass up. Chris Sale owns a 2.27 ERA on the road compared to his 3.62 Home ERA and faces an Astros lineup that is top heavy. Sale gets another advantage over Cole since the Red Sox are one of the least strikeout-prone team while the Astros are in the middle of the pack.
Honorable Mention: Carlos Carrasco, CLE ($20,800) @ MIN
Value SP: Zach Wheeler, NYM ($11,700) vs CHC
Wheeler has gone 6 innings in 3 of his last 4 starts with at least 6 strikeouts. The only one he didn’t go 6 was against the Blue Jays where he was dominating before a rain delay and then got rocked afterward. Wheeler has been getting very unlucky as his SIERRA suggests a 3.92 pitcher while his ERA is sitting at 5.40. It might seem like he has a very bad track record against the Cubs – 9.29 FIP in 43 PA but that can be blamed on one bad start where he allowed 8 runs in 1.2 IP.
Honorable Mention: Ian Kennedy, KC ($11,200) vs OAK
Top IF: Cody Bellinger, LAD ($9,400) @ COL
This is a Coors game which means Bellinger will have high ownership percentage but that should stop you from putting Bellinger in your lineups today as he is 2-4 against Tyler Anderson with a HR and a walk. Bellinger has been terrible especially considering what he did last year – He is hitting .232. Everything is trending in the wrong direction for him and this might be just what he needs to right the ship. I also strongly consider Trevor Story here but he will probably be more widely owned.
Honorable Mention: Trevor Story, COL ($9,100) vs LAD
Top OF: Mike Trout, LAA ($11,300) vs TEX
Mike Trout is the most expensive batter today at FantasyDraft, but that shouldn’t stop you from putting him in your lineup. Mike Trout owns Bartolo Colon – 10-18 with 3HR. Trout has 18 Home runs in 57 games thanks to his career-high 45.4% Hard Hit rate. He is walking more than he is striking out and owns a 24.3% LD rate. I can sit here and bore you with how good Mike Trout is all day but I won’t. Just find a way to get this baseball god in your lineup tonight.
Honorable Mention: Aaron Judge, NYY ($10,700) @ BAL
Value IF/OF: Matt Carpenter, STL ($7,600) vs PIT
Something is fishy, from Tout to Carp. This might not seem like a value pick since Carpenter still costs a decent amount but consider his recent performance for a second – He is hitting .377 with 4 Home runs, 57.1% Hard Hit and a measly 9.5% Soft Hit. The BABIP is finally working in Carpenter’s favor just like the advanced metrics suggested they would. Carpenter is 7-16 against Jameson Taillon with a Homerun and 2 Doubles.
Honorable Mention: David Peralta, ARI ($6,400) vs MIA
Stack: Angels vs Rangers (RHP Bartolo Colon)
Bartolo Colon is still pitching and, surprisingly, he is pitching well – 3.55 ERA. The FIP (4.50) and SIERRA (4.02) don’t agree and neither do I. Colon has allowed a .362 AVG to the current Angels roster. Bartolo has also given up 9 runs in his last 12 innings. I already mentioned Mike Trout earlier, here are some other stack plays:
Andrelton Simmons ($8,500)
Albert Pujols ($7,500)
Zack Cozart ($7,300)
Luis Valbuena ($6,300)
Honorable Mention: Mets vs Cubs