Last night we had high scoring games all over the place which isn’t surprising since there weren’t a ton of aces on the mound. We saw Texas’ 10 game win streak come to an end, but they are still 6.5 games back of the Astros who are having a tremendous year. The Cubs and Red Sox – my World Series picks – are both floating at .500 looking for answers anywhere. Luckily it is a long season, and they still have time to figure it out.
We have a full slate of games with some bonus baseball as they Royals and Twins square off in a double header. Make sure that you enter the correct contest and get the right KC MIN game.
Low-Scoring Plays
Washington Nationals @ Atlanta Braves – Last night the Braves got to Scherzer and beat the Nats ace. Luckily for the Nats they have another ace to follow that one right up. Strasburg is having a solid year with a record of 4-1 and averages a little less than one strike out per inning. The Braves aren’t a great team, and Strasburg should have a pretty easy time with them. I said the same thing last night about Scherzer, however Scherzer didn’t pitch that bad. If the Nats gave Scherzer run support he would have stayed in the game longer. This line up is too good to be silienced two nights in a row so look for some Nats bats in this one, and a long performance from Strasburg.
Texas Rangers @ Detroit Tigers – Yu Darvish takes the mound for the Rangers who is arguably the top pitcher on the day. Draft Kings believes he is the top pitcher on the day. Detroit is batting .247 as a team and is 14th in the league in strike outs. Darvish should be able to keep the Tigers low in this game and go deep into it. Texas won 10 and a row until losing last night. I think they will lose another one here, not because of Darvish, but a lack of run support and their bullpen. Boyd is too much of a risk, he only made it 2.1 innings in his last outing. Darvish is expensive but would be worth the money, it will just be tough for him to pick up the win in my eyes.
Targets: Darvish
Boston Red Sox @ Oakland Athletics – Andrew Triggs is always a pitcher that I look at when he is on the mound. He averages just under 18 points per game and has a WHIP of 1.03 which is great. Boston’s bats come and go and a solid pitcher won’t make them show up. They are 29th in home runs with 36 on the year, and are a struggling ball club. At this rate all Triggs has to do is get through Betts and Ramirez and Bogaerts will only hit a single so that won’t do any damage. Oakland should complete the sweep today and Triggs will be a great play.
High-Scoring Plays
Cleveland Indians @ Houston Astros – Danny Salazar takes the mound for the Indians who strikes out a lot of batters but has given up a lot of runs this year. Houston’s line up is dynamic and they can beat you from 1 through 9. I like the Astros to win this one big. Opponents batting average is .130 points higher against Salazar when he pitches on the road. He has pitched twice at Minutemaid Park in his career, where he has yet to pick up a decision. On the other side, Joe Musgrove takes the mound for Houston. He is a young arm who has an ERA above 4.5. He will have a tough time getting through Indians line up as they are stacked. I like him to have the advantage with a great line up behind him, and pitching at home.
Targets: Altuve, Correa
New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays – The Yankees are 3-7 in their last 10 games and lost last night to Tampa. I like them to bounce back tonight and win this game big. Aaron Judge hit a home run last night which gives him the league lead of 15. He was hitting a lot more earlier in the season, but it seems like all the home run leaders were as well. I think that home run will spark the Yankees line up and Judge will go on a tear to get the MVP, Rookie of the year talks happening again. We’ve entered the low point of the baseball season. The season isn’t new any more, and it’s not summer yet so look for Judge and crew to put baseball back in the news.
Targets: Judge, Sanchez
Under Value Plays
Alonso – OAK – 1B – Alonso is listed as DTD so make sure you check if he is actually in the line up. If he is he will be a great play. Rodriguez is pitching for Boston, who is an average pitcher for Boston. Alonso leads the A’s in almost every stat, he has 12 home runs on season only 3 behind Judge. His 12 home runs doubles Boston’s home run leader at 6.
Sogard – MIL – 2B – A recent call up to the Brewers has been hitting out of his mind. Since coming up to the league he has made 4 consecutive starts batting .476 with 2 home runs. He is playing against Arietta today which makes Sogard a risky play but a cheap 2nd baseman playing out of his mind? Sign me up!
Shaw – MIL – 3B – The Mayor of Ding Dong city is playing great for the Brewers as it looks like the Red Sox got swindled in that trade. Shaw is top 10 in the league in RBI’s with 32 and has 8 home runs. He too is playing against Arietta which isn’t ideal but Shaw would be a good play. He can put up Bryant numbers but not cost nearly as much.
Martinez – DET – OF – He isn’t cheap, he cost $5000 on Draft Kings. However when you look at his numbers he is worth it. He is under valued compared to Harper and Trout as he averages more 5 more fantasy points than both of those guys. Martinez has bounced back from injury strong pick him now before his price rises above Harpers.
Kemp – ATL – OF – Like Martinez he isn’t cheap, but he is cheaper than the other stars. For $4300 you can get a guy batting .346 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI’s. If the Braves are going to beat Strasburg and the Nats then it will be done with Kemp.