Had to pull the chute on my lineup last night. Cubs/Pirates potential rain scared me off, as did the potential rain in Denver. I wish I had pulled the chute on Michael Wacha, but I digress. Went with Cole Hamels and Wacha and a bunch of mid range to cheapy bats. Lineup was OK on a low scoring night, could have been better with some breaks. Let's have a look at Thursday. Remember, I just play the night games during the week.
Pitchers:
- Gold: Jon Lester BOS - Lester has been his usual tough stuff this season. Got pounded by the Tigers in his last start, but I think its just a blip in the radar. The Tribe loathe left handed pitching with their largely left handed hitting lineup. A great chance for Lester to make some hay.
- Silver: Kyle Lohse MIL - Lohse, like Lester, got roughed up in his last start. Start before that he pitched a complete game shutout. The answer likely lies somewhere in the middle. Mets are largely a swing and miss team, so its a good chance for Lohse to pile on the points.
- Bronze: Roenis Elias SEA - Elias has burst onto the scene this year with some mighty fine above average stuff. Like the Tribe above, Yankees hate left handed pitching with their largely left handed lineup. Yankees bats aren't what they once were, a good chance for Elias to do well as long as he doesn't get spooked by the Yankees mystique.
- Economy: Scott Feldman HOU - Feldman, in a word, has been awful this season. Too many short outings. Feldman is a cagey vet though, facing a Diamondbacks squad that largely does not like right handed pitching. Might be a good spot for Feldman to break out of his slump.
Catchers:
- Gold: Jonathan Lucroy MIL - Lucroy is the cream of the crop at the C spot tonight. I expect the Brewers to do what they usually do to lefties, mash. Lucroy will be right in the middle of that.
- Silver: A.J. Pierzynski BOS - Big drop off here but like I said, a light night at the C spot. AJP is a pro hitter so he might be able to goad Josh Tomlin into giving him something to hit.
- Bronze: Dioner Navarro TOR - Navarro usually occupies my economy spot, but considering the options aren't very good tonight, I kick him up a notch into the bronze spot. Navarro faces Kevin Gausman in an attempt to get the Jays bats out of a slump.
- Economy: Carlos Corporan HOU - With HOU facing lefty Wade Miley tonight, I'm thinking usual catcher Jason Castro might get the night off. Corporan is a decent, cheap hitting catcher, if you are looking for a punt, but the batting average is a little low for him this season.
1st Base:
- Gold: David Ortiz BOS - The bats getting a little slower and the power is a bit down this season, but Big Papi is still a fearsome hitter as he starts to get a little long in the tooth. Ortiz faces Josh Tomlin tonight, so he won't have to worry about facing high heat.
- Silver: Anthony Rizzo CHC - Rizzo faces Edison Volquez tonight. Getting here late to the Rizzo party as his price has skyrocketed as his bat has heated up. Volquez is no great shakes, so I expect some walks and few knocks from Rizzo tonight.
- Gold: Edwin Encarncion TOR - A heat check play on Edwin tonight. He faces Kevin Gausman who throws hard but Edwin loves fastballs, especially the straight kind that Gausman throws. Tough to say if the Jays break their slump tonight though.
- Economy: Logan Morrison SEA - Morrison is fresh off the DL, now playing a few games since his return. Morrison faces pitch to contact righty Chase Whitley. Good matchup and a good price point for Morrison.
2nd Base:
- Gold: Robinson Cano SEA - Been awhile since I have looked Cano's way, largely because the price point is still way high even though his power numbers are way down. Has a favorable matchup vs. Chase Whitley. I look for Cano to commence in correcting some of his stats.
- Silver: Jose Altuve HOU - Altuve got last night off so I expect him to be ready to roll. Faces lefty Wade Miley in another ripe matchup. Altuve price point is high as he's added stolen bases to his repertoire this season. Sometimes you gotta pay for quality.
- Bronze: Dustin Pedroia BOS - Many high priced 2B options tonight, a far cry from the usual. Pedroia has been very meh this season. Price point is likely too high because of it. I like the Red Sox to rake tonight, so throwing Pedroia in a Red Sox stack isn't a bad idea. Faces Josh Tomlin.
- Economy: Rickie Weeks MIL - I figure he'll play tonight vs. lefty Jon Niese. If there is one team is stack tonight, I think its the Brewers. They just mash lefty pitching and Niese is OK but nothing special.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Kyle Seager SEA - Seager faces righty Chase Whitley tonight. Seager has had an uneven season to this point, largely because he plays everyday regardless if its a lefty or righty on the mound. I look for Seattle to mash Whitley.
- Silver: Aramis Ramirez MIL - Continuing with the Brewers stack, Ramirez faces Jon Niese. Ramirez power numbers are down this year, largely because of his DL stint in May. Great opportunity for the Brewers to abuse Niese.
- Bronze: Brock Holt BOS - A bit of a dropoff here. Brock Holt has been a pleasant surprise for the Red Sox this season. Hitting well, and hitting for some power. I still see him as a slappy hitter but his numbers are undeniable. But then again, his price point is inflated because of it. Faces Josh Tomlin.
- Economy: Matt Dominguez HOU - I feel like this guy is almost a must play when a lefty is on the mound. His punt price makes him a very attractive play, considering he hits 4th or 5th vs. lefties. Has modest power. Faces lefty Wade Miley.
Shortstop:
- Gold: Jose Reyes TOR - Having a Blue Jay occupy a gold spot with the way their bats have gone stone cold is a bit of an eyesore. Reyes is just one of those bats that takes off then goes cold, pretty much from swing to swing. Never know when he's gonna go off, but when he does, it's usually epic, hence the price point. Faces Kevin Gausman.
- Silver: Jean Segura MIL - Are you detecting a theme here? Yes, another Brewers player. Segura is the lead off guy, (I think? he hit 8th last night?) and table setter for the Brew Crew. Might even swipe a bag for ya. Faces lefty Jon Niese.
- Bronze: Starlin Castro CHC - Castro laid a dud last night. I'll give him a chance at redemption tonight. Faces righty Edison Volquez tonight. Just difficult to ignore the fact he hits cleanup.
- Economy: J.J. Hardy BAL - Mr. Fixture in the economy spot is here again. Hardy faces tough lefty Mark Buehrle. Buehrle has been so good for so long, that I figure a hiccup is coming. Hardy's an excellent punt with his power potential.
Outfield:
- Gold: Carlos Gomez MIL - Going with the Brewers stack? Gotta have the cleanup hitter. Gomez is such a wonderful blend of power and speed. Just points waiting to happen. Faces lefty Jon Niese.
- Gold: Ryan Braun MIL - Y'know how things are around here. Have Gomez? Gotta have Braun. Tough to get them both in a lineup, but with a plethora of cheap options tonight, it might be doable.
Faces lefty Jon Niese.
- Silver: Geroge Springer HOU - Speaking of right handed hitters going lefty mashing, Springer goes up against Wade Miley. Springer has so much talent, but the dude is so young that you have no idea when he's gonna go off, but he's ticking time bomb.
- Silver: Dexter Fowler HOU - Fowler is a step down from Springer in my mind, but still an option nonetheless, like most switch hitters, has better power from the right side. Faces Wade Miley tonight.
- Bronze: James Jones SEA - From here its just a pile o' cheapies. James Jones hit a top the Mariners order, can create havoc on the base path. Faces Chase Whitley.
- Bronze: Grady Sizemore BOS - I figure he will be back in the lineup facing righty Josh Tomlin. Sizemore hasn't had that good of a year but can still have games that can bite you. Price point is certainly decent enough.
- Economy: Nate Schierholtz CHC - Has Schierholtz here last night, going back to him again tonight vs. Edison Volquez. Kind of a heat check play as his power and batting average are way down this year. I'm looking for the batting average to at least even out a bit.
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