Let's have a look at the Saturday night slate of games.
Pitchers:
- Gold: Scott Kazmir OAK - Kazmir faces the Yankess, who largely hate left handed pitching. Most of their big bats strictly hit laft handed. Yankees bats are starting to heat up a little, so be wary of that. Kazmir has been lights out on many nights this season. Price point is very reasonable to boot.
- Silver: Steven Strasburg WSH - Strasburg has a somewhat favorable matchup vs. the Cardinals. The Cards can rake when they are at their best, but right now seem to be hitting a bit of a lull. It's a good time for Strasburg to make some serious hay in this game.
- Bronze: Dan Haren LAD - Not a fan of Dan Haren per se, but still has solid starts still left in that arm. When he gets roughed up, it gets gross. Faces the Diamondbacks tonight, who haven't much success vs. right hand pitching. Seems like a good matchup for Haren.
- Economy: Joe Saunders TEX - Mariners are having a tough time hitting anybody. No name Nick Tepesch made their lineup look like puppy piss last night. On top of that, Mariners lineup isn't built to hit lefties. Seems like a very solid, economical play.
Catchers:
- Gold: Devin Mesoraco CIN - The catching spot disgusts me tonight. Mesoraco is really the only legitimate option of any substance. Faces Yovani Gallardo, of whom I have no idea what to expect from tonight.
- Silver: Robinson Chirinos TEX - See what I mean? Chirinos faces Erasmo Ramirez. Check with lineup to see if its Chirinos or Gimenez that gets the start, I like either one of them as part of a Texas stack vs. Ramirez.
- Bronze: Hank Conger ANA - Faces Gavin Floyd. Conger has shown modest power but not enough for my liking. On a light catching night, this really scraping the bottom of the barrel.
- Economy: Jose Lobaton WSH - With Wilson Ramos out, Lobaton has been getting the bulk of the catching duties. A light hitting fellow that hits at the bottom of the order, but is dirt cheap. Faces Shelby Miller.
1st Base:
- Gold: Joey Votto CIN - Votto is fresh off the DL. His price point is at a decent spot but starting to climb, may be one of the last times to buy low on Votto who is the pro's pro of hitters in the MLB. Faces Yovani Gallardo.
- Silver: Adrian Gonzalez LAD - Me and Adrian ain't as tight as we once were. Adrian was an automatic play for much of last season, this season he has done me dirty too often, I've started looking elsewhere. Faces Josh Collmenter in what could be a turn back the clock game.
- Bronze: Adam LaRoche WSH - Not a fan of LaRoche per se but have to respect that he hits cleanup and shows occasional power. Faces Shelby Miller who is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. Who knows which Shelby Miller will show up tonight.
- Economy: Lyle Overbay MIL - Sorry folks, this is as good as it gets for the economy spot. Likely faces Mat Latos coming off the DL, so I would think Overbay plays tonight, but check with lineups on this one.
2nd Base:
- Gold: Dee Gordon LAD - Gordon is heads and tails the best option at 2B tonight. Hopefully he can put his jack rabbit like skills on display. Need Dee to run.....a lot. Faces Josh Collmenter.
- Silver: Brandon Phillips CIN - Phillips faces Yovani Gallardo as my Reds stack continues on. Gallardo can be very good, but he can also be very bad, its a coin flip tonight.
- Bronze: Scooter Gennett MIL - Won't recommend a lot of Brewers tonight because Mat Latos coming off the DL, who knows what to expect. But I will recommend Gennett because he is a good contact hitter and at good price point, and tonight, that's all you can ask for.
- Economy: Rougned Odor TEX - Bottom of the lineup slappy has been getting on base with good frequency this season. I highly recommend Rangers vs. the erratic Erasmo Ramirez.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Adrian Beltre TEX - Highly recommeded Beltre tonight, especially with value being so poor tonight. Beltre comes with a high price but has a favorable matchup with fastball throwing Erasmo Ramirez. Beltre lives for the fastball.
- Silver: Ryan Zimmerman WSH - Plays a lot of the outfield this days, may still qualify for 3B on your site. At any rate, on a light night at 3B, Zimmerman is a quality play vs. Shelby Miller.
- Bronze: Todd Frazier CIN - Haven't given Frazier enough of his due on this site, largely because I still think of him as the power hitting low average type. HIs average is up a little higher this year and making more contact. Faces Yovani Gallardo tonight.
- Economy: Alberto Callaspo OAK - Economy is a tough spot to find tonight. Callaspo faces Hiroki Kuroda. Callaspo doesn't mind the junk pitches and he'll get a lot of it from Hiroki Kuroda.
Shortstop:
- Gold: Hanley Ramirez LAD - Ramirez is a lot like Beltre, comes highly recommended on a light schedule. Faces Josh Collementer. Take heed that Dodgers bats haven;t hit well at home lately, but know that they can explode without a moments notice.
- Silver: Elvis Andrus TEX - Another player to throw on the Rangers stack. Andrus, the base stealing machine that he is, hopefully can grant a couple tonight as he goes up against Erasmo Ramirez.
- Bronze: Billy Hamilton CIN - Qualifies at OF only on many sites, on some sites he qualifies at SS, I'll put him here for tonight as the OF is quite crowded. Hamilton is essentially the left handed hitting version of Andrus. Pure jack rabbit. Faces Yovani Gallardo.
- Economy: Danny Espinoza WSH - Slappy hitting 2nd baseman, qualifies at SS on some sites. Don't expect too much here, but can get some base knocks at a cheap price. Faces Shelby Miller.
Outfield:
- Gold: Shin Soo Choo TEX -
- Gold: Yasel Puig LAD -
- Silver: Jay Bruce CIN -
- Silver: Alex Rios TEX -
- Bronze: Kole Calhoun LAA -
- Bronze: Coco Crisp OAK -
- Economy: Nate McLouth WSH -
Friday, June 13, 2014
Thursday, June 12, 2014
MLB: Friday June 13 2014
Unbelievably cold night with the bats last night. On a night where I had two good value gems in Lester and Feldman, the high price bats were a dud. Too cold to swing the bat last night? Not sure, but these bats better warm up soon, as I am losing patience and bankroll! Just fell short again last night. At any rate, let's check out Friday's matchups.
Pitchers:
- Gold: Bartolo Colon NYM - That should tell you everything about the pitching tonight. Actually the pitching is pretty good and deep. On a night where King Felix and Kershaw are going, I'm going with Colon. Colon faces the limp dick bats of the Padres. Just seems like a night where Colon can generate a lot of swings and misses vs. the youthful bats of the Padres. Far better value here than the aforementioned aces above.
- Silver: Jose Quintana CWS - Kind of a hedge play. The Royals have a large amount of lefty hitters that play full time, so I'm hoping the lefty Quintana can buy some outs and even perhaps get some Ks along the way. Royals haven't been striking out a lot, but like I said its kind of hedge play. Check with lineups to see if the Royals are playing a large amount of lefty bats.
- Bronze: Felix Hernandez SEA - Not enamoured with this pick, but can't totally avoid it either. Nobody's touching Felix stuff lately. 15Ks in his last outing, what will do for an encore? Who knows, but the free swinging bats of the Rangers pose a threat to a big K total, but also could knock some runs in on Felix. I like Hernandez better than Kershaw tonight, if you have expensive taste.
- Economy: Roberto Hernandez PHI - Not in love with this pick, but its the Cubs bats and they suck. Question is do they suck bad enough for the former Fausto Carmona to do them dirty? Even I have my questions about that, but Edison Volquez looked like Cy Young vs. the Cubbies last night, so anything could happen.
Catchers:
- Gold: Buster Posey SF - Posey faces southpaw Jorge de la Rosa. Posey lives for left hand pitching, especially one as mediocre as de la Rosa. Posey is by far the best catching play of the night.
- Silver: John Jaso OAK - Jaso should be drawing in the lineup vs. David Phelps tonight. A distant 2nd option to Posey but a guy that hit some frozen ropes all over the field.
- Bronze: Evan Gattis LAA - Not enamoured with this play but there are some things going for it. C.J. Wilson gives up the long ball which is Gattis' specialty. But Wilson also can be nasty, and Gattis strikeout a lot. This is the ultimate boom/bust play.
- Economy: Dioner Navarro TOR - Mr. Economy is back in his spot. Faces Ubaldo Jimenez. I figure the jays are due to break out of their slump soon. Navarro is a good punt option if you are looking for value at the C spot.
1st Base:
- Gold: Brandon Moss OAK - Kind of a heat check play. Moss has been mashing with authority pretty consistently this season, you wonder if the well is ever gonna dry up. Has a ripe matchup vs. David Phelps that's difficult to over look.
- Silver: Victor Martinez DET - Don't have VMart here often enough, mainly because its tough to pass on Miggy Cabrera as a 1B option. For those that play on sites where VMart is at the catcher spot (catch up with the times already), have at 'er. VMart faces Kyle Gibson in a ripe matchup.
- Bronze: Adam Dunn CWS - Dunn faces Jeremy Guthrie who throws predominantly fastballs, and Dunn only likes fastballs, so on paper it seems like a match made in heaven for Dunn. Dunn Ks a ton, so it might not be pretty.
- Economy: Logan Morrison SEA - Morrison faces pitch to contact Nick Tepesch. Morrison hit his first homer of the season, when I recommended him in this spot last night. Going back to well to see if there is more pop in that bat.
2nd Base:
- Gold: Robinson Cano SEA - Cano didn't do that great last night but he is hitting the ball much better, meaning a tear is just around the corner. Cano faces Nick Tepesch. I have no idea how Tepesch is going to be able to get Cano out.
- Silver: Chase Utley PHI - Utley faces Jake Arrieta in what should a good matchup for Utley. The Phils bats have been in the tank this season, but Utley's bat is still going strong. Power numbers might be down but the batting average is still way high.
- Bronze: Brian Dozier MIN - I haven't had this guy on the list nearly as much as I should. Every time I see him play, he hitting scorches all over the place and hitting for power. Dozier faces Drew Smyly in a righty/lefty matchup, one that highly favors Dozier.
- Economy: Dan Uggla ATL - It's an "Uggla" kinda night for the economy class. Sorry, had to do it, but seriously, the economy class kinda stinks tonight. It's resorting to a mostly bench player facing an ace and hoping for said bench player to wake up and hit a home run. Got it? Good. Uggla faces C.J. Wilson, that's if he plays, check with lineups on this one.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Kyle Seager SEA - Seager did me dirty last night and I reward him with the gold spot again? Yeah, I know, but its kinda where the 3B spot is at tonight. One of these nights all those lefty bats of the Mariners have to hit a righty, amirite? Especially one as mediocre as Nick Tepesch.
- Silver: Pablo Sandoval SF - Sandoval faces lefty Jorge de la Rosa tonight. I like Pablo much more from the left side, but he'll be hitting right handed vs. the lefty. Maybe its just me but I always feel Rockies pitching is mediocre, no matter who's in that uniform. Perhaps de la Rosa may prove me wrong.
- Bronze: Casey McGehee MIA - See what I mean about 3B? I have put sporadic hitting McGehee in a spot. Lots of things going for McGehee though. He faces lefty Jeff Locke, and he hits cleanup. Can't ask for much more at a reasonable price.
- Economy:Chone Figgins LAD - Mr. Slappy is back in his economy spot. May or may not play, it will either be him or Justin Turner in the lineup or may be both, depending on the status of Hanley Ramirez. Either way, the Dodgers face rookie Chase Anderson tonight.
Shortstop:
- Gold: Jed Lowrie OAK - Thought 3B was bad, SS is hella ugly tonight. Best to find points and matchups where you can. I'm looking to Jed Lowrie, first and foremost, in his matchup with David Phelps and then go from there.
- Silver: Jimmy Rollins PHI - I'm not enamoured with JRoll a lot of the time, largely because he usually leaves me with a big donut at the end of the night. He has speed and a small amount of power that surprises every once in awhile. Faces Jake Arrieta tonight.
- Bronze: Alexei Ramirez CWS - Ramirez's kind of hit a cold spell over the last week. The good news is his price point has come down to a reasonable range. Good thing because he was way overpriced before. He can still hit for power and still run but its just more manageable now to get him in a lineup. Faces Jeremy Guthrie tonight.
- Economy: Eduardo Escobar MIN - Yeah I know, its kinda ugly. Escobar is merely a slappy hitting shortstop that hits down the order. Has a nice average though and may pound you out a couple of knocks vs. lefty Drew Smyly.
Outfield:
- Gold: Giancarlo Stanton MIA - Easily the OF play of the night. Stanton is just a hitting machine and loves left handed pitching. He gets that in the form of Jeff Locke.
- Gold: Hunter Pence SF - A bit of a drop off from Stanton to Pence, but Pence can mash lefties of his own and gets to vs. Jorge de la Rosa. Wish he hit in a better RBI spot on the Giants, but he can still hit nonetheless.
- Silver: Coco Crisp OAK - The power starts to dry up after Pence. Will have to settle for some base knocks and some hopeful stolen bases. Crisp may get that chance vs. David Phelps.
- Silver: Adam Eaton CWS - What goes for Crisp can go the same for Eaton. Lead off man with limited power that can steal a base. Doesn't steal with the volume that Crisp does. Faces Jeremy Guthrie.
- Bronze: Justin Upton ATL - JUpton has just been an annoying flake lately. Not hitting when he should be and hitting when he shouldn't be. Don't know what to expect from him and his high price. Maybe with a struggling stud ace lefty C.J. Wilson on the mound, maybe everything will counter balance itself out.
- Bronze: Josh Willingham MIN - Not a lot I like about Willingham other than his matchup. His price point is too high considering the lack of safety he brings. An all or nothing masher. Faces lefty Drew Smyly though which is right in his wheelhouse.
- Economy: James Jones SEA - Had him last night and was pretty meh with only an RBI single to show. Like with the rest of the Mariners on this list, I'm hoping for a better showing vs. Nick Tepesch.
Pitchers:
- Gold: Bartolo Colon NYM - That should tell you everything about the pitching tonight. Actually the pitching is pretty good and deep. On a night where King Felix and Kershaw are going, I'm going with Colon. Colon faces the limp dick bats of the Padres. Just seems like a night where Colon can generate a lot of swings and misses vs. the youthful bats of the Padres. Far better value here than the aforementioned aces above.
- Silver: Jose Quintana CWS - Kind of a hedge play. The Royals have a large amount of lefty hitters that play full time, so I'm hoping the lefty Quintana can buy some outs and even perhaps get some Ks along the way. Royals haven't been striking out a lot, but like I said its kind of hedge play. Check with lineups to see if the Royals are playing a large amount of lefty bats.
- Bronze: Felix Hernandez SEA - Not enamoured with this pick, but can't totally avoid it either. Nobody's touching Felix stuff lately. 15Ks in his last outing, what will do for an encore? Who knows, but the free swinging bats of the Rangers pose a threat to a big K total, but also could knock some runs in on Felix. I like Hernandez better than Kershaw tonight, if you have expensive taste.
- Economy: Roberto Hernandez PHI - Not in love with this pick, but its the Cubs bats and they suck. Question is do they suck bad enough for the former Fausto Carmona to do them dirty? Even I have my questions about that, but Edison Volquez looked like Cy Young vs. the Cubbies last night, so anything could happen.
Catchers:
- Gold: Buster Posey SF - Posey faces southpaw Jorge de la Rosa. Posey lives for left hand pitching, especially one as mediocre as de la Rosa. Posey is by far the best catching play of the night.
- Silver: John Jaso OAK - Jaso should be drawing in the lineup vs. David Phelps tonight. A distant 2nd option to Posey but a guy that hit some frozen ropes all over the field.
- Bronze: Evan Gattis LAA - Not enamoured with this play but there are some things going for it. C.J. Wilson gives up the long ball which is Gattis' specialty. But Wilson also can be nasty, and Gattis strikeout a lot. This is the ultimate boom/bust play.
- Economy: Dioner Navarro TOR - Mr. Economy is back in his spot. Faces Ubaldo Jimenez. I figure the jays are due to break out of their slump soon. Navarro is a good punt option if you are looking for value at the C spot.
1st Base:
- Gold: Brandon Moss OAK - Kind of a heat check play. Moss has been mashing with authority pretty consistently this season, you wonder if the well is ever gonna dry up. Has a ripe matchup vs. David Phelps that's difficult to over look.
- Silver: Victor Martinez DET - Don't have VMart here often enough, mainly because its tough to pass on Miggy Cabrera as a 1B option. For those that play on sites where VMart is at the catcher spot (catch up with the times already), have at 'er. VMart faces Kyle Gibson in a ripe matchup.
- Bronze: Adam Dunn CWS - Dunn faces Jeremy Guthrie who throws predominantly fastballs, and Dunn only likes fastballs, so on paper it seems like a match made in heaven for Dunn. Dunn Ks a ton, so it might not be pretty.
- Economy: Logan Morrison SEA - Morrison faces pitch to contact Nick Tepesch. Morrison hit his first homer of the season, when I recommended him in this spot last night. Going back to well to see if there is more pop in that bat.
2nd Base:
- Gold: Robinson Cano SEA - Cano didn't do that great last night but he is hitting the ball much better, meaning a tear is just around the corner. Cano faces Nick Tepesch. I have no idea how Tepesch is going to be able to get Cano out.
- Silver: Chase Utley PHI - Utley faces Jake Arrieta in what should a good matchup for Utley. The Phils bats have been in the tank this season, but Utley's bat is still going strong. Power numbers might be down but the batting average is still way high.
- Bronze: Brian Dozier MIN - I haven't had this guy on the list nearly as much as I should. Every time I see him play, he hitting scorches all over the place and hitting for power. Dozier faces Drew Smyly in a righty/lefty matchup, one that highly favors Dozier.
- Economy: Dan Uggla ATL - It's an "Uggla" kinda night for the economy class. Sorry, had to do it, but seriously, the economy class kinda stinks tonight. It's resorting to a mostly bench player facing an ace and hoping for said bench player to wake up and hit a home run. Got it? Good. Uggla faces C.J. Wilson, that's if he plays, check with lineups on this one.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Kyle Seager SEA - Seager did me dirty last night and I reward him with the gold spot again? Yeah, I know, but its kinda where the 3B spot is at tonight. One of these nights all those lefty bats of the Mariners have to hit a righty, amirite? Especially one as mediocre as Nick Tepesch.
- Silver: Pablo Sandoval SF - Sandoval faces lefty Jorge de la Rosa tonight. I like Pablo much more from the left side, but he'll be hitting right handed vs. the lefty. Maybe its just me but I always feel Rockies pitching is mediocre, no matter who's in that uniform. Perhaps de la Rosa may prove me wrong.
- Bronze: Casey McGehee MIA - See what I mean about 3B? I have put sporadic hitting McGehee in a spot. Lots of things going for McGehee though. He faces lefty Jeff Locke, and he hits cleanup. Can't ask for much more at a reasonable price.
- Economy:Chone Figgins LAD - Mr. Slappy is back in his economy spot. May or may not play, it will either be him or Justin Turner in the lineup or may be both, depending on the status of Hanley Ramirez. Either way, the Dodgers face rookie Chase Anderson tonight.
Shortstop:
- Gold: Jed Lowrie OAK - Thought 3B was bad, SS is hella ugly tonight. Best to find points and matchups where you can. I'm looking to Jed Lowrie, first and foremost, in his matchup with David Phelps and then go from there.
- Silver: Jimmy Rollins PHI - I'm not enamoured with JRoll a lot of the time, largely because he usually leaves me with a big donut at the end of the night. He has speed and a small amount of power that surprises every once in awhile. Faces Jake Arrieta tonight.
- Bronze: Alexei Ramirez CWS - Ramirez's kind of hit a cold spell over the last week. The good news is his price point has come down to a reasonable range. Good thing because he was way overpriced before. He can still hit for power and still run but its just more manageable now to get him in a lineup. Faces Jeremy Guthrie tonight.
- Economy: Eduardo Escobar MIN - Yeah I know, its kinda ugly. Escobar is merely a slappy hitting shortstop that hits down the order. Has a nice average though and may pound you out a couple of knocks vs. lefty Drew Smyly.
Outfield:
- Gold: Giancarlo Stanton MIA - Easily the OF play of the night. Stanton is just a hitting machine and loves left handed pitching. He gets that in the form of Jeff Locke.
- Gold: Hunter Pence SF - A bit of a drop off from Stanton to Pence, but Pence can mash lefties of his own and gets to vs. Jorge de la Rosa. Wish he hit in a better RBI spot on the Giants, but he can still hit nonetheless.
- Silver: Coco Crisp OAK - The power starts to dry up after Pence. Will have to settle for some base knocks and some hopeful stolen bases. Crisp may get that chance vs. David Phelps.
- Silver: Adam Eaton CWS - What goes for Crisp can go the same for Eaton. Lead off man with limited power that can steal a base. Doesn't steal with the volume that Crisp does. Faces Jeremy Guthrie.
- Bronze: Justin Upton ATL - JUpton has just been an annoying flake lately. Not hitting when he should be and hitting when he shouldn't be. Don't know what to expect from him and his high price. Maybe with a struggling stud ace lefty C.J. Wilson on the mound, maybe everything will counter balance itself out.
- Bronze: Josh Willingham MIN - Not a lot I like about Willingham other than his matchup. His price point is too high considering the lack of safety he brings. An all or nothing masher. Faces lefty Drew Smyly though which is right in his wheelhouse.
- Economy: James Jones SEA - Had him last night and was pretty meh with only an RBI single to show. Like with the rest of the Mariners on this list, I'm hoping for a better showing vs. Nick Tepesch.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
MLB: Thursday June 12 2014
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
MLB: Wednesday June 11 2014
Yesterday went back to being a frustrating night, I'm pretty sure it was everyone. Very little pitching, high priced bats were uneven across the board. Unless you had a stake in the Braves/Rockies gong show, you likely went home empty handed. Faded the Braves last night and paid dearly for it, even though I had a couple of them on my list. Sometimes I should listen to my own advice. It was difficult to back to Freeman and Gattis yesterday after they did me dirty on Monday. That's the way she goes, sometimes you can't have a shy trigger finger. A's/Angels also did me dirty last night, as there was just nothing there in terms of bats. Let's check and see what Wednesday holds.
Pitching:
- Gold: Cole Hamels PHI - Hamels has been a stud lately. Gets to ply his trade vs. the lowly Padres tonight. Padres K a ton, Hamels has been K'ing a ton, seems like a good match to Hamels for me.
- Silver: Yu Darvish TEX - Darvish loves faces the Marlins tonight. Kind of an uneven matchup. Marlins have a couple of fearsome hitters but also have quite a few free swingers. The Ks will likely be there, the question is will the ERs be too. The only question that is keeping him from being the gold play tonight.
- Bronze: Michael Wacha STL - Rays went scoreless again last night. So what seems like a slump has turned into an epidemic. After Wainwright and the Cards tossed a shutout last night, it will be up to Wacha to keep the Rays in a slump.
- Economy: Wily Peralta MIL - My advice for today is pay for pitching. The dregs of pitching are very unappealing tonight. The best I got is Peralta vs. the Mets, and I can't say I have a lot of faith in this pick. Peralta should find some Ks, the ERs will likely be there too though.
Catching:
- Gold: Yadier Molina STL - Facing lefty Erik Bedard tonight. Cards have crushed lefties in the past, Bedard has pitched well as of late. Something has to give in this matchup.
- Silver: Evan Gattis ATL - Fricken annoying Braves have cost me some coin the last two days. Needless to say I'm gonna have a stake in this game. Gattis and his power hitting style seems like a nice fit for Coors Field. Faces Eddie Butler in his second start in the MLB.
- Bronze: Jason Castro HOU - Castro power bat is slowly starting to come around. Minute Maid Park is a great hitter's park. Faces righty Brandon McCarthy. All arrows are pointing up in this matchup.
- Economy: Brian McCann NYY - McCann is on the edge of the economy scale. It's points out how poor of a season he is having in his 1st year with the Yankees. McCann faces Chris Young. As long as McCann is hitting in the middle of the lineup, and his price point is cheap, gotta look to him if you need a punt.
1st Base:
- Gold: Freddie Freeman ATL - Oh Freddie, you annoying bastard. Burnt me on Monday for having him, burnt me again on Tuesday for not having him. What are you going to give me on Wednesday? Faces Eddie Butler.
- Silver: Anthony Rizzo CHC - Rizzo did some lefty v lefty crime against Frankie Liriano last night. Tonight he faces relative newcomer Brandon Cumpton. Cubs stack might be a sneaky play tonight.
- Bronze: Paul Goldschmidt ARI - Goldy always has to be on the radar when going up against a lefty, even one as formidable as Dallas Keuchel. Goldschmidt's price is a bit high and the matchup isn't totally ripe, but its one you have to be wary of.
- Economy: Ike Davis PIT - My favorite platooners from Pittsburgh. Davis will probably be in tonight vs. righty Jason Hammel. Hitting 4th at a dirt cheap price vs. a mediocre pitcher, can't ask for much more.
2nd Base:
- Gold: Ian Kinsler DET - Rain out last night in Chicago kind through my lineup into a frenzy. Had them Tigers all lined up. Will likely do the same tonight, with the Tigers facing the dreadful Andre Rienzo.
- Silver: Howie Kendrick LAA - Kendrick didn't do much last night vs. a lefty. Tonight he gets another chance vs. lefty Tommy Milone. If it wasn't for such a thin night at 2B, I probably wouldn't even look his way.
- Bronze: Aaron Hill ARI - Hill mashes lefties, its what he was put on this Earth to do. Faces lefty Dallas Keuchel. Thin night at 2B, Hill hitting in the middle of the order, makes this the bronze play of the night.
- Economy: Luis Valbuena CHC - Looking for a punt at 2B? I give you Luis Valbuena who faces righty Brandon Cumpton. Valbuena would be a sneaky play in a semi Cubs stack if you think they will get to Cumpton.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Adrian Beltre TEX - Faces righty Jacob Turner for some righty v righty crime. Beltre can mash, no question about that, but 3rd base is kind of a wasteland tonight.
- Silver: Pedro Alvarez PIT - See what I mean? Not a fan of Alvarez, but he has home run power and faces mediocre pitcher Jason Hammel. Sometimes you just gotta roll with it.
- Bronze: Yangervis Solarte NYY - Solarte faces the surprisingly decent Chris Young tonight. While I don't like the pitchers park they are playing, the chance for knocks is at least there.
- Economy: David Freese LAA - Second night in a row David Freese gets this spot. Largely because they are facing a lefty for the 2nd night in a row. Faces off vs. Tommy Milone tonight.
Shortstop:
- Gold: Starlin Castro CHC - TBH the whole right side of the infield is a wasteland tonight. Castro represents the contnued gang up on Brandon Cumpton. Love that Castro is hitting clean up for the Cubs. Gives the postion another RBI spot, that is otherwise lacking in that.
- Silver: Elvis Andrus TEX - I'm not the best at predicting SBs, but if I'm looking for one, I'm at least looking for a right handed pitcher. Andrus faces that tonight in Jacob Turner.
- Bronze: Jean Segura MIL - Same thing applies to Segura. Looking for an SB from Segura tonight facing righty Jacob deGrom.
- Economy: Eugenio Suarez DET - Really wanted to play him last night at his minimum price. Tonight his price is a smidge higher, but the value is still there nonetheless. Faces train wreck waiting to happen, Andre Rienzo.
Outfield:
- Gold: Mike Trout LAA - Did OK last night, looking for better tonight. Just becasue a hitter didn't have it last night, doesn't mean you can't go back to him. I'm learning that the hard way with the Braves. Trout faces another lefty in Tommy Milone.
- Gold: Andrew McCutcheon PIT - McCutcheon on the other hand, did reward me with a homer last night, and I am going back to him tonight. Faces righty Jason Hammel. McCutcheon is on one of his tears right now.
- Silver: Jason Heyward ATL - Yeah, this guy again. Been disappointing so far this series. One double to show for his work. Seems like a natural fir to crush one before he leaves town. Faces Eddie Butler tonight.
- Silver: Matt Holliday STL - Holliday found his power stroke last night in what accounted for the only run of the game. Holliday faces lefty Erik Bedard in what seems like a ripe matchup.
- Bronze: Allen Craig STL - Gotta have Holliday batting buddy in this lineup as well. I feel Erik Bedard's run of good pitching is going to come to an end tonight at the hands of the right handed power bats of the Cardinals.
- Bronze: Dexter Fowler HOU - I'm banking on a few runs being scored in the HOU/ARI game. Fowler has gone back to hitting lead off for the Astros lately. I like him better there as it makes a better SB threat. Faces Brandon McCarthy tonight.
- Economy: Nate Schierholtz CHC - If you need some cheapies to go with your expensive pitching, check out the Cubs, chalk full o' cheapies. Nate can seemingly only hit bad pitching and he may get that in the form of Brandon Cumpton.
Pitching:
- Gold: Cole Hamels PHI - Hamels has been a stud lately. Gets to ply his trade vs. the lowly Padres tonight. Padres K a ton, Hamels has been K'ing a ton, seems like a good match to Hamels for me.
- Silver: Yu Darvish TEX - Darvish loves faces the Marlins tonight. Kind of an uneven matchup. Marlins have a couple of fearsome hitters but also have quite a few free swingers. The Ks will likely be there, the question is will the ERs be too. The only question that is keeping him from being the gold play tonight.
- Bronze: Michael Wacha STL - Rays went scoreless again last night. So what seems like a slump has turned into an epidemic. After Wainwright and the Cards tossed a shutout last night, it will be up to Wacha to keep the Rays in a slump.
- Economy: Wily Peralta MIL - My advice for today is pay for pitching. The dregs of pitching are very unappealing tonight. The best I got is Peralta vs. the Mets, and I can't say I have a lot of faith in this pick. Peralta should find some Ks, the ERs will likely be there too though.
Catching:
- Gold: Yadier Molina STL - Facing lefty Erik Bedard tonight. Cards have crushed lefties in the past, Bedard has pitched well as of late. Something has to give in this matchup.
- Silver: Evan Gattis ATL - Fricken annoying Braves have cost me some coin the last two days. Needless to say I'm gonna have a stake in this game. Gattis and his power hitting style seems like a nice fit for Coors Field. Faces Eddie Butler in his second start in the MLB.
- Bronze: Jason Castro HOU - Castro power bat is slowly starting to come around. Minute Maid Park is a great hitter's park. Faces righty Brandon McCarthy. All arrows are pointing up in this matchup.
- Economy: Brian McCann NYY - McCann is on the edge of the economy scale. It's points out how poor of a season he is having in his 1st year with the Yankees. McCann faces Chris Young. As long as McCann is hitting in the middle of the lineup, and his price point is cheap, gotta look to him if you need a punt.
1st Base:
- Gold: Freddie Freeman ATL - Oh Freddie, you annoying bastard. Burnt me on Monday for having him, burnt me again on Tuesday for not having him. What are you going to give me on Wednesday? Faces Eddie Butler.
- Silver: Anthony Rizzo CHC - Rizzo did some lefty v lefty crime against Frankie Liriano last night. Tonight he faces relative newcomer Brandon Cumpton. Cubs stack might be a sneaky play tonight.
- Bronze: Paul Goldschmidt ARI - Goldy always has to be on the radar when going up against a lefty, even one as formidable as Dallas Keuchel. Goldschmidt's price is a bit high and the matchup isn't totally ripe, but its one you have to be wary of.
- Economy: Ike Davis PIT - My favorite platooners from Pittsburgh. Davis will probably be in tonight vs. righty Jason Hammel. Hitting 4th at a dirt cheap price vs. a mediocre pitcher, can't ask for much more.
2nd Base:
- Gold: Ian Kinsler DET - Rain out last night in Chicago kind through my lineup into a frenzy. Had them Tigers all lined up. Will likely do the same tonight, with the Tigers facing the dreadful Andre Rienzo.
- Silver: Howie Kendrick LAA - Kendrick didn't do much last night vs. a lefty. Tonight he gets another chance vs. lefty Tommy Milone. If it wasn't for such a thin night at 2B, I probably wouldn't even look his way.
- Bronze: Aaron Hill ARI - Hill mashes lefties, its what he was put on this Earth to do. Faces lefty Dallas Keuchel. Thin night at 2B, Hill hitting in the middle of the order, makes this the bronze play of the night.
- Economy: Luis Valbuena CHC - Looking for a punt at 2B? I give you Luis Valbuena who faces righty Brandon Cumpton. Valbuena would be a sneaky play in a semi Cubs stack if you think they will get to Cumpton.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Adrian Beltre TEX - Faces righty Jacob Turner for some righty v righty crime. Beltre can mash, no question about that, but 3rd base is kind of a wasteland tonight.
- Silver: Pedro Alvarez PIT - See what I mean? Not a fan of Alvarez, but he has home run power and faces mediocre pitcher Jason Hammel. Sometimes you just gotta roll with it.
- Bronze: Yangervis Solarte NYY - Solarte faces the surprisingly decent Chris Young tonight. While I don't like the pitchers park they are playing, the chance for knocks is at least there.
- Economy: David Freese LAA - Second night in a row David Freese gets this spot. Largely because they are facing a lefty for the 2nd night in a row. Faces off vs. Tommy Milone tonight.
Shortstop:
- Gold: Starlin Castro CHC - TBH the whole right side of the infield is a wasteland tonight. Castro represents the contnued gang up on Brandon Cumpton. Love that Castro is hitting clean up for the Cubs. Gives the postion another RBI spot, that is otherwise lacking in that.
- Silver: Elvis Andrus TEX - I'm not the best at predicting SBs, but if I'm looking for one, I'm at least looking for a right handed pitcher. Andrus faces that tonight in Jacob Turner.
- Bronze: Jean Segura MIL - Same thing applies to Segura. Looking for an SB from Segura tonight facing righty Jacob deGrom.
- Economy: Eugenio Suarez DET - Really wanted to play him last night at his minimum price. Tonight his price is a smidge higher, but the value is still there nonetheless. Faces train wreck waiting to happen, Andre Rienzo.
Outfield:
- Gold: Mike Trout LAA - Did OK last night, looking for better tonight. Just becasue a hitter didn't have it last night, doesn't mean you can't go back to him. I'm learning that the hard way with the Braves. Trout faces another lefty in Tommy Milone.
- Gold: Andrew McCutcheon PIT - McCutcheon on the other hand, did reward me with a homer last night, and I am going back to him tonight. Faces righty Jason Hammel. McCutcheon is on one of his tears right now.
- Silver: Jason Heyward ATL - Yeah, this guy again. Been disappointing so far this series. One double to show for his work. Seems like a natural fir to crush one before he leaves town. Faces Eddie Butler tonight.
- Silver: Matt Holliday STL - Holliday found his power stroke last night in what accounted for the only run of the game. Holliday faces lefty Erik Bedard in what seems like a ripe matchup.
- Bronze: Allen Craig STL - Gotta have Holliday batting buddy in this lineup as well. I feel Erik Bedard's run of good pitching is going to come to an end tonight at the hands of the right handed power bats of the Cardinals.
- Bronze: Dexter Fowler HOU - I'm banking on a few runs being scored in the HOU/ARI game. Fowler has gone back to hitting lead off for the Astros lately. I like him better there as it makes a better SB threat. Faces Brandon McCarthy tonight.
- Economy: Nate Schierholtz CHC - If you need some cheapies to go with your expensive pitching, check out the Cubs, chalk full o' cheapies. Nate can seemingly only hit bad pitching and he may get that in the form of Brandon Cumpton.
Monday, June 9, 2014
MLB: Tuesday June 9 2014
One of my better days in quite some time last night, Tribe stack was where it was at, but I missed on Lonnie Chisenhall and his 3 home run night. That kept me out of the high stratosphere, but it was nice to find a good size profit last night. Braves bats in Coors Field was a bit of a downer, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Let's have a look at Tuesday's games.
Pitchers:
- Gold: Adam Wainwright STL - Rays bats have gone stone cold and I'm not sure what happened. Rays, for the longest time have been so fundamentally sound. Now they can't hit their way out of a paper bag. Ace Adam Wainwright won't do anything to help this situation.
- Silver: Francisco Lirano PIT - Liriano has been no great shakes this season, as he has had control problems, the K's have been there though. He gets the added bonus of facing the Cubs, who loathe left handed pitching, or any kind of pitching that matter. As long as Liriano throws it over the plate, he'll get outs.
- Bronze: Jason Vargas KC - I know, I know, everyone is like, "Whoa!, the Tribe just laid a 17 spot last night!" Yes, they did. Indians love rookie, fastball throwing right handers. Everything Vargas isn't. Tribe loathe left handed pitching with all those left handed bats. I can see Vargas being a sneaky play, in that cavern in KC.
- Economy: J.A. Happ TOR - Either I underestimate the Twins bats or I underestimate the Twins bats. I don't like there porous swinging lineup. They have some dangerous bats but they also have some limp dick bats. I think Happ makes for a good low end play vs. a team with limited power.
Catchers:
- Gold: Derek Norris OAK - Norris just feels like such a must play vs. left handed pitching in a hitter's park like the one in the Big A. Faces Hector Santiago, and Norris will likely find his way in the lineup. The warning with Norris is he is susceptible to being pinch hit for late in games with John Jaso being a good hitting catcher in his own right.
- Silver: Russell Martin PIT - Not a fan of Russell Martin's slappy hitting style but he faces Travis Wood, who has been an absolute train wreck lately. Gets the benefit of a righty/lefty matchup in a game I'm looking for the Pirates to mash.
- Bronze: Willin Rosario COL - Rosario has been kind of dreadful this season, not anything like last season where he was mashing fairly consistently. Faces lefty Mike Minor, who has solid stuff, but Coors Field has the ability to make any above average pitcher look ordinary.
- Economy: Dioneer Navarro TOR - Oh buddy, its been awhile since I've had you here. Navarro is hitting near the bottom of the Jays lineup these days, but its still a prime RBI spot with the Jays lineup being so deep. Navarro draws Kevin Correia tonight.
1st Base:
- Gold: Miguel Cabrera DET - John Danks has actual been pretty good lately. I'm not buying it, and I think the Tigers bats will show how good he really is. I've been off of Miggy for awhile now but I think its a good time to buy into a Tigers stack tonight.
- Silver: Freddie Freeman ATL - Not sure what's up with this guy, mashes when he shouldn't and sweet FA when he should be mashing. Left me a bit cold after hurting my awesome lineup last night. Giving him another shot vs. Juan Nicasio in Coors Field.
- Bronze: Edwin Encarncion TOR - So many good 1B matchups tonight. But I feel EE can really mash Kevin Correia soft serve. EE just feels like a home run waiting to happen every single game.
- Economy: Gaby Sanchez PIT - Will likely draw in vs. lefty Travis Wood. The Pirates have platooning 1B spot with he and Ike Davis taking turns. The kicker is one of them end up hitting in the cleanup spot at an extremely low price. While they haven't taken full advantage, the opportunity is there.
2nd Base:
- Gold: Ian Kinsler DET - Yeah I'm going all in on the Tigers to mash John Danks tonight. Kinsler is such a good hitter, but you always feel like he could be doing more. Kind of the curse of being Ian Kinsler.
- Silver: Chase Utley PHI - Oh, Phillies bats, where have you gone? Utley is still hitting but no one else around him, therefore he is getting limited spots for driving in runs. Utley faces Ian Kennedy who has been hit or miss all season.
- Bronze: Howie Kendrick LAA - I have a feeling there will be a lot of runs in the Big A tonight. Kendrick vs. Drew Pomeranz in a righty/lefty matchup at a much reduced price from where it was? Why the heck not.
- Economy: Omar Infante KC - The economy class is a wasteland at 2B tonight. Best I could come up with is Infante vs. Corey Kluber in a righty/righty matchup. Not the best, I'm likely spending some coin at 2B tonight.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Josh Donaldson OAK - Donaldson vs. lefty Hector Santiago? Pretty much have to with the way Donaldson has been mashing left handed pitching as of late. Like I said, I expect a lot of runs in the A's/Angels game.
- Silver: Matt Carpenter STL - Carpenter's power bat is starting to come around. Gets to face the the Rays' Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi is no great shakes and I expect the Cards to come out swinging in this one.
- Bronze: Pablo Sandoval SF - Haven't been a fan of Panda lately. He power is very fleeting. Faces righty Doug Fister tonight. Not a great matchup for Sandoval, but on a thin night at 3B, what can you do? Sandoval is still hitting cleanup, so he's got that going for him.
- Economy: David Freese LAA - Not a fan of David Freese, but he has everything going for him tonight. Faces lefty Drew Pomeranz, hitting in the middle of the Angels lineup and I expect A's/Angels to be a gong show of a game. If Freese is ever gonna hit, it's gonna be tonight.
Shortstop:
- Gold: Troy Tulowitzki COL - Tulowitzki has had a bit of a power outage lately, but its very difficult to look away from him vs. lefty Mike Minor at home, in Coors Field. His price point is still high, I wouldn't blame you if you faded him, but the matchup says he could mash tonight.
- Silver: Jose Reyes TOR - Reyes was a godsend for me last night. SB's and HR in the same game? Sign me up. Tonight's a heat check play vs. righty Kevin Correia.
- Bronze: Jed Lowrie OAK - Good ol' reliable. If you looking for damn near guaranteed points at a reasonble price, then Lowrie is your man. Lowrie faces lefty Hector Santiago. Like Lowrie power much more from the right side.
- Economy: Eugenio Suarez DET - Suarez has burst onto the scene with the Tigers, put out base knocks all over the place, even has a dinger to boot. If you are looking for a dirt cheap punt that can actually contribute, Suarez is your guy. Love the Tigers tonight to the put the hurt on John Danks.
Outfield:
- Gold: Mike Trout LAA - if you are going to stack A's/Angels, then you need the ace of spades of that deck in Mike Trout. Trout vs. lefty pitching, is always points waiting to happen. Draws Drew Pomeranz tonight.
- Gold: Andrew McCutcheon PIT - Speaking of feasting on left handed pitching, that's what I believe Andrew McCutcheon will do to lefty Travis Wood tonight. McCutcheon has been on an absolute hitting tear tonight, but his price point has remained stagnant. It's a good time to buy on McCutcheon and ride that hot streak.
- Silver: Jason Heywatd ATL - Heyward did me a bit dirty last night. Was expecting a mash fest at Coors last night, and instead we all got a low scoring pitching duel. Heyward and Coors Field seem like a match made in heaven. Faces Juan Nicasio tonight.
- Silver: Yoenis Cespedes OAK - Cespedes has crushed left handed pitching over the recent weeks. Faces Hector Santiago tonight, as another piece of the A's/Angels stack.
- Bronze: Torii Hunter DET - Speaking of continuing on a stack, my onslaught vs. John Danks continue with Torii Hunter in a righty lefty matchup. Tigers have a gauntlet of right handed bats ready to take down Danks.
- Bronze: Drew Stubbs COL - If you are looking for Mike Minor to struggle at Coors Field, then Drew Stubbs is a good place to look. Stubbs loves left handed pitching and is a potential HR/SB threat. At a solid, midrange price as well.
- Economy: Oscar Tavares STL - My economy OF spot goes to Tavares tonight in his matchup vs. Jake Odorizzi. Tavares has been off to a bit of a slow start as he feels his way into the MLB. But you can see the talent is there and once he finds comfort in his game, he will be a handful to deal with.
Pitchers:
- Gold: Adam Wainwright STL - Rays bats have gone stone cold and I'm not sure what happened. Rays, for the longest time have been so fundamentally sound. Now they can't hit their way out of a paper bag. Ace Adam Wainwright won't do anything to help this situation.
- Silver: Francisco Lirano PIT - Liriano has been no great shakes this season, as he has had control problems, the K's have been there though. He gets the added bonus of facing the Cubs, who loathe left handed pitching, or any kind of pitching that matter. As long as Liriano throws it over the plate, he'll get outs.
- Bronze: Jason Vargas KC - I know, I know, everyone is like, "Whoa!, the Tribe just laid a 17 spot last night!" Yes, they did. Indians love rookie, fastball throwing right handers. Everything Vargas isn't. Tribe loathe left handed pitching with all those left handed bats. I can see Vargas being a sneaky play, in that cavern in KC.
- Economy: J.A. Happ TOR - Either I underestimate the Twins bats or I underestimate the Twins bats. I don't like there porous swinging lineup. They have some dangerous bats but they also have some limp dick bats. I think Happ makes for a good low end play vs. a team with limited power.
Catchers:
- Gold: Derek Norris OAK - Norris just feels like such a must play vs. left handed pitching in a hitter's park like the one in the Big A. Faces Hector Santiago, and Norris will likely find his way in the lineup. The warning with Norris is he is susceptible to being pinch hit for late in games with John Jaso being a good hitting catcher in his own right.
- Silver: Russell Martin PIT - Not a fan of Russell Martin's slappy hitting style but he faces Travis Wood, who has been an absolute train wreck lately. Gets the benefit of a righty/lefty matchup in a game I'm looking for the Pirates to mash.
- Bronze: Willin Rosario COL - Rosario has been kind of dreadful this season, not anything like last season where he was mashing fairly consistently. Faces lefty Mike Minor, who has solid stuff, but Coors Field has the ability to make any above average pitcher look ordinary.
- Economy: Dioneer Navarro TOR - Oh buddy, its been awhile since I've had you here. Navarro is hitting near the bottom of the Jays lineup these days, but its still a prime RBI spot with the Jays lineup being so deep. Navarro draws Kevin Correia tonight.
1st Base:
- Gold: Miguel Cabrera DET - John Danks has actual been pretty good lately. I'm not buying it, and I think the Tigers bats will show how good he really is. I've been off of Miggy for awhile now but I think its a good time to buy into a Tigers stack tonight.
- Silver: Freddie Freeman ATL - Not sure what's up with this guy, mashes when he shouldn't and sweet FA when he should be mashing. Left me a bit cold after hurting my awesome lineup last night. Giving him another shot vs. Juan Nicasio in Coors Field.
- Bronze: Edwin Encarncion TOR - So many good 1B matchups tonight. But I feel EE can really mash Kevin Correia soft serve. EE just feels like a home run waiting to happen every single game.
- Economy: Gaby Sanchez PIT - Will likely draw in vs. lefty Travis Wood. The Pirates have platooning 1B spot with he and Ike Davis taking turns. The kicker is one of them end up hitting in the cleanup spot at an extremely low price. While they haven't taken full advantage, the opportunity is there.
2nd Base:
- Gold: Ian Kinsler DET - Yeah I'm going all in on the Tigers to mash John Danks tonight. Kinsler is such a good hitter, but you always feel like he could be doing more. Kind of the curse of being Ian Kinsler.
- Silver: Chase Utley PHI - Oh, Phillies bats, where have you gone? Utley is still hitting but no one else around him, therefore he is getting limited spots for driving in runs. Utley faces Ian Kennedy who has been hit or miss all season.
- Bronze: Howie Kendrick LAA - I have a feeling there will be a lot of runs in the Big A tonight. Kendrick vs. Drew Pomeranz in a righty/lefty matchup at a much reduced price from where it was? Why the heck not.
- Economy: Omar Infante KC - The economy class is a wasteland at 2B tonight. Best I could come up with is Infante vs. Corey Kluber in a righty/righty matchup. Not the best, I'm likely spending some coin at 2B tonight.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Josh Donaldson OAK - Donaldson vs. lefty Hector Santiago? Pretty much have to with the way Donaldson has been mashing left handed pitching as of late. Like I said, I expect a lot of runs in the A's/Angels game.
- Silver: Matt Carpenter STL - Carpenter's power bat is starting to come around. Gets to face the the Rays' Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi is no great shakes and I expect the Cards to come out swinging in this one.
- Bronze: Pablo Sandoval SF - Haven't been a fan of Panda lately. He power is very fleeting. Faces righty Doug Fister tonight. Not a great matchup for Sandoval, but on a thin night at 3B, what can you do? Sandoval is still hitting cleanup, so he's got that going for him.
- Economy: David Freese LAA - Not a fan of David Freese, but he has everything going for him tonight. Faces lefty Drew Pomeranz, hitting in the middle of the Angels lineup and I expect A's/Angels to be a gong show of a game. If Freese is ever gonna hit, it's gonna be tonight.
Shortstop:
- Gold: Troy Tulowitzki COL - Tulowitzki has had a bit of a power outage lately, but its very difficult to look away from him vs. lefty Mike Minor at home, in Coors Field. His price point is still high, I wouldn't blame you if you faded him, but the matchup says he could mash tonight.
- Silver: Jose Reyes TOR - Reyes was a godsend for me last night. SB's and HR in the same game? Sign me up. Tonight's a heat check play vs. righty Kevin Correia.
- Bronze: Jed Lowrie OAK - Good ol' reliable. If you looking for damn near guaranteed points at a reasonble price, then Lowrie is your man. Lowrie faces lefty Hector Santiago. Like Lowrie power much more from the right side.
- Economy: Eugenio Suarez DET - Suarez has burst onto the scene with the Tigers, put out base knocks all over the place, even has a dinger to boot. If you are looking for a dirt cheap punt that can actually contribute, Suarez is your guy. Love the Tigers tonight to the put the hurt on John Danks.
Outfield:
- Gold: Mike Trout LAA - if you are going to stack A's/Angels, then you need the ace of spades of that deck in Mike Trout. Trout vs. lefty pitching, is always points waiting to happen. Draws Drew Pomeranz tonight.
- Gold: Andrew McCutcheon PIT - Speaking of feasting on left handed pitching, that's what I believe Andrew McCutcheon will do to lefty Travis Wood tonight. McCutcheon has been on an absolute hitting tear tonight, but his price point has remained stagnant. It's a good time to buy on McCutcheon and ride that hot streak.
- Silver: Jason Heywatd ATL - Heyward did me a bit dirty last night. Was expecting a mash fest at Coors last night, and instead we all got a low scoring pitching duel. Heyward and Coors Field seem like a match made in heaven. Faces Juan Nicasio tonight.
- Silver: Yoenis Cespedes OAK - Cespedes has crushed left handed pitching over the recent weeks. Faces Hector Santiago tonight, as another piece of the A's/Angels stack.
- Bronze: Torii Hunter DET - Speaking of continuing on a stack, my onslaught vs. John Danks continue with Torii Hunter in a righty lefty matchup. Tigers have a gauntlet of right handed bats ready to take down Danks.
- Bronze: Drew Stubbs COL - If you are looking for Mike Minor to struggle at Coors Field, then Drew Stubbs is a good place to look. Stubbs loves left handed pitching and is a potential HR/SB threat. At a solid, midrange price as well.
- Economy: Oscar Tavares STL - My economy OF spot goes to Tavares tonight in his matchup vs. Jake Odorizzi. Tavares has been off to a bit of a slow start as he feels his way into the MLB. But you can see the talent is there and once he finds comfort in his game, he will be a handful to deal with.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
MLB: Monday June 9 2014
Another day, another uneven performance for myself. Got an epic performance Jordan Zimmermann. Problem was scored roughly half my points. The expensive bats of the Jays and Pirates went stone cold. Good solid production from mid tier guys like Yelich and Billy Hamilton. I have a good template but having issues just getting it to all come together. Let's try again and see what Monday night holds.
Pitchers:
- Gold: R.A. Dickey TOR - I really like the matchup of Dickey's knuckler vs. the inexperienced bats of the Twins. Dickey's gets himself in trouble early when he can't control his knuckler, so we'll know early whether he's got it or not. I can't see the Twins being very prepared for this matchup.
- Silver: Steven Strasburg WSH - The only thing keeping this from being a gold play is the wishy washy bats of the Giants. Never know what to expect from that team. For Strasburg himself, he's been lights out lately. Going 7+ innings 5 of the last 6 starts, with gawdy K totals. The price point reflects it as he'll likely be the most expensive pitcher play of the night across the board.
- Bronze: Jason Vargas KC - Vargas has been more crafty than expected this year, utilizing an excellent changeup as his out pitch. The Yankees hate left handed pitching. Lately, they have been hating any kind of pitching at all as they have not been able to hit. Vargas represents more of an upside play because you just never know when the Yankees bats will wake up from their slumber.
- Economy: Jarred Cosart HOU - Houston pitchers generally go unnoticed by me, mostly because I can't get the memory of their wretched team from last season. This season's Astros are much different. A nice stead of young arms and bats that can hit. Cosart faces the D'Backs who don't particularly like RH pitching. It's the best of the bunch in the economy class tonight.
Catchers:
- Gold: Salvador Perez KC - Perez is coming off a really nice game yesterday. Going 3 for 4 with a dinger. Perez has turned into a solid professional hitter. Faces lefty Vidal Nuno in a nice matchup for Perez.
- Silver: Jason Castro HOU - Castro is going through some hitting woes. Hasn't homered in forever. Faces righty Josh Collmenter in a hitters park, so it's a chance to rectify things and find some power numbers.
- Bronze: Carlos Santana CLE - Santana qualifies at 3B on most sites, catcher on other sites. I'll put him here in a light night for catchers. Has a very nice matchup vs. Nick Martinez, in a hitters park in Arlington. Santana found his power stroke yesterday, so good things may still be yet to come for Santana.
- Economy: Alex Avila DET - Avila avoided a stint on the DL by passing concussion tests. Faces Hector Noesi, who has been surprisingly good lately. This is kind of a make or break start for Noesi, but Avila is a good punt if you need one at catcher.
1st Base:
- Gold: Freddie Freeman ATL - Freeman faces newcomer righty Christian Bergman in very friendly hitters park of Coors Field. Freeman desperately needs to start hitting. Got a good start yesterday by sending one into the seats. Time for him to add on to that.
- Silver: Chris Davis BAL - Davis faces the struggling Jake Peavy. Davis crushes mistake pitches and Peavy seems to be serving them up in droves. Davis has a tendancy to K when he shouldn't, so that always a worrisome factor.
- Bronze: David Ortiz - Ortiz faces Bud "don't call me Spud" Norris. Norris is a pitch to contact pitcher and Ortiz likes it that way. Ortiz's bat has been a little slovenly lately with the high heat, though he homered in the 9th vs. Joba Chamberlain to get the Sox the win.
- Economy: Ike Davis PIT - Ike Davis faces Edwin Jackson. Jackson will either K the entire Pirates order or won't last past the third inning. Jackson is a pure enigma. Davis hits cleanup at dirt cheap prices. Careful with Davis as he has been random platooning with Gaby Sanchez at 1B.
2nd Base:
- Gold: Jason Kipnis CLE - Kipnis draws rookie Nick Martinez. Kipnis .240ish batting average doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but trust me he's a better hitter than that. Slowly coming around from the funk he was in earlier in the season.
- Silver: Neil Walker PIT - The Pirates were such a letdown yesterday. Gotta go back to the well in this matchup with Edwin Jackson. Walker is such a pro hitter, its tough to keep him down for long.
- Bronze: Ian Kinsler DET - Kinsler faces Hector Noesi. Kind of a heat check play, more on Noesi than Kinsler. Noesi strikes me as fool's gold, but we'll see after this start. Kinsler's price is a smidge high for my liking, hence the bronze play.
- Economy: Omar Infante KC - Infante just keeps slapping along. I like this cheap play for Infante vs lefty Vidal Nuno. Nuno has been less than stellar lately, so I look for the Royals to score some runs tonight.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Adrian Beltre TEX: Beltre faces the overachieving lefty T.J. House. Beltre mashes left handed pitching. At some point you figure T.J. House will have a bit of a stat correction. The Rangers bats are just the time and place to get that done.
- Silver: Juan Francisco TOR: A pretty big drop off from Beltre to Francisco. Nonetheless, Francisco has some pop in his bat that he likes to show off every once in awhile. Faces Mr. Sky High ERA Ricky Nolasco. Seems like a ripe matchup for the Jays even though their bats have cooled of late.
- Bronze: Pedro Alvarez PIT - Alvarez represents a pure boom or bust play. Edwin Ks a lot, Pedro Ks a lot, Edwin gives up bombs a lot, Pedro dishes out bombs a lot. Doesn`t get any more straight forward than that.
- Economy: Luis Valbuena CHC - Real soft night for the economy 3B spot. Valbuena is as good at it gets tonight. Valbuena may or may not play, as he`s yielded a lot of playing time to Mike Olt, though Olt has gone stone cold, so I can`t see why Valbuena would get back in the lineup. Hits high in the order when he does play. Faces soft tosser Charlie Morton.
Shortstop:
- Gold: Hanley Ramirez LAD - Ramirez faces Tony Cingrani, who is likely one bad start from being sent to the bullpen. Ramirez is one of the few Dodgers hitting right now and with a righty v lefty matchup, seems to be beneficial matchup for Ramirez.
- Silver: Jose Reyes TOR - Reyes faces Ricky Nolasco tonight. Reyes has not hit for average this season but his price point is still up there. Not my favorite play of the night but Reyes has the ability to pile up points from time to time.
- Bronze: Asdrubal Cabrera CLE - Continuing on with the Indians onslaught vs. Nick Martinez. The switch hitting shortstop has been hitting in the two spot lately. Cabrera`s bat comes and goes, but has a ripe matchup tonight to do some damage.
- Economy: Stephen Drew BOS - Economy SS was a tough one to find. best i could come up with is Stephen Drew who faces Bud Norris. Drew is only a few games into his season, has yet to find his stroke. It may come tonight.
Outfield:
- Gold: Jason Heyward ATL - Mr. All Or Nothing Jason Heyward. Power hitter in a hitter`s park like Coors Field. It won`t take much for him to hit one out there. Heyward faces Christian Bergman in his first MLB start.
- Gold: Micheal Brantley CLE - Brantley has really rounded out into a fearsome hitter this year. Hitting over .300 with solid power numbers across the board. Doesn`t have the brand name yet, so is still at a reasonable price point for his production. Faces rookie Nick Martinez.
- Silver: Michael Bourn CLE - If you are going to have an Indians stack, gotta have the speedy leadoff hitter. Tough to say who gets the knocks out of this bunch, but you know someone`s gonna knock around Nick Martinez.
- Silver: Alex Rios TEX - Another heat check play. T.J. House been surprisingly good this season, let`s see how good he vs, the right handed power bats of the Rangers.
- Bronze: Matt Kemp LAD - Kemp has been supremely underwhelming this season and his price point is a smidge high considering production. Might be a good time for Kemp to turn back the clock vs. the struggling Tony Cingrani.
- Bronze: Lorenzo Cain KC - Haven`t seen a .330 hitter this under the radar before, but that`s where Cain is sitting right now. Likely because he hits down the Royals order in anonymity. Faces lefty Vidal Nuno in what should be a favorable matchup for Cain.
- Economy: Scott Van Slyke LAD - Van Slyke is dirt cheap, faces lefty Cingrani, and the Dodgers have injury issues regarding Crawford and Puig, so he should play tonight. Though he did pull an 0 fer last night, so Mattingly might feel the need to punish him. Check with lineups on this one.
Pitchers:
- Gold: R.A. Dickey TOR - I really like the matchup of Dickey's knuckler vs. the inexperienced bats of the Twins. Dickey's gets himself in trouble early when he can't control his knuckler, so we'll know early whether he's got it or not. I can't see the Twins being very prepared for this matchup.
- Silver: Steven Strasburg WSH - The only thing keeping this from being a gold play is the wishy washy bats of the Giants. Never know what to expect from that team. For Strasburg himself, he's been lights out lately. Going 7+ innings 5 of the last 6 starts, with gawdy K totals. The price point reflects it as he'll likely be the most expensive pitcher play of the night across the board.
- Bronze: Jason Vargas KC - Vargas has been more crafty than expected this year, utilizing an excellent changeup as his out pitch. The Yankees hate left handed pitching. Lately, they have been hating any kind of pitching at all as they have not been able to hit. Vargas represents more of an upside play because you just never know when the Yankees bats will wake up from their slumber.
- Economy: Jarred Cosart HOU - Houston pitchers generally go unnoticed by me, mostly because I can't get the memory of their wretched team from last season. This season's Astros are much different. A nice stead of young arms and bats that can hit. Cosart faces the D'Backs who don't particularly like RH pitching. It's the best of the bunch in the economy class tonight.
Catchers:
- Gold: Salvador Perez KC - Perez is coming off a really nice game yesterday. Going 3 for 4 with a dinger. Perez has turned into a solid professional hitter. Faces lefty Vidal Nuno in a nice matchup for Perez.
- Silver: Jason Castro HOU - Castro is going through some hitting woes. Hasn't homered in forever. Faces righty Josh Collmenter in a hitters park, so it's a chance to rectify things and find some power numbers.
- Bronze: Carlos Santana CLE - Santana qualifies at 3B on most sites, catcher on other sites. I'll put him here in a light night for catchers. Has a very nice matchup vs. Nick Martinez, in a hitters park in Arlington. Santana found his power stroke yesterday, so good things may still be yet to come for Santana.
- Economy: Alex Avila DET - Avila avoided a stint on the DL by passing concussion tests. Faces Hector Noesi, who has been surprisingly good lately. This is kind of a make or break start for Noesi, but Avila is a good punt if you need one at catcher.
1st Base:
- Gold: Freddie Freeman ATL - Freeman faces newcomer righty Christian Bergman in very friendly hitters park of Coors Field. Freeman desperately needs to start hitting. Got a good start yesterday by sending one into the seats. Time for him to add on to that.
- Silver: Chris Davis BAL - Davis faces the struggling Jake Peavy. Davis crushes mistake pitches and Peavy seems to be serving them up in droves. Davis has a tendancy to K when he shouldn't, so that always a worrisome factor.
- Bronze: David Ortiz - Ortiz faces Bud "don't call me Spud" Norris. Norris is a pitch to contact pitcher and Ortiz likes it that way. Ortiz's bat has been a little slovenly lately with the high heat, though he homered in the 9th vs. Joba Chamberlain to get the Sox the win.
- Economy: Ike Davis PIT - Ike Davis faces Edwin Jackson. Jackson will either K the entire Pirates order or won't last past the third inning. Jackson is a pure enigma. Davis hits cleanup at dirt cheap prices. Careful with Davis as he has been random platooning with Gaby Sanchez at 1B.
2nd Base:
- Gold: Jason Kipnis CLE - Kipnis draws rookie Nick Martinez. Kipnis .240ish batting average doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but trust me he's a better hitter than that. Slowly coming around from the funk he was in earlier in the season.
- Silver: Neil Walker PIT - The Pirates were such a letdown yesterday. Gotta go back to the well in this matchup with Edwin Jackson. Walker is such a pro hitter, its tough to keep him down for long.
- Bronze: Ian Kinsler DET - Kinsler faces Hector Noesi. Kind of a heat check play, more on Noesi than Kinsler. Noesi strikes me as fool's gold, but we'll see after this start. Kinsler's price is a smidge high for my liking, hence the bronze play.
- Economy: Omar Infante KC - Infante just keeps slapping along. I like this cheap play for Infante vs lefty Vidal Nuno. Nuno has been less than stellar lately, so I look for the Royals to score some runs tonight.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Adrian Beltre TEX: Beltre faces the overachieving lefty T.J. House. Beltre mashes left handed pitching. At some point you figure T.J. House will have a bit of a stat correction. The Rangers bats are just the time and place to get that done.
- Silver: Juan Francisco TOR: A pretty big drop off from Beltre to Francisco. Nonetheless, Francisco has some pop in his bat that he likes to show off every once in awhile. Faces Mr. Sky High ERA Ricky Nolasco. Seems like a ripe matchup for the Jays even though their bats have cooled of late.
- Bronze: Pedro Alvarez PIT - Alvarez represents a pure boom or bust play. Edwin Ks a lot, Pedro Ks a lot, Edwin gives up bombs a lot, Pedro dishes out bombs a lot. Doesn`t get any more straight forward than that.
- Economy: Luis Valbuena CHC - Real soft night for the economy 3B spot. Valbuena is as good at it gets tonight. Valbuena may or may not play, as he`s yielded a lot of playing time to Mike Olt, though Olt has gone stone cold, so I can`t see why Valbuena would get back in the lineup. Hits high in the order when he does play. Faces soft tosser Charlie Morton.
Shortstop:
- Gold: Hanley Ramirez LAD - Ramirez faces Tony Cingrani, who is likely one bad start from being sent to the bullpen. Ramirez is one of the few Dodgers hitting right now and with a righty v lefty matchup, seems to be beneficial matchup for Ramirez.
- Silver: Jose Reyes TOR - Reyes faces Ricky Nolasco tonight. Reyes has not hit for average this season but his price point is still up there. Not my favorite play of the night but Reyes has the ability to pile up points from time to time.
- Bronze: Asdrubal Cabrera CLE - Continuing on with the Indians onslaught vs. Nick Martinez. The switch hitting shortstop has been hitting in the two spot lately. Cabrera`s bat comes and goes, but has a ripe matchup tonight to do some damage.
- Economy: Stephen Drew BOS - Economy SS was a tough one to find. best i could come up with is Stephen Drew who faces Bud Norris. Drew is only a few games into his season, has yet to find his stroke. It may come tonight.
Outfield:
- Gold: Jason Heyward ATL - Mr. All Or Nothing Jason Heyward. Power hitter in a hitter`s park like Coors Field. It won`t take much for him to hit one out there. Heyward faces Christian Bergman in his first MLB start.
- Gold: Micheal Brantley CLE - Brantley has really rounded out into a fearsome hitter this year. Hitting over .300 with solid power numbers across the board. Doesn`t have the brand name yet, so is still at a reasonable price point for his production. Faces rookie Nick Martinez.
- Silver: Michael Bourn CLE - If you are going to have an Indians stack, gotta have the speedy leadoff hitter. Tough to say who gets the knocks out of this bunch, but you know someone`s gonna knock around Nick Martinez.
- Silver: Alex Rios TEX - Another heat check play. T.J. House been surprisingly good this season, let`s see how good he vs, the right handed power bats of the Rangers.
- Bronze: Matt Kemp LAD - Kemp has been supremely underwhelming this season and his price point is a smidge high considering production. Might be a good time for Kemp to turn back the clock vs. the struggling Tony Cingrani.
- Bronze: Lorenzo Cain KC - Haven`t seen a .330 hitter this under the radar before, but that`s where Cain is sitting right now. Likely because he hits down the Royals order in anonymity. Faces lefty Vidal Nuno in what should be a favorable matchup for Cain.
- Economy: Scott Van Slyke LAD - Van Slyke is dirt cheap, faces lefty Cingrani, and the Dodgers have injury issues regarding Crawford and Puig, so he should play tonight. Though he did pull an 0 fer last night, so Mattingly might feel the need to punish him. Check with lineups on this one.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
MLB: Sunday June 8 2014
Not sure what to say about last night, other than it was a tough night and everything was upside down. Nothing made sense, but sports, in general, does that sometimes. Things don't happen that you just bank on happening. Like Braves raking or Hudson with another stellar outing. None of that happened last night, and when stuff like that happens, its tough to wrap your brain around. Welp, let's this another shot, and see how Sunday works out.
Pitchers:
- Gold: Hiroki Kuroda NYY - I like Kuroda's sinker ball stuff in the vaunted wasteland of Kauffman Stadium. Royals aren't known for the long ball, so there is safety in that but the Royals also don't strikeout a lot. At any rate I expect Kuroda to pitch deep into this game. Kuroda's price point is just swell at this point.
- Silver: Jordan Zimmermann WSH - Zimmermann has been a tough creature to figure out this year. Pitching well when he shouldn't and getting roughed up by the dregs of the league. Zimmermann faces the Padres who definitely qualify as dregs of the league, so who knows what to expect. On paper, this matchup should highly favour Zimmermann, but who knows with this guy.
- Bronze: Henderson Alvarez MIA - Alvarez has been a godsend for GPPers and those that have used him over the last few starts. Of course, I'm going to recommend him here vs. the lowly Cubs, and he'll likely end up sucking, amirite? At any rate, Alvarez has a ripe matchup vs. the Cubs at a price point that isn't out of this world considering how he has done lately.
- Economy: Joe Saunders TEX - At first glance, Saunders vs. the Indians is not a good matchup for Saunders. But looking over the order of the Indians lineup sees many left handed bats and some switch hitters that hit better from the left side. It may be a lineup Saunders can navigate and if you are looking for a cheapy, Saunders may be the way to go.
Catchers:
- Gold: Wilson Ramos WSH - Ramos has one of the best matchups today facing left Eric Stults and the Padres. Ramos has been hitting in the middle of the order, so RBI opportunities should be there vs. the lowly Padres.
- Silver: Jason Castro HOU - Another nice looking matchup is Castro vs. Sam Deduno and the Twins. Castro has been striking out a ton lately, so buyer beware, but there are still a few dingers left in his bat, and that's where the upside lays.
- Bronze: Brian McCann NYY - McCann hasn't been all there this year, going through prolonged slumps. Time to buy low I say. Faces change of pace specialist James Shields. McCann has a penchant for K'ing vs. these types, but also has a chance to guess right and hit the long ball.
- Economy: Tyler Flowers CWS - Flowers doesn't have the best matchup vs. C.J. Wilson, but Wilson has been less than stellar lately and Flowers crushes lefties. Wilson might leave a mistake for Flowers to hit.
1st Base:
- Gold: Edwin Encarnacion TOR - It's time to jump back on the Blue Jays bandwagon. EE faces lefty Jaime Garcia and the Cardinals, who got shelled in his last start. EE loves LH pitching, matchup seems super ripe.
- Silver: Freddie Freeman ATL - Freeman faces rookie Chase Anderson in a hitter's ballpark. That should be incentive enough for Freeman to put up some points. Braves bats have been helter skelter, so it's tough to have a ton of faith in them.
- Bronze: Mark Teixeira NYY - Teixeira faces James Shields. Shields is either dominant or giving up long balls and very little in between. I feel the Yankee bats will be patient enough to get some knocks vs. Shields.
- Economy: Ike Davis PIT - Gallardo did me dirty the last time he started. So I feel the need to stack against him. I'm kind of vengeful that way sometimes. Who better than the cheap hitting cleanup hitter Ike Davis?
2nd Base:
- Gold: Chase Utley PHI - Utley gets the privilege of facing Homer Bailey. Bailey has solid games from time to time, but more often than not, gets roughed up. Utley is enjoying a fine season, holding Father Time at bay.
- Silver: Neil Walker PIT - Continuing the theme of ganging up on Yovani Gallardo. Walker hits 2nd, in front of Andrew McCutcheon, needless to say he gets to see pitches to hit. I expect a Pirates onslaught today.
- Bronze: Brett Lawrie TOR - Love that Brett Lawrie qualifies at 2B on a lot of sites now. It gives the position another masher. Lawrie faces Jaime Garcia in a lefty/righty matchup that is ripe for Lawrie to take advantage of.
- Economy: Kevin Frandsen WSH - With Anthony Rendon on the shelf with a thumb issue. Kevin Frandsen may get some short term playing time. Facing lefty Eric Stults in a righty/lefty matchup is gold at Frandsen's price. Hitting second is also an added bonus.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Ryan Zimmerman WSH - Playing the majority in the outfield these days, Zimmerman could still be 3B qualified depending on your site. My gang up on Eric Stults continues. I feel there too many righty power bats for Stults to navigate through.
- Silver: Pedro Alvarez PIT - Not a big fan of Alvarez and his free swinging ways, especially now hitting down the lineup. But his matchup vs. long ball prone Yovani Gallardo is too good to pass up. Like I said above, I expect the Pirates to mash.
- Bronze: Yangervis Solarte NYY - His bat is starting to heat up again. Solarte to put in solid swings. Faces righty James Shields in an all or nothing matchup. Love his versatility on some sites where he also qualifies at 2B.
- Economy: Justin Turner LAA - Turner is kind of a light hitting slappy with occasional power. Has already homered once in Coors Field this weekend, so you know he likes the ballpark. Can he do it again vs. lefty Jorge de le Rosa?
Shortstop:
- Gold: Hanley Ramirez LAD - Ramirez's bat is starting to heat up while those around still stay cool. Ramirez faces lefty Jorge de la Rosa in a ripe matchup for Ramirez. Look for Ramirez to pick up the hiting slack, especially if Puig isn't ready to go with his hip issue.
- Silver: Ian Desmond WSH - Continuing with the train of Nats vs. Eric Stults. Desmond is a nice power/speed combo in the middle of the Nats lineup. I expect Stults to be a train wreck today.
- Bronze: Billy Hamilton CIN - On a bit of a light night at SS, I give you outfielder Billy Hamilton, who qualifies at SS on DraftKings for some reason. All the same, it's a good way to take advantage of a light hitting position and inserting some blazing speed into it. Faces righty David Buchanon.
- Economy: J.J. Hardy BAL - Hardy faces the lefty Scott Kazmir today. Kazmir is a bit of a tough customer this season, but Hardy loves lefty pitching. You could do much, much worse than Hardy at a punt price.
Outfield:
- Gold: Jose Bautista TOR - Bautista faces lefty Jaime Garcia who got RUBARed in his last start. Bautista loves left handed pitching. Ever since Kevin Seitzer came aboard as the Jays hitting coach, the Jays have been spraying the ball to all fields, with power. Lets just say the hits have been plentiful for the Jays this season.
- Gold: Giancarlo Stanton MIA - Stanton faces Jake Arrieta in Wrigley Field. More righty on righty crime. Stanton doens't care. He'll rough up anybody, especially no namer Jake Arrieta. Stanton already has become one of the fearsome hitters in the MLB at a young age.
- Silver: Andrew McCutcheon PIT - Another Pirate to throw into the brigade vs. Yovani Gallardo. McCutcheon is the ace of spades of the Pirates deck and able to go off any time. If you like the Pirates today like I do, then Cutch is damn near a must play.
- Silver: Jayson Werth WSH - Continuing on with the Nats stack vs. Eric Stults. Werth is the cleanup hitter for the Nats. Werth is an odd fellow, therefore kinda frusterating. Goes weeks without having big games. Them BAM! He hits ya. Werth's price point reflects. Seems like a very good midrange gamble today.
- Bronze: Christian Yelich MIA - Yelich is your typical young budding superstar. Games with nothing, you forget about, then has a game where you wish you didn't forget about him. Kinda like Jayson Werth in that sense. Yelich faces Jake Arrieta in a ripe matchup.
- Bronze: Jacoby Ellsbury NYY - Ellsbury is starting to find some consistency in his bat, and is starting to feel brave enough to swipe some bags. Ellsbury's price point minimally dropped even though he got off to a putrid start. I think we all knew he would come around. Faces James Shields today.
- Economy: Jay Bruce CIN - Bruce is yet another enigma that makes the list. Long droughts of nothing then BAM! Home run, 3 RBIs, and a stolen base yesterday. Bruce's erratic hitting behavior reflects the price point, but he still hits clean up and gets those RBI opportunity even though his batting averages remains barely over the Mendoza line. Faces rookie David Buchanen.
Pitchers:
- Gold: Hiroki Kuroda NYY - I like Kuroda's sinker ball stuff in the vaunted wasteland of Kauffman Stadium. Royals aren't known for the long ball, so there is safety in that but the Royals also don't strikeout a lot. At any rate I expect Kuroda to pitch deep into this game. Kuroda's price point is just swell at this point.
- Silver: Jordan Zimmermann WSH - Zimmermann has been a tough creature to figure out this year. Pitching well when he shouldn't and getting roughed up by the dregs of the league. Zimmermann faces the Padres who definitely qualify as dregs of the league, so who knows what to expect. On paper, this matchup should highly favour Zimmermann, but who knows with this guy.
- Bronze: Henderson Alvarez MIA - Alvarez has been a godsend for GPPers and those that have used him over the last few starts. Of course, I'm going to recommend him here vs. the lowly Cubs, and he'll likely end up sucking, amirite? At any rate, Alvarez has a ripe matchup vs. the Cubs at a price point that isn't out of this world considering how he has done lately.
- Economy: Joe Saunders TEX - At first glance, Saunders vs. the Indians is not a good matchup for Saunders. But looking over the order of the Indians lineup sees many left handed bats and some switch hitters that hit better from the left side. It may be a lineup Saunders can navigate and if you are looking for a cheapy, Saunders may be the way to go.
Catchers:
- Gold: Wilson Ramos WSH - Ramos has one of the best matchups today facing left Eric Stults and the Padres. Ramos has been hitting in the middle of the order, so RBI opportunities should be there vs. the lowly Padres.
- Silver: Jason Castro HOU - Another nice looking matchup is Castro vs. Sam Deduno and the Twins. Castro has been striking out a ton lately, so buyer beware, but there are still a few dingers left in his bat, and that's where the upside lays.
- Bronze: Brian McCann NYY - McCann hasn't been all there this year, going through prolonged slumps. Time to buy low I say. Faces change of pace specialist James Shields. McCann has a penchant for K'ing vs. these types, but also has a chance to guess right and hit the long ball.
- Economy: Tyler Flowers CWS - Flowers doesn't have the best matchup vs. C.J. Wilson, but Wilson has been less than stellar lately and Flowers crushes lefties. Wilson might leave a mistake for Flowers to hit.
1st Base:
- Gold: Edwin Encarnacion TOR - It's time to jump back on the Blue Jays bandwagon. EE faces lefty Jaime Garcia and the Cardinals, who got shelled in his last start. EE loves LH pitching, matchup seems super ripe.
- Silver: Freddie Freeman ATL - Freeman faces rookie Chase Anderson in a hitter's ballpark. That should be incentive enough for Freeman to put up some points. Braves bats have been helter skelter, so it's tough to have a ton of faith in them.
- Bronze: Mark Teixeira NYY - Teixeira faces James Shields. Shields is either dominant or giving up long balls and very little in between. I feel the Yankee bats will be patient enough to get some knocks vs. Shields.
- Economy: Ike Davis PIT - Gallardo did me dirty the last time he started. So I feel the need to stack against him. I'm kind of vengeful that way sometimes. Who better than the cheap hitting cleanup hitter Ike Davis?
2nd Base:
- Gold: Chase Utley PHI - Utley gets the privilege of facing Homer Bailey. Bailey has solid games from time to time, but more often than not, gets roughed up. Utley is enjoying a fine season, holding Father Time at bay.
- Silver: Neil Walker PIT - Continuing the theme of ganging up on Yovani Gallardo. Walker hits 2nd, in front of Andrew McCutcheon, needless to say he gets to see pitches to hit. I expect a Pirates onslaught today.
- Bronze: Brett Lawrie TOR - Love that Brett Lawrie qualifies at 2B on a lot of sites now. It gives the position another masher. Lawrie faces Jaime Garcia in a lefty/righty matchup that is ripe for Lawrie to take advantage of.
- Economy: Kevin Frandsen WSH - With Anthony Rendon on the shelf with a thumb issue. Kevin Frandsen may get some short term playing time. Facing lefty Eric Stults in a righty/lefty matchup is gold at Frandsen's price. Hitting second is also an added bonus.
3rd Base:
- Gold: Ryan Zimmerman WSH - Playing the majority in the outfield these days, Zimmerman could still be 3B qualified depending on your site. My gang up on Eric Stults continues. I feel there too many righty power bats for Stults to navigate through.
- Silver: Pedro Alvarez PIT - Not a big fan of Alvarez and his free swinging ways, especially now hitting down the lineup. But his matchup vs. long ball prone Yovani Gallardo is too good to pass up. Like I said above, I expect the Pirates to mash.
- Bronze: Yangervis Solarte NYY - His bat is starting to heat up again. Solarte to put in solid swings. Faces righty James Shields in an all or nothing matchup. Love his versatility on some sites where he also qualifies at 2B.
- Economy: Justin Turner LAA - Turner is kind of a light hitting slappy with occasional power. Has already homered once in Coors Field this weekend, so you know he likes the ballpark. Can he do it again vs. lefty Jorge de le Rosa?
Shortstop:
- Gold: Hanley Ramirez LAD - Ramirez's bat is starting to heat up while those around still stay cool. Ramirez faces lefty Jorge de la Rosa in a ripe matchup for Ramirez. Look for Ramirez to pick up the hiting slack, especially if Puig isn't ready to go with his hip issue.
- Silver: Ian Desmond WSH - Continuing with the train of Nats vs. Eric Stults. Desmond is a nice power/speed combo in the middle of the Nats lineup. I expect Stults to be a train wreck today.
- Bronze: Billy Hamilton CIN - On a bit of a light night at SS, I give you outfielder Billy Hamilton, who qualifies at SS on DraftKings for some reason. All the same, it's a good way to take advantage of a light hitting position and inserting some blazing speed into it. Faces righty David Buchanon.
- Economy: J.J. Hardy BAL - Hardy faces the lefty Scott Kazmir today. Kazmir is a bit of a tough customer this season, but Hardy loves lefty pitching. You could do much, much worse than Hardy at a punt price.
Outfield:
- Gold: Jose Bautista TOR - Bautista faces lefty Jaime Garcia who got RUBARed in his last start. Bautista loves left handed pitching. Ever since Kevin Seitzer came aboard as the Jays hitting coach, the Jays have been spraying the ball to all fields, with power. Lets just say the hits have been plentiful for the Jays this season.
- Gold: Giancarlo Stanton MIA - Stanton faces Jake Arrieta in Wrigley Field. More righty on righty crime. Stanton doens't care. He'll rough up anybody, especially no namer Jake Arrieta. Stanton already has become one of the fearsome hitters in the MLB at a young age.
- Silver: Andrew McCutcheon PIT - Another Pirate to throw into the brigade vs. Yovani Gallardo. McCutcheon is the ace of spades of the Pirates deck and able to go off any time. If you like the Pirates today like I do, then Cutch is damn near a must play.
- Silver: Jayson Werth WSH - Continuing on with the Nats stack vs. Eric Stults. Werth is the cleanup hitter for the Nats. Werth is an odd fellow, therefore kinda frusterating. Goes weeks without having big games. Them BAM! He hits ya. Werth's price point reflects. Seems like a very good midrange gamble today.
- Bronze: Christian Yelich MIA - Yelich is your typical young budding superstar. Games with nothing, you forget about, then has a game where you wish you didn't forget about him. Kinda like Jayson Werth in that sense. Yelich faces Jake Arrieta in a ripe matchup.
- Bronze: Jacoby Ellsbury NYY - Ellsbury is starting to find some consistency in his bat, and is starting to feel brave enough to swipe some bags. Ellsbury's price point minimally dropped even though he got off to a putrid start. I think we all knew he would come around. Faces James Shields today.
- Economy: Jay Bruce CIN - Bruce is yet another enigma that makes the list. Long droughts of nothing then BAM! Home run, 3 RBIs, and a stolen base yesterday. Bruce's erratic hitting behavior reflects the price point, but he still hits clean up and gets those RBI opportunity even though his batting averages remains barely over the Mendoza line. Faces rookie David Buchanen.
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