DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdown – Tuesday, July 3

Welcome into the Tuesday edition of the DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdown! We have an extra large 12 game slate on tap so let’s get rolling in DFS goodness!

I’ve been running cold lately personally in DFS MLB but I’m hoping this is more helpful to the readers than it has been to me lately. Whatever the reason is, I can’t seem to put those puzzle pieces together in the right order but many of the plays we’ve talked about have done well so hopefully things are working out for you. Nobody clicked on this to hear me bellyache so let’s get moving on a big slate!

DFS MLB – Braves at Yankees

Braves Probable Starter – Sean Newcomb, LHP 

2.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 23.8 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .190 average, .338 wOBA, 25.0 K rate, 39.0 fly ball rate and 39.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .211 average, 261 wOBA, 23.6 K rate, 33.3 fly ball rate and 30.0 hard hit rate

The young lefty pitcher for the Braves has been excellent so far this year but I can’t really consider him in Yankee Stadium against this lineup. New York is going to tee off on most lefties they see and I really want two in my lineup right off the bat. Giancarlo Stanton is a monster against lefties and he always has been. He’s up there in price but not quite as much as I would have thought at $4,600.

If you absolutely can’t afford him, Gleyber Torres or Aaron Hicks are great pivots for $700 and $900 less. Hicks is still fresh off a three home game on Sunday night and Torres is similar by the numbers to Stanton. The only thing that would hold me back on him is if he gets hit ninth in the order like last night. Aaron Judge, Miguel Andujar and Aaron Hicks all carry ISO’s over .200 and actually Judge is the lowest at .226. Everyone else is above .290. That shapes up very poorly for Newcomb tonight.

Yankees Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Aaron Hicks

Secondary Options -Aaron Judge,

Yankees Probable Starter – Domingo German, RHP *This is a repeat from yesterday as German was skipped Monday night*

5.32 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 27.5 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .205 average, .292 wOBA, 23.0 K rate, 39.8 fly ball rate and 35.2 hard hit rate

Vs RHH -.252 average, .338 wOBA, 31.3 K rate, 34.1 fly ball rate and 43.5 hard hit rate

The Yankees decided to skip German’s scheduled start Sunday against the Red Sox and that was likely a smart move for the youngster. However, he’s still got a major challenge on his hands tonight with a stacked top of the Braves order. I really want to play Ronald Acuna since he’s my baseball man crush and he’s in Yankee Stadium but I’m not sure if he’ll make it into the lineup. His strikeouts are 29 percent against righty pitching while facing a strikeout style pitcher probably renders him a GPP play only. German has flashed serious upside but lacks the polish to be trusted against a good offense. I would stick with the best hitters like Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies and maybe an Ender Inciarte or Nick Markakis. It would be expensive but a game stack here could provide plenty of fireworks.

Braves Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Nick Markakis

Secondary Options – Ender Inciarte, Ronald Acuna, Johan Garmago

DFS MLB – Orioles at Phillies

Orioles Probable Starter – Alex Cobb, RHP 

6.75 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 14.6 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .345 average, .408 wOBA, 16.7 K rate, 33.9 fly ball rate and 37.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH -.309 average, .380 wOBA, 12.8 K rate, 29.1 fly ball rate and 31.1 hard hit rate

Cobb has been popping up with the random good start here and there but this likely isn’t a spot for that to happen. There’s three hitters in the usual top four of the order that will bat lefty this evening and the cheapest one of the bunch is Carlos Santana at $3,300. He’s got a safer floor than most because of his walk rate and he carries plenty of pop at home against a poor pitcher. I like Rhys Hoskins just as much even tho he’s a touch more expensive. Odubel Herrera is perfectly fine and if you believe that Cobb is going to get waxed once again, a four man stack including Cesar Hernandez is well within play. The best one-off route is probable Carlos Santana or Rhys Hoskins, depending on budget.

Phillies Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Rhys Hoskins, Carlos Santana, Odubel Herrera

Secondary Options – Cesar Hernandez

Phillies Probable Starter – Zach Eflin, RHP 

3.02 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 24.5 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .250 average, .321 wOBA, 26.0 K rate, 41.8 fly ball rate and 26.1 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .215 average, .251 wOBA, 23.3 K rate, 38.2 fly ball rate and 27.5 hard hit rate

We’ve seen Eflin start 10 games this season and he’s given up two or fewer earned runs in eight of those starts. He’s the third highest priced pitcher on the slate but I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes close to paying off that price tag. Against righty pitching so far this season, Baltimore strikes out at the sixth highest rate in baseball. They also rank 25th or worse in average, OPS, wOBA and wRC+. They do rank 16th in ISO which gives us a little pause but even with that metric in mind, I’d be leaning towards Eflin in this matchup. If you wanted to chase a lefty, I suppose you could try Chris Davis but it will not a be a route I take. On a big slate, it seems like the Orioles will be on the sideline for me. Even Manny Machado does have significant home/road splits which has me hesitating paying up for him.

Orioles Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Manny Machado, Mark Trumbo, Chris Davis

Home Run Pick – Carlos Santana

DFS MLB – Mets at Blue Jays

Mets Probable Starter – Zack Wheeler, RHP 

4.47 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 22.6 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .257 average, .326 wOBA, 25.8 K rate, 39.2 fly ball rate and 41.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .244 average, .283 wOBA, 20.2 K rate, 34.0 fly ball rate and 21.4 hard hit rate

Could this be a spot where Wheeler gets hit a little bit by some of the left hitters the Blue Jays? There is potential for that to happen as the Jays will likely lead off with Curtis Granderson and then follow-up with Yangervis Solarte, Justin Smoak and possibly Kendrys Morales. There’s a good deal of risk with these hitters because Wheeler strikes out lefties at a higher clip and all of those players strikeout at over 23 percent other than Solarte. Nothing about this spot really jumps out and screams to play it. Granderson will likely be popular but I think Solarte at $3,000 would be my favorite play. I don’t mind Wheeler but also don’t think I’ll have a strong pull to use him either.

Blue Jays Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Yangervis Solarte

Secondary Options – Curtis Granderson, Justin Smoak, Teoscar Hernandez

Blue Jays Probable Starter – Marco Estrada, RHP 

4.53 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 18.5 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .242 average, .314 wOBA, 18.6 K rate, 48.7 fly ball rate and 25.2 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .279 average, .359 wOBA, 18.3 K rate, 58.1 fly ball rate and 32.9 hard hit rate

Jose. Bautista. Revenge. Game. If those four words weren’t enough to convince you in and of itself, Estrada is a major reverse splits pitcher and is giving up an ungodly amount of fly balls to righty hitters. He’s going to hit harder than a Rougned Odor right hand tonight and at $2,600 he’s a borderline lock for me. Todd Frazier is super affordable as is Amed Rosario if you really want to punt at shortstop.  Estrada has actually been pitching well lately. In his last five starts which have spanned 30.2 innings, he’s given up a total of eight earned runs. He’s played the Astros, Yankees, Nationals, Angels and Orioles in that span. By pitch data, this spot is a good one for Estrada because there is no Mets regular that rates well against the change-up, which he throws over 36 percent of the time.

Mets Hitters to target 

Elite Options – Jose Bautista

Secondary Options – Amed Rosario, Todd Frazier, Asdrubal Cabrera

Home Run Pick – Jose Bautista

DFS MLB – White Sox at Reds

White Sox Probable Starter – Lucas Giolito, RHP 

6.59 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 13.2 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .284 average, .397 wOBA, 9.2 K rate, 45.0 fly ball rate and 30.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .223 average, .315 wOBA, 17.7 K rate, 41.9 fly ball rate and 28.0 hard hit rate

We’ve talked about this the past few times but remember that Giolito performs worlds better with Kevan Smith at catcher. Through 10 games together, Giolito has a 2.90 ERA and only a .197 batting average against. I wouldn’t want to stack the Reds if Smith is behind the dish like normal. I still might roll with Scooter Gennett or Joey Votto because it’s not like Giolito is totally untouchable. Gennett especially is very attractive because his price is down to $3,600. If for some reason Smith isn’t catching, the Reds take a huge leap forward. It also will help that a lot of people stacked against James Shields last night with poor results(again) and won’t be ready to go back yet. Scott Schebler and Jesse Winker would be great plays is Smith is out.

Reds Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Joey Votto, Scooter Gennett

Secondary Options – Jesse Winker, Scott Schebler

Reds Probable Starter – Anthony DeSclafani, RHP 

4.45 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 20.3 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .208 average, .310 wOBA, 21.1 K rate, 38.5 fly ball rate and 39.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .286 average, .350 wOBA, 19.7 K rate, 41.9 fly ball rate and 50.0 hard hit rate

It’s been a very weird season for DeScalfani so far. Through his career, he’s always been bad against lefties and that’s been reversed this season. Even with his splits reversed from career normal rates, Yoan Moncada has to be a popular option since he’s under $3,000. That’s just way too cheap for a hitter of his potential and you might want to eat that chalk in cash games. Jose Abreu will also be a solid option if he suits up. He left last night’s game with an undisclosed(as of this writing) injury but his price is up there. A good pivot would be Matt Davidson with his .215 ISO in a hitters park. The White Sox just aren’t a very good offense and even in a solid spot, they are very difficult to trust. They’ve been running hot as a group lately with 61 runs the past two weeks but they could be one day closer to letting you down.

White Sox Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Yoan Moncada

Secondary Options – Jose Abreu, Matt Davidson

Home Run Pick – Scooter Gennett

DFS MLB – Rays at Marlins

Rays Probable Starter – TBD

This is being written around 10 pm on Monday night and we don’t know who will be the starter for the Rays tonight. They just entered extra innings so if they really have to burn up the bullpen tonight, the  plan could change. We won’t know who’s pitching until later but there’s not a lot to love for the Marlins hitters. It’s some type of mix of J.T. Realmuto, Justin Bour and then maybe Derek Dietrich or Brian Anderson. I’d be lying if I said I had a ton of interest in any Marlins hitters on a slate this big but I suppose it’s possible as the day develops.

Marlins Hitters to Target 

Elite Options -TBD

Secondary Options – TBD

Marlins Probable Starter – Trevor Richards, RHP 

5.06 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 20.5 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .195 average, .275 wOBA, 26.0 K rate, 38.3 fly ball rate and 32.8 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .323 average, .388 wOBA, 15.5 K rate, 35.8 fly ball rate and 48.8 hard hit rate

We don’t have the largest sample size with Richards but the splits have been major so far this season. We definitely want the righty hitters from the Rays where it makes sense and Wilson Ramos would be near the top of that list as usual. His price is almost always reasonable and that’s the case again tonight at just $2,800. Matt Duffy doesn’t have a ton of upside but he’s a fine play if you really need him. This game is ugly from about all sides. It’s not good for real life and it might actually be worse for fantasy goodness. With a massive slate, it can be pretty easy to just pretend this one doesn’t exist and try for other spots.

Rays Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Wilson Ramos

Secondary Options – Matt Duffy, Jake Bauers

Home Run Pick – Jake Bauers

DFS MLB – Astros at Rangers

Astros Probable Starter – Dallas Keuchel, LHP 

4.22 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 18.1 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .304 average, .341 wOBA, 21.7 K rate, 11.3 fly ball rate and 25.4 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .252 average, .307 wOBA, 17.1 K rate, 26.8 fly ball rate and 30.8 hard hit rate

There’s just no chance that Keuchel can be trusted right now. Other than two starts against the Royals, Keuchel has given up 6, 5, 7 and 4 earned runs in his last few starts. One of those starts came against these Rangers and the splits would lead you to believe that Keuchel will struggle again tonight. One of the better salary savers might be Ryan Rua, who is smashing lefty pitching in 45 at bats. His wOBA is .373 and his ISO is a whopping .370. You could definitely look at a Rangers stack tonight and include Adrian Beltre, Nomar Mazara, Shin-soo Choo and Delino DeShields. The lowest wOBA of those players is Choo and it’s still well over .300. The runs have been piling up lately in Texas and the Rangers could add to that total tonight.

Rangers Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Adrian Beltre, Delino DeShields, Ryan Rua

Secondary Options – Nomar Mazara, Shin-soo Choo

Rangers Probable Starter – Austin Bibens-Dirkx, RHP 

3.57 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 17.5 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .279 average, .278 wOBA, 18.6 K rate, 26.5 fly ball rate and 48.6 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .261 average, .340 wOBA, 16.7 K rate, 45.9 fly ball rate and 43.2 hard hit rate

This has to be one of the stacks of the night. Bibens-Dirkx has been pretty effective so far this season but he’s giving up way too many fly balls and way too much hard contact to escape this spot without giving up some major damage. Alex Bregman might be the only thing hotter than the Texas weather right now and he’s my favorite play until he cools off a little bit. Evan Gattis leads the team in ISO against righty pitching and his price is reasonable. Bibens-Dirkx hasn’t missed all tat many bats this year and if the Astros make a lot of contact, it’s going to be a long night. I would be very surprised if the Astros don’t put up a pretty crooked number here.

Astros Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Evan Gattis

Secondary Options – Yuli Gurriel, Josh Reddick, George Springer

Home Run Pick – Evan Gattis

DFS MLB – Giants at Rockies

Giants Probable Starter – Chris Stratton, RHP 

4.45 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 18.1 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .263 average, .334 wOBA, 14.0 K rate, 30.9 fly ball rate and 37.7 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .263 average, .324 wOBA, 23.6 K rate, 38.4 fly ball rate and 49.6 hard hit rate

The splits are pretty even for Stratton so we’re just going to have to go off who rates well against righty pitching for the Rockies tonight. I think we’re going to see a lot more runs tonight in Coors than we did last night because Stratton isn’t close to the same level as Bumgarner. Charlie Blackmon is due for a bigger game soon and I think it might come tonight. There’s a good chance that he becomes a priority if I can find the right value to go alongside him. Gerardo Parra would also be a very solid option with his .378 wOBA. You really can’t go too far wrong when there’s an average pitcher on the mound in Coors against the Rockies.

Rockies Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Charlie Blackmon, Gerardo Parra, Carlos Gonzalez

Secondary Options – Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, DJ LeMahieu

Rockies Probable Starter – Antonio Senzatela, RHP 

*First start this season* 6.23 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 17.3 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .286 average, .354 wOBA, 21.9 K rate, 30.0 fly ball rate and 38.1 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .326 average, .366 wOBA, 14.3 K rate, 30.8 fly ball rate and 35.9 hard hit rate

We haven’t seen Senzatela since for about two months but he’ll be making a start since the Rockies sent Jon Gray down over the weekend. There’s virtually nothing that looks good by the metrics for him and the Giants should be able to put up some runs as well. Since he’s reverse splits, hitters like Andrew McCutchen and Austin Slater are more in play than normal. I’m still more inclined to take Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford as both those players smack around righty pitching. If Alen Hanson makes the lineup, his .341 ISO and .423 wOBA could well make him a slam dunk play. This game looks way more likely to shootout than yesterday and we’ll be heavier on it than we were.

Giants Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Alen Hanson, Brandon Belt, Austin Slater, Brandon Crawford

Secondary Options – Andrew McCuchen, Buster Posey

Home Run Pick – Charlie Blackmon and Alen Hanson

DFS MLB – Indians at Royals

Indians Probable Starter – Shane Bieber, RHP 

2.22 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 26.2 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .321 average, .401 wOBA, 27.1 K rate, 43.2 fly ball rate and 51.4 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .250 average, .220 wOBA, 25.0 K rate, 15.2 fly ball rate and 36.4 hard hit rate

The Biebs has acquitted himself well so far in the major leagues and he’s at a reasonable price tag tonight. $8,200 is a solid ask for a pitcher that has shown his potential so far in the strikeout department. The two lefties that need to be considered tonight have to be Lucas Duda and Mike Moustakas. The former is just back from a lengthy stint on the disabled list and the latter has really cooled off since his hot start. Having said that, they are both under $3,000 and could be major pieces on your way to saving salary for some of the big bats or the pitcher who is lingering as the late night hammer. The Kansas City offense isn’t that great and I wouldn’t be too hot after their righties this evening.

Royals Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Mike Moustakas, Lucas Duda

Secondary Options – None

Royals Probable Starter – Danny Duffy, LHP 

4.94 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 19.8 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .230 average, .267 wOBA, 21.5 K rate, 41.3 fly ball rate and 40.4 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .261 average, .360 wOBA, 19.5 K rate, 47.9 fly ball rate and 40.3 hard hit rate

Duffy has been pitching a lot better lately but there’s about a zero percent chance I’d play him tonight. The good news is the Indians have a couple of cheap ways to get a piece of this game in addition to Francisco Lindor, who hit two home runs last night. Lindor, Yan Gomes and Brandon Guyer are three of the top four in ISO on the Indians and they also rank 1-2-3 in wOBA. I’d be way more inclined to play Gomes and I think one of Rua from Texas or Guyer is probably enough in one lineup. Lindor is very expensive but he might be one of the best high-end plays on the slate. He’s white-hot and he crushes lefties. The Indians put up nine runs last night and it wouldn’t be too surprising if they did it again.

Indians Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Francisco Lindor, Brandon Guyer, Yan Gomes

Secondary Options – Jose Ramirez

Home Run Pick – Mike Moustakas

DFS MLB – Padres at A’s

Padres Probable Starter – Clayton Richard, LHP 

4.29 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 18.7 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .229 average, .289 wOBA, 21.5 K rate, 8.5 fly ball rate and 30.1 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .246 average, .315 wOBA, 17.8 K rate, 25.6 fly ball rate and 42.9 hard hit rate

Richard is one of the weird pitchers that seems like we should target but there’s a lot of risk there. He generates such a high ground ball rate that he can shut a team down on any given night. He had a slight hiccup against the Rangers the last time out but before that, he had five starts of 34+ points. If you’re going after a pitcher doing that, it’s really not going to work out for you. Richard may not be a good pitcher but I’m not stacking against him at this point. If I play a one-off, I’ head towards Mark Canha or Chad Pinder. Canha has a higher ISO, wOBA and OPS to go along with a lower strikeout rate. The last time I pointed all of this out, Pinder was the higher owned player and of course hit a home run. This doesn’t seem like the time to spend up on any of Khris Davis, Matt Olson or Jed Lowrie.

A’s Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Mark Canha, Chad Pinder

Secondary Options – Jed Lowrie, Matt Chapman

A’s Probable Starter – Chris Bassitt, RHP 

2.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 18.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .180 average, .216 wOBA, 20.9 K rate, 46.7 fly ball rate and 36.7 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .225 average, .286 wOBA, 16.4 K rate, 32.5 fly ball rate and 45.0 hard hit rate

This is going to be interesting to see how this plays out tonight for Bassitt. On the one hand, Basssitt draws the Padres who are second in baseball in strikeout rate. They’re not a good offense and rank in the bottom half of the league in just about any category you can think of. The other side of this equation is that Bassitt is a lot worse against right handed hitting so people likely won’t notice that and look the other way. Wil Myers is coming to life after being hurt through most of the season and he leads the Padres in wOBA this season. You could go after a Hunter Renfroe or Eric Hosmer but I think it’s Myers or bust in this spot. That’s going to happen a lot with the San Diego offense the rest of the way.

Padres Hitters to Target
Elite Options – Wil Myers

Secondary Options – Hunter Renfroe, Eric Hosmer

Home Run Pick – Wil Myers

DFS MLB – Cardinals at Diamondbacks

Cardinals Probable Starter – Jack Flaherty, RHP 

2.92 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 29.1 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .221 average, .288 wOBA, 22.4 K rate, 32.9 fly ball rate and 34.1 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .200 average, .279 wOBA, 35.7 K rate, 40.6 fly ball rate and 35.7 hard hit rate

The price for Flaherty is such that I might actually take a shot on him this evening. Arizona is actually a good spot for righty pitching because they have a 24.3 strikeout rate at home, good for the sixth highest in baseball. The Diamondbacks rank 25th or worse in average, wOBA, wRC+ and OPS at home against righty pitching. I have very little interest in the D-Backs offense tonight and I think if you want a piece of them, it would have to be David Peralta, Jake Lamb or Paul Goldschmidt. I won’t be playing any of them personally as things stand right now.

Diamondbacks Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – David Peralta, Jake Lamb, Paul Goldschmidt

Diamondbacks Probable Starter – Zack Greinke, RHP 

3.41 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 25.7 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .242 average, .300 wOBA, 23.2 K rate, 29.8 fly ball rate and 41.9 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .236 average, .301 wOBA, 27.5 K rate, 41.6 fly ball rate and 44.0 hard hit rate

I wouldn’t blame you if you went Greinke tonight but it’s hard to not just find the extra money to pay for another player we’ll get to here shortly. It sure seems like there should be regression coming for Greinke with that amount of fly balls and hard contact to righties. I would probably just take my chances with Matt Carpenter even though he’s cooled off quite a bit. Jose Martinez and Yadier Molina are in play as well because they both have some power upside to go along with Grienke’s fly ball rates. This game will likely fly under the radar and I think that’s justifiable. Flaherty is my number on play from this game.

Cardinals Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Matt Carpenter

Secondary Options – Jose Martinez, Yadier Molina

Home Run Pick – Jose Martinez

DFS MLB – Angels at Mariners

Angels Probable Starter – Andrew Heaney, LHP 

3.95 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 22.3 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .210 average, .219 wOBA, 23.1 K rate, 20.5 fly ball rate and 17.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .247 average, .331 wOBA, 22.1 K rate, 41.7 fly ball rate and 41.1 hard hit rate

The overall numbers look very solid for Heaney but we’ve seen significant home/road splits from him this season and the Mariners have a couple of righties that have to concern you. Nelson Cruz at home against a lefty has been one of the better bets in baseball with his 1.151 OPS, .418 ISO and a .466 wOBA. Mitch Haniger and Jean Segura are right there as great plays although I’m not in love with the price tag for Segura on FanDuel. Cruz and Haniger would be my favorite two-man stack out of this game and Cruz is definitely the best play from this side of the game.

Mariners Hitters to Target 

Elite Options -Nelson Cruz, Mitch Haniger

Secondary Options – Jean Segura, Ryon Healy

Mariners Probable Starter – Wade LeBlanc, LHP 

3.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 18.9 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .296 average, .329 wOBA, 14.9 K rate, 40.7 fly ball rate and 26.7 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .243 average, .292 wOBA, 20.2 K rate, 41.7 fly ball rate and 30.3 hard hit rate

Mike Trout is always a solid play on any give night because he’s the best player in baseball but he’s in a smash spot this evening. He’s got a 1.184 OPS, .356 ISO and .483 wOBA against lefties and LeBlanc is a fly ball pitcher. That probably won’t end well for LeBlanc before the night is out and I don’t wonder if Trout carries some pretty low ownership. Andrelton Simmons doesn’t carry near the same upside but he’s a steady Eddie style of player where you feel a little safer putting him in your lineup. LeBlanc has been pretty good through the season but it also has the feel of he’s got to turn back into a pumpkin at some point. Chris Young would be the bargain basement play who has hit lefties well at points throughout his career.

Angels Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Mike Trout

Secondary Options – Chris Young, Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton

Home Run Pick – Nelson Cruz

DFS MLB – Pirates at Dodgers

Pirates Probable Starter – Ivan Nova, RHP 

4.02 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 18.5 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .283 average, .328 wOBA, 12.4 K rate, 38.9  fly ball rate and 32.5 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .231 average, .301 wOBA, 24.6 K rate, 28.0 fly ball rate and 35.2 hard hit rate

The Dodges offense went absolutely banana pants crazy town last night(special thanks to Heath Cummings of CBS Sports for that awesome phrase which I shamelessly stole) and they cleared 15 runs. That outcome shouldn’t be expected tonight but the Dodgers are loaded with good, powerful lefties that could ruin the night for Nova in a hurry. After last night’s debacle, the Pirates bullpen really needs a beak but I don’t think they’re going to get it. Joc Pederson, Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger are all on red alert to go yard once again tonight after doing it last night. Matt Kemp had a monster game and I’m glad it came on a night I didn’t roster him like I have been a lot lately. Thanks a ton, Matt! The Buccos pitching could be in for another very long evening.

Dodgers Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, Joc Pederson

Secondary Options – Justin Turner, Matt Kemp, Yasmani Grandal

Dodgers Probable Starter – Clayton Kershaw, LHP 

2.84 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 27.2 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .327 average, .375 wOBA, 30.2 K rate, 33.3 fly ball rate and 38.9 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .214 average, .266 wOBA, 26.3 K rate, 28.0 fly ball rate and 28.9 hard hit rate

I’ve been on the forefront of the “don’t pay for Kershaw” this season and I’m likely going to break my rule tonight. The Pirates offense as currently constructed should not scare anyone, much less Kershaw. Even if he isn’t as good as he once was, this could be a post where we see vintage Kershaw. Who’s going to get to him, Elias Diaz? Josh Harrison? I’m not putting my money on any of that. Starling Marte won’t be in the lineup as he’s been given a few days off to reconfigure his form. This Pirates offense is very poor and the price is probably the lowest we’ll see the rest of the season for Kershaw. If you’re not playing him tonight, I don’t think you will the rest of the way.

Pirates Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – None

Home Run Pick – Yasmani Grandal

DFS MLB – FanDuel Sample Lineup

P – Clayton Kershaw  

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C/1B – Wilson Ramos 

2B – Yoan Moncada

3B – Mike Moustakas

SS – Francisco Lindor

OF – Ryan Rua, Brandon Guyer, Jose Bautista

Utility – Charlie Blackmon 

I have said that I didn’t think Rua and Guyer needed to be in the same lineup but that was before I noticed that you could pair those two punts with two studs like Lindor and Blackmon. I think that’s a solid way to look at things because Lindor and Blackmon have such high ceilings, it’s worth taking a shot at lesser players to make everything fit. I am worried a bit about lack of Coors exposure but that’s always a risk on these big slates with a Coors game. It can mess with your head for sure and if you’re not careful, it’ll mess you up right out of cash. The pitching is dicey but I really believe it’s the night we see Kershaw pitch like he’s capable of. This Pirates team is scuffling mightily and just got smacked around last night. Ramos, Moustakas and Revenge-tista round out the last three men in our sample lineup.

The Core – Jose Bautista, Charlie Blackmon

Stacks to Consider – Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Coors Field, Los Angles Dodgers, New York Yankees

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As always, may fortune be on your side and make sure to follow me on Twitter @bucn4life as MLB allows late swap. If there’s a late scratch and/or lineup cards aren’t put in for the late games, this article will always be updated on Twitter ASAP.