MLB Daily Plays: Aug 21
MLB Daily Plays!
This is probably one of the roughest slates of Thursday games all year. There are only 4 early and 5 late games on the slate, and it seems like Ace day as we now have Kershaw, Kluber, Price, Teheran, Bumgarner and Gio. A lot of these studs are in great spots, so it looks like a day where paying up is a must. Good Luck Grinders!
STARTING PITCHERS
Corey Kluber – On a day where a ton of Aces are on the mound, I really like Kluber. He has been torching lineups lately and has been striking guys out at a rate that makes him a top fantasy option anytime he takes the mound. Kluber has not gotten to face this Twins squad yet this year, but they are clearly an offense that can be dominated as they have a 21.2% K rate against RH pitching. Kluber has allowed a total of 2 earned runs in his last 5 starts while striking out 45 batters in 38 innings. Get him in your lineups!
Clayton Kershaw – As of now, it looks like Kershaw will have his start moved up to today due to Greinke having some elbow concerns. Kershaw automatically becomes the top play of the night by far. There is not a whole lot to be said other then the fact that the best pitcher in the NL gets a start against the San Diego Padres. Clayton will try to match his 9 inning, 1 earned run, 11 strikeout performance that he had about a month ago against this same Padres squad. He will give you a top performance and should be heavily owned tonight.
Other Pitchers I like (Early) – David Price Gio Gonzalez
Other Pitchers I like (Late) – Julio Teheran Madison Bumgarner
CATCHER
Buster Posey – As we all know, Posey has not been the lefty masher we have seen in the past, but he has definitely been a top catching option against subpar pitching. Make sure he is in the lineup today as he was held out yesterday due to a sore hip. If he is in, he should easily be the top catcher as his price has been depressed across the industry. Wood is also an easy target as he has allowed righties a wOBA of .365 on the year.
Other Catchers I like (Early) – Victor Martinez
Other Catchers I like (Late) –Evan Gattis
FIRST BASE
David Ortiz – With the amount of Aces going today, some positions lack a lot of guys in good matchups. For one of the few times this season, 1st base is one of them today. Vmart and Santana make good plays on sites where they are eligible, but that may not be the case on your site. Ortiz is on one of those Big Papi heaters at the moment as in his last 5 games he has 11 hits, 4 home runs and 8 RBIs. He is a great play at the 1st base position.
Other First Basemen I like (Early) – Mark Teixeira Carlos Santana
Other First Basemen I like (Late) –Albert Pujols
SECOND BASE
Anthony Rendon – Rendon is one of my favorite lefty mashers in the league this year and has shown why with a wOBA of .361 against LH pitching. Miley has been susceptible to getting roughed up and that could happen against all the power RH bats of the Nationals.
Other Second Basemen I like (Early) – Jason Kipnis
Other Second Basemen I like (Late) – Dustin Pedroia
THIRD BASE
Pablo Sandoval – Wood has been bad and is one of the easiest to pick on pitchers of the night slate. Wood has allowed 3 or more runs in 9 of his last 11 starts and has given up 5 or more in 4 of those starts. At the time of this article, the total is unknown due to weather, but if the wind is blowing out, these Giants bats get a huge boost in value.
Other Third Basemen I like (Early) – Lonnie Chisenhall
Other Third Basemen I like (Late) – Chris Johnson
SHORTSTOP
Ian Desmond – For all the reasons that Rendon is a good play, Desmond is just as good of a play today. Desmond has a season wOBA of .352 against LH pitching and is seeing the ball real well at the moment. In his last 7 games, Desmond is batting .360 with 5 RBIs and 4 walks.
Other Shortstops I like (Early) – Asdrubal Cabrera
Other Shortstops I like (Late) – Erick Aybar
OUTFIELDERS
Kole Calhoun – Are we getting tired of posting this guys name in this section? Well it is hard to stop as he continues to mash opposing RH pitchers this year. He has 6 multi-hit games in in his last 10 and has had 8 extra base hits in that span as well. His price has risen in some spots (DK) while at others it has not matched his recent performance (FD). Get him in play in the game with the highest total on the board.
Justin Upton – Holmberg has only made a few appearances in the last two seasons, and has a career ERA of 11.37 to show for it. Justin Upton quickly becomes a great play as he has absolutely crushed LH pitching this year for a wOBA of .472. On a night with only a few pitchers to target, Upton is a top option.
Other Outfielders I like (Early) – Jayson Werth Carlos Beltran
Other Outfielders I like (Late) – Hunter Pence Daniel Nava Mike Trout Josh Hamilton