DFS Alerts
Domingo German will start in place of Lance Lynn on Saturday; Lynn remains available in relief
The New York Yankees have opted for bullpen game after clinching a Wild Card berth on Friday night, which will now likely force Lance Lynn to come on in relief Saturday afternoon to work an abbreviated number of innings, opposed to making his originally scheduled start. He’ll be replaced on the mound at the outset by Domingo German, who, like Lynn, is a right-handed pitcher, so his brief presence on the bump shouldn’t alter the projections of the Boston Red Sox hitters in any significant fashion. That said, still be sure to double check out the Starting Lineups page and projections in LinuepHQ for any notable changes prior to submitting lineups for today’s early slate.
As reported by: Bryan Hoch via Twitter Other tagged players: Lance Lynn
No Surprise Here
It’s no surprise that Bryce Harper in Coors is a really good play. Despite a bit of a down season Harper has still posted very strong offensive numbers against right handed pitching this year as he’s the owner of a 136 wRC+ and .261 ISO. Harper comes with an expensive tag but September baseball should open up enough value where squeezing Harper and Dahl in your cash lineups with Kluber as SP1 should still be possible.
Run Better
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one more time how pure Carlos Rodon has ran this season. Rodon is the owner of an above average 3.61 ERA but a well below average 5.06 SIERA. He’s posted career lows in terms of strikeout metrics and is the owner of a ridiculously low .229 BABIP. The Twins make for a sneaky stack on Saturday night and you can look to cheap pieces like Tyler Austin in cash games. Austin has been hitting the ball well posting back-to-back 20 DK pt performances prior to Friday’s double-header.
Strong Second Half Campaign
Steven Matz has had a very strong second half of the season and gets the chance to end it on a high not in a favorable home matchup against the Miami Marlins. The Marlins currently have one of the lower implied run totals of the slate at 3.3 and while they don’t strike out a ton they still represent a strong run prevention matchup for opposing pitchers. Matz has an above league average 22.8% strikeout rate and should still be able to induce some swings and misses in this one.
Strong Road Matchup
Kluber has been #good down the stretch, pitching back-to-back 11 strikeout games against the White Sox. Saturday’s matchup for Kluber is another favorable one at pitcher friendly Kauffman Stadium where Kluber will face a projected Royals lineup that owns a collective 26.7% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching. It’s unlikely that Kluber will be pushed too hard with this being his final start before the post-season but as long as he can avoid early inning troubles he is still the top overall pitcher on the board.
We're Going Streaking
Why fade David Dahl and his current five game HR streak? Even if you aren’t a believer in hot streaks having any sort of predictive value, Dahl once again draws a strong home matchup in Coors, this time against Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg has seen his fastball velocity drop anywhere from 2-3 mph since early on in the season which helps explain some of the problems he’s had since returning from the DL in late August. Strasburg was still able to put up some solid fantasy performances against weaker opponents with his diminished velocity but taking his low 90’s fastball to Coors is unlikely to be as successful as a road game against the Marlins.
Hunter Renfroe (illness) scratched Friday; Travis Jankowski replaces
Renfroe has been scratched from the San Diego Padres original confirmed lineup and will not start in Friday’s matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks due to an illness. He’ll be replaced in the lineup by Travis Jankowski, who will play left field slot into the eighth spot in the order, which bumps Eric Hosmer, Francisco Mejia, Jose Pirela, and Manuel Margot up one batting position to fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively. It goes without saying that there have been some noteworthy changes to this Padres order, so be sure to check out the updated lineup on the Starting Lineups page as they face off against left-hander Patrick Corbin at home this evening.
As reported by: the San Diego Padres via Twitter Other tagged players: Travis Jankowski Mike Fiers will follow Lou Trivino, who is only expected to pitch one inning, Friday
The Oakland Athletics have opted to continue occasionally utilizing an opening bullpen arm and will now force Mike Fiers to come on in relief Friday evening to work a majority of the team’s innings, opposed to making his originally scheduled start. He’ll be replaced on the mound at the outset by Lou Trivino, who, like Fiers, is a right-handed pitcher, so his brief presence on the bump shouldn’t alter the projections of the Los Angeles Angels hitters in any significant fashion. That said, still be sure to double check out the Starting Lineups page and projections in LinuepHQ for any notable changes prior to submitting lineups for tonight’s main slate.
As reported by: Susan Slusser via Twitter Other tagged players: Lou Trivino Two RHBs who hammer same-handed pitchers in a great spot
Jaime Barria is a right-handed pitcher with a significant reverse split, making the Athletics and two batters in particular a very difficult matchup for him. Matt Chapman (146 wRC+, .263 ISO) and Khris Davis (143 wRC+, .320 ISO) have both destroyed RHP this season, the former costing a reasonable $4.4K on DraftKings. The A’s have a team 4.56 implied run line that is good enough for the top third of the board tonight.
Other tagged players: Khris Davis, Jaime Barria
Don't sleep on this west coast lineup facing pitcher allowing .408 wOBA to RHBs
The Mariners have the highest implied run line (4.61) among west coast teams tonight and this lineup could contain some valuable pieces in a matchup against Martin Perez (RHBs .408 wOBA this season) despite the negative run environment. Perez has been mostly working out of the pen this month, so this is likely to be a short outing either way, but it’s not like the rest of the bullpen is much better behind him. They have the second highest FIP in the majors (5.31) over the last 30 days. Mitch Haniger (144 wRC+, .176 ISO vs LHP), Jean Segura (123 wRC+, .130 ISO) and Nelson Cruz (151 wRC+, .293 ISO) will all get at least one and maybe two cracks at Perez. Cruz has homered three times in his career against Perez in 36 PAs.
Other tagged players: Martin Perez, Mitch Haniger, Jean Segura Value bat moves up in the order
The Twins have accumulated another top of the board implied run line (4.78) in a home park that is a positive run environment, but with cooler temperatures tonight. Lucas Giolito did look like he was starting to pitch towards his potential for a short while, but has now allowed at least three runs in each of his last four starts. LHBs now have a .356 wOBA against him this year. The problem is that the Twins have very little to attack him with. Jorge Polanco (136 wRC+, .148 ISO vs RHP) is one option, but beware his xwOBA is 47 points below his actual against RHP this year. Jake Cave (122 wRC+, .215 ISO) is the really interesting name and he gets a lineup boost to the three hole in the second game of this double-header. He costs a very reasonable $4K on DraftKings.
Other tagged players: Jorge Polanco, Lucas Giolito No rain issues, but cooler temperatures in Friday's forecast
There are no rain concerns on Friday nights slate, but Kevin details some cooler temperatures around MLB in his evening update. The entire forecast is now available on the Weather page. Premium subscribers can join Kevin on Crunch Time at 6:30 for further updates.
Continuing to tear up the league (287 wRC+ last seven days, 166 wRC+ vs RHP)
Jordan ZImmermann has been somewhat of a league average pitcher this season, which is quite the improvement from previous years in Detroit, but he’s facing a powerful lineup in Milwaukee tonight and batters from either side of the plate are within six points of a .330 wOBA against him, though LHBs have been slightly better by both wOBA and xwOBA (.343). The Brewers have a 5.38 implied run line that’s barely second best on the board. Christian Yelich (166 wRC+, .276 ISO vs RHP) continues to light the league on fire (287 wRC+ last seven days), but costs more than some pitchers tonight. He may be more likely to reach 20 points though. Travis Shaw (137 wRC+, .290 ISO) is another potent bat in a nice spot here and perhaps the better value. Lorenzo Cain (110 wRC+, .093 ISO), Jesus Aguilar (130 wRC+, .262 ISO), and Mike Moustakas (113 wRC+, .235 ISO) are all playable here as well.
Other tagged players: Travis Shaw, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, Jesus Aguilar, Jordan Zimmermann Park upgrade in a great matchup
Only three teams are above five implied runs tonight and the Astros are essentially tied for the second spot at 5.3. They get a huge park upgrade in Baltimore and face David Hess (batters from either side above a .350 wOBA) with one of the worst bullpens in baseball behind him. Josh Reddick (81 wRC+, .113 ISO vs RHP) might have some value in this spot, as he bats second with George Springer still out. Top bats are Jose Altuve (142 wRC+, .144 ISO), Alex Bregman (156 wRC+, .247 ISO) and Tyler White (148 wRC+, .264 ISO).
Other tagged players: Jose Altuve, David Hess, Tyler White, Josh Reddick It's Not Exciting, But It Isn't Always Exciting
As I’m building lineups throughout the day, I just keep landing on this salary for Zach Davies being too good to pass up on the two pitcher sites. There are a lot of great bats to spend up on, and you just can’t get there without a cheap SP2. While Davies isn’t great, he’s respectable and in a great matchup at home against Detroit. He doesn’t beat himself with walks, and can pile up easy ground ball outs against righties, and Detroit has just three lefties in the lineup to deal with. He gets an overall 24.6% K rate from this opposing lineup as well as swapping a DH for a pitcher spot, and at this salary, we don’t need much upside. Just his usual boring five innings is plenty here.
