DFS Alerts
Jose Martinez (hip) scratched Saturday; Tyler O'Neill replaces
Martinez has been scratched from the St. Louis Cardinals original confirmed lineup and will not start in Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers due to right hip tightness. He’ll be replaced in the lineup by Tyler O’Neill, who will play right field and slot directly into Martinez’s vacated third spot in the order. However, the remainder of the Cardinals lineup will stay intact as they face off against left-hander Wade Miley at home this evening.
As reported by: Jennifer Langosch via Twitter Other tagged players: Tyler O'Neill
Path to Victory
Picking the correct SP2 is going to be the path to victory on Saturday night as it’s a bit of a jumbled mess. I wasn’t a huge fan of Mikolas at first glance but early line movement against the Brewers has me intrigued. Mikolas isn’t going to provide you a ton of strikeout upside (16.9 K%, 8.7 SwStr%) but he is the cheapest of the secondary options and does have the benefit of pitcher friendly umpire Cory Blaser calling balls and strikes. Keep an eye on betting markets and lineups as they come out as those will ultimately dictate SP2 but Mikolas is the early frontrunner for me.
Massive Park Boost
It’s either Brandon Belt or Paul Goldschmidt for me at the first base position on Saturday and the latter option is tough to fit into roster construction due to an expensive price tag. Belt and the Giants get a massive park boost as they take on Matt Harvey at Great American Ballpark. Belt has shown a strong offensive skill-set against right handed pitching throughout the course of his career (132 wRC+, .199 ISO) and has excellent bated ball numbers against righties this season (46.2 Hard%, 49.7 FB%).
Speed and Pop
Rostering Moncada in cash games is contingent on him getting a good spot in the lineup but if the White Sox youngster does continue to lead off he’s an excellent play against Brad Keller. Moncada has had significantly more success against right handed pitching this season and he’s shown a strong offensive skill-set as a lefty hitter throughout the course of his young career (107 wRC+, .199 ISO). Keller’s 3.40 ERA through 13 starts is a bit deceptive as he’s allowing a lot of contact (15.7 K%) and advanced run prevention metrics indicate regression is in his future (4.77 SIERA). Moncada provides you with both stolen base and power upside in a favorable matchup and is one of the better point per dollar options of the slate.
Power Improvement
We’re going to want to grab exposure to Nationals hitters against the fly balling Wei-Yin Chen at Nationals Park and Rendon stands out at a relatively weak third base position. While Chen has struggled against all hitters this season, he’s had an especially tough time against righties posting a .355 wOBA, 5.81 xFIP, 14.3 K%, and a 35% groundball-rate. Rendon is extremely talented offensively versus LHP (career 138 wRC+) and has shown tremendous power upside against southpaws the last couple of seasons (.346 ISO in 2017, .264 ISO in 2018).
Whiff-Heavy Lineup
There are a handful of SP options that you can look to in this price range but Godley has the best combination of price tag (at least on DraftKings) + matchup. Godley has strung together three straight 21+ DK pt performances, striking out 23 hitters over 21 IP. On the season Godley has posted a respectable 23.7% strikeout rate and has done an above average job missing bats with a 11.8 SwStr%. PlateIQ has the Padres projected lineup with a 24.1% strikeout late, which is likely to be the most whiff-heavy lineup of the slate.
A Steady Value Play
The Angels get an upgrade playing in Arlington, which has been more Coors Field-y than Coors Field this season. It has been a hot summer (as usual) in Texas, and the park in Arlington ranks 2nd in the league in home runs and 1st in the league in total runs. Throw in a matchup against the flailing Martin Perez, and it’s easy to see the Angels putting up some numbers tonight. Perez has allowed a wOBA near .400 to LHBs and a .429 wOBA to RHBs this season, but he has gotten a fair amount of ground balls (especially to lefties). I prefer the RHBs here, as the batted ball profile for Perez is far worse against righties. Fletcher is nothing special, but he’s hitting in the middle of the order, has a value price tag, and gets a good matchup here. That’s enough to make him a fine play on this slate.
Healthy and Ready to Take Advantage of a Good Matchup
Matt Harvey is pitching, so that means we can fire up some left-handed bats! Harvey has continually struggled against lefties for two years now, as he has allowed a wOBA over .360 and a 41% hard contact rate to lefties this season. The Giants get a nice park shift going from San Francisco to Cincinnati, and Brandon Belt is the obvious primary target here given his elite profile against RHP and the fact that he is now healthy again. He owns a .390 wOBA and .239 ISO against RHP this year and should be in line for a good game here.
Potentially the Top Hitter on the Slate
Hello, Anthony Rendon! This is a great matchup for Rendon. When you combine his splits against lefties with how awful Wei-Yin Chen has been on the road this sesaon, it should add up to success. Rendon owns elite splits against LHP including a .398 wOBA and .264 ISO, and he will be the first hitter I lock into most cash game lineups this evening. All the other righties are in play, with Trea Turner also checking in as an elite play. Mark Reynolds can be used as a risk/reward option if he draws the start at first base, and I might even throw some of the lefties in a GPP stack given the fact that Chen might not be long for this game.
An Elite Option on a Thin Slate for Arms
There’s a lot to like with David Price tonight. The recent form is great. The matchup against the Rays is great, as he has dominated them three times already this year. The strikeouts have been there, and we know he is going to throw strikes. Price is the safest pitcher on the slate this evening and is viable in all formats, and he is turning it on at the right time as the Red Sox enter the stretch run.
On the Rise With a Great Matchup Tonight
After a terrible start to the year, it looks like Godley has finally figured some things out. He has been dominant over his last three outings, allowing just three total runs over 21 innings in those starts to go along with 23 strikeouts and just three walks. He draws a great matchup against the Padres tonight and should be a lock for your cash game rosters, and I would expect him to be the highest owned pitcher on the slate tonight. You can make the case for a GPP fade if you want, but I will probably play him in all formats.
Tommy Milone scratched Saturday; Jefry Rodriguez will start in his place
Milone will not make his previously scheduled start for the Washington Nationals in Saturday’s home matchup against the Miami Marlins due to an unspecified reason, though it appears to just be a manager’s decision since Milone has already been deemed as available out the bullpen this evening. He’ll be replaced on the mound by Jefry Rodriguez but, unlike Milone, is a right-handed pitcher, so his presence on the bump does alter the projected lineup of the Marlins hitters in a significant fashion. Being so, make sure to double check out the projections in LineupHQ and the Starting Lineups page for any notable changes prior to submitting lineups for tonight’s main slate.
As reported by: Jamal Collier via Twitter Other tagged players: Jefry Rodriguez Possible Value At The Lead-Off Position
I’m hoping the White Sox bat outfielder Nicky Delmonico at the top of the order against right-hander Brad Keller. Delmonico has hits in three consecutive games, including a homer last night, and sometimes bats leadoff against righties. Brad Keller hasn’t been bad this season and isn’t someone I’m trying to pick on too much, but his xFIP is nearly a point higher than his ERA and he’s a below-average strikeout pitcher (15.7 K%) so there should be some balls in play against him tonight. Delmonico could be a nice way to save some salary if he finds himself at the top of this White Sox lineup.
Looking To Texas For Value
David Fletcher is affordable across the industry and that catches my attention when he’s facing Martin Perez in 90+ degree weather in Texas. This isn’t so much an endorsement because Fletcher is good – I don’t think he’s more than an average hitter at best. But if we see him hitting at the top of this Angels lineup, that could be enough for him to return value at his salary. Perez is allowing batters to hit .363 off him. Right-handed batters specifically have a 1.012 OPS, giving all batters in this Angels lineup some appeal.
Clear number one for me tonight
There are a number of pitching options worth taking a shot on tonight but for me Godley is the clear number 1 for me tonight in Arizona. The Padres are one of the most inept offenses in all of Baseball and carry a 24.1% K rate against righties on the season, nearly matching Godley’s 23.7% K rate. The D Backs righty has been particularly good of late with 3 nice outings in a row and is affordable across the industry. I think this play is safe and offers the upside you need to win a GPP. I don’t care about the ownership as I will be differentiating with my bats on what should be a fun GPP slate.
