DFS Alerts
The White Sox most updated lineup does not include Dioner Navarro and instead has Omar Narvaez catching, batting 8th
Omar Narvaez has had meager OPS totals around 0.600 against both lefties and righties, and offers a modest slugging percentage against RHP at 0.262. He appears to be a downgrade at catcher, weakening the Sox lineup today versus Ervin Santana.
As reported by: Baseball Reference and MLB Press Other tagged players: Omar Narvaez
Noah Syndergaard's opponent, Chad Bettis, does well against lefties and faces six lefties and a pitcher today
Chad Bettis is giving up 24% fly balls and 25% hard contact to left-handed batters. The Mets lineup includes six lefties and Noah Syndergaard, which bodes well for Chad Bettis. Bettis does not strike out enough batters to necessarily be a viable option at pitcher for DFS, but he is in a good position to limit the production by the Mets today and has a good chance to limit Noah Syndergaard’s room for error.
As reported by: FanGraphs and MLB Press Other tagged players: Chad Bettis Carlos Martinez's splits make him an especially interesting option at SP today
Most of he DFS community is well aware of Carlos Martinez’s stark lefty/right splits. Martinez has a 4.42 xFIP versus left-handed bats, making lefties viable options on days that they face Martinez. However, C-Mart has an xFIP versus RHBs of 3.33, along 25% k rate, which makes him an attractive option on days he is facing a right-handed heavy team. Today, C-Mart faces a Marlins team that will be sending 7 RHBs to the plate, and one of the two lefties is a slap hitter who depends on his speed to have success. If Martinez can prevent Giancarlo Stanton or Marcell Ozuna from hitting the ball over the fence, he is in a great position to have success today.
As reported by: FanGraphs and MLB Press Melvin Upton missing from the updated Blue Jays lineup
The top of the Blue Jays lineup will continue to be right-handed as usual as the Jays face off against Chris Tillman. With Upton missing from the lineup, another right-handed bat, Darwin Barney, will bat 9th and play 3B.
As reported by: Ben Nicholson-Smith on Twitter Other tagged players: Darwin Barney Can Mike Pelfrey do well enough to prevent an implosion versus the Astros?
Stacking against Mike Pelfrey is an obvious play and a common practice every 5th day in MLB DFS. In large field GPPs, we all look for deeper numbers to try and differentiate in some way. Mike Pelfrey has an xFIP near 5 against both LHBs and RHBs, and the Astros lineup will be 66% RHBs today. Pelfrey is only allowing a a fly ball percentage of 22% to RHBs with a hard contact percentage of 26%. This is not an endorsement of the strategy of avoiding Astros bats, but merely a warning of caution in playing too many Astros stacks. Pelfrey’s minuscule k rate of below 10% when generally lead to good things for hitters, but just know that right-handed bats are not “crushing” the ball.
Mike Napoli looks to take advantage of Sonny Gray's hard contact allowed
Sonny Gray has not been great this year against RHBs, posting an xFIP of 4.55. His 18% k rate is not high enough to help get him out of trouble and his HR/FB is an unbelievably high 22%. We generally expect regression to occur with pitchers who have a HR/FB above 10%, but Gray’s exceptionally high hard contact allowed is a concern. Gray is giving up 39% hard contact to RHBs, which has manifested itself as 1.83 HR/9. Mike Napoli will be batting 4th for the Indians and boasts a healthy 0.254 ISO against RHPs. Look to Napoli as a strong way to begin building your lineup at 1B.
As reported by: FanGraphs Other tagged players: Sonny Gray Matt Kemp officially scratched
Kemp has now officially been scratched after being traded to Atlanta.
Matt Kemp seems to be headed to ATL
Trade talks involving Matt Kemp are rumored to be pending tonight, waiting on physical results. Start Kemp tonight with caution, knowing he may very well be traded mid-game.
As reported by: Kenny Kurst Updated Indians Lineup
The Indians lineup for tonight is as follows; 1) Davis 2) Kipnis 3) Lindor 4) Napoli, 5) Santana 6) Ramirez 7) Uribe 8) Almonte 9) Gimenez.
Note: Tyler Naquin is OUT
Braun scratched from Brewers lineup
Braun leaves Brewers lineup with right side tightness.
As reported by: Adam McCalvy on Twitter David Wolter has posted his weather update, warning that the COL/NYM game has weather concerns
David Wolter’s updated weather report highlights the concerns in New York, listing the game now as YELLOW/ORANGE. Check out the full report for details.
As reported by: RotoGrinders MLB Weather Catch up with the times...Yoenis Cespedes can hit lefties!
If you think Yoenis Cespedes cannot hit left-handed pitching, you are stuck in 2015. Yes, in 2015, Cespedes finished the year with a wRC+ of 99 and an ISO of 0.216. However, in 2016, Cespedes has a wRC+ of 194 with an ISO of 0.297. Even further bolstering Cespedes improvement is his reduction in strike outs against LHPs, reducing his k rate in 2016 to 18% from 27% in 2015. Jorge De La Rosa is not a world beater, possessing an xFIP of 4.86 to RHBs, making Cespedes a well above average DFS play.
As reported by: FanGraphs Other tagged players: Jorge De La Rosa Chase Anderson faces off against a right-handed Pirates lineup
Chase Anderson has displayed reverse splits over his career, possessing an xFIP of 5.57 against RHBs in 2016. The Pirates today will present a right-handed heavy lineup, beginning with Starling Marte and his 139 wRC+ versus RHP. Jung Ho Kang should have under 5% ownership, but still brings a 114 wRC+ to the table for any DFS players looking for a contrarian 3B option.
As reported by: FanGraphs Other tagged players: Starling Marte, Chase Anderson Tigers RHBs are still in play against RHP, Mike Fiers
The Tigers erupted last night for 14 runs and will be facing a mediocre pitcher today in Mike Fiers. Fiers, much like last year, has given up more production to RHBs than LHBs. His xFIP allowed to RHBs is 4.86, made worse by a meager 15% k rate. His 1.64 HR/9 to RHBs does appear to be somewhat sustainable, considering he has a fly ball percentage of 35% and a healthy hard contact allowed of 40%. Look to Miguel Cabrera and Nick Castellanos to hit the ball hard, possessing ISOs of 0.264 and 0.223 against RHPs, respectively.
As reported by: FanGraphs Other tagged players: Nick Castellanos, Mike Fiers Carlos Beltran looks to exploit Smyly's fly ball tendencies
The Yankees face a pitcher in Drew Smyly who has displayed stark splits between LHBs and RHBs. Smyly still has a respectable k % against RHBs of 21%, but his xFIP of 4.50 against RHBs highlights his struggles with that side of the plate. Smyly is somewhat of a fly ball pitcher, allowing a fly ball percentage of 46% to RHBs, which has led to a HR/9 of 1.71 vs. RHBs. Carlos Beltran has a 175 wRC+ this year against LHPs and is boasting a robust 0.278 ISO. While Tropicana field has a reputation for being bad for hitters, and it is below average, but it settles between Miller Park and Wrigley Field in park rankings for RHBs. Look to Carlos Beltran as a viable target to take advantage of Smyly’s fly ball tendencies.
As reported by: FanGraphs and RotoGrinders Ballpark Factors Other tagged players: Drew Smyly