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5 Things to Watch:
1. Here are the three highest over/unders for Friday, provided by OddsShark…
2. Unfortunately, Jake Arrieta pitches in the only early game of the day (PIT-CHC). I tend to avoid “all day” contests when you’re picking the one early game just because of a pitcher. It’s not worth the risk to role the dice on the rest of your bats, especially in FanDuel.
3. For the BvP crowd: Chris Davis is 6-for-10 (.600) with three home runs against Aaron Sanchez … Alex Avila is 6-for-11 (.545) with one home run against Trevor Bauer … Jose Ramirez is 5-for-12 (.417) with two extra-base hits against Jose Quintana.
4. Tigers’ outfielder J.D. Martinez left Thursday’s game after running into the outfield wall. It is being reported that he’ll miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured bone near his elbow. Steven Moya has be called up in place of Martinez.
5. Roenis Elias faces his former team. Elias started his career with the Mariners’ minor-league clubs in 2011. He was promoted to the bigs in 2014 and won 15 games over two seasons with Seattle. His former team is known for crushing lefties, so be prepared for Seattle to produce some runs on Friday night.
Yesterday’s recap:
John Halpin nailed the must-start with Bryce Harper. He went 2-for-4 with a home runs and three RBI. Also, the Nationals stack was a great choice as they scored eight runs against the Padres.
Must-Start of the day: Lance McCullers, HOU
Houston is the biggest favorite of the day. Add in the fact that McCullers has struck out at least seven batters in five straight starts, and you have a good decision at SP. Plus, while two pitchers are tied at $8,700 on FanDuel (McCullers and Matt Harvey), the Houston starter is significantly cheaper on DraftKings.
Deal of the day: Danny Worth, HOU
If he’s batting in the top five, Worth is a great salary relief option in the “Stack of the day.” He’s the minimum price on DraftKings, and only $2,200 on FanDuel.
Avoid of the day: Yan Gomes, CLE
In his career, Gomes is 1-for-17 (.059) with nine strikeouts against Jose Quintana.
Stack of the day: Houston Astros
Even with Matt Harvey on the slate, Houston is the strongest favorite of the night (-240). With an over/under of nine total runs, Vegas believes the Astros will have a field day against John Lamb. He’s a lefty, so Jose Altuve is a great play, along with George Springer, Tyler White and possibly Carlos Gomez.
Starting pitchers:
Matt Harvey, NYM – He’s allowed one earned run or fewer in three straight outings and has struck out at least six batters in two of his past three outings.
Joe Ross, WAS – San Diego is one of the most strikeout-prone teams in baseball, and Ross has notched at least five Ks in three consecutive performances.
Lance McCullers, HOU – “Must-start of the day”
Catchers:
Evan Gattis, HOU – He has a .271 ISO against lefties this year.
Alex Avila, CWS – (See “5 Things”)
First basemen:
David Ortiz, BOS – He has a .386 ISO against righties this season.
Chris Davis, BAL – (See “5 Things”)
Tyler White, HOU – He has a .218 ISO against left-handed pitchers.
Edwin Encarnacion, TOR – He has a .226 ISO against righties this year.
Second basemen:
Jose Altuve, HOU – He has a .224 ISO against southpaws in 2016.
Starlin Castro, NYY – He has a .192 ISO against lefties this year.
Third basemen:
Josh Donaldson, TOR – He leads the Blue Jays with a .294 ISO against righties this season.
Danny Worth, HOU – “Deal of the day”
Shortstops:
Marwin Gonzalez, HOU – He has a .197 ISO against lefties this year.
Corey Seager, LAD – He has a .221 ISO against righties this season.
Outfielders:
Nelson Cruz, SEA – He has .350 ISO against lefties this year.
George Springer, HOU – He has a .259 ISO against lefties this season.
Franklin Gutierrez, SEA – He has a .342 wOBA against lefties this year.
Jackie Bradley Jr., BOS – He has a .298 ISO against righties this year.
Michael Saunders, TOR – He has a .201 ISO against righties in 2016.
Carlos Gomez, HOU – He has a .384 wOBA against lefties this year.
