Pitchers
For the Pitcher Chart as well as Hitter picks and analysis, click NEXT!
Carlos Carrasco
Carrasco will face the Twins in Target Field. After trading both Eduardo Escobar and Brian Dozier, the Twins lineup is a bit watered down. Carrasco is the highest priced pitcher on the early slate, but he’s a big favorite with an OTT (see pitcher chart) of 3.5, tied for lowest on the slate. Recently, he hasn’t gone as deep into games as he did earlier in the year, but I still think there is safety in Carrasco. He’s likely the top overall option, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll be worth the $11,400 on DraftKings.
Sonny Gray
Gray will face the Orioles in Yankee Stadium. The Orioles have the fifth worst wRC+ this season, but have now lost two major bats via trades. They are one of the worst offenses in the league, and Gray should be able to capitalize like Masahiro Tanaka did on Tuesday. Gray is the biggest favorite of the day and has an OTT of 3.5. He’ll be popular with an $8,500 price tag on DraftKings, but I’ll have him in cash games assuming his thumb injury is a non-factor.
Luke Weaver
On the main slate, only two pitchers are priced lower than Weaver. He’ll face the Rockies who take a major park hit traveling to Busch Stadium. Weaver also has an OTT of 3.5, and I’m guessing most of the run prevention will come from Weaver rather than the Cardinals’ 25th ranked bullpen. Weaver has been relatively inconsistent this year, but I’m going to have a hard time avoiding him as my SP2 on the main slate.
For the Pitcher Chart as well as Hitter picks and analysis, click NEXT!
Pitcher Chart
To see my favorite hitters for today’s slate, click NEXT!
The pitching chart will be updated often. Make sure to check back for the newest information, especially if a column is currently incomplete!
Last Updated: 8/1/2018 – 10:17 AM CT
| Pitcher | Team | L/R | $Line | OTT | K | +/- | K% | IP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Hamels | CHC | L | -116 | 3.5 | 5 | 1.5 | 22.7 | 5 2/3 |
| N. Kingham | PIT | R | +107 | 4 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 21.3 | 5 1/3 |
| P. Lopez | MIA | R | +157 | 5 | 4 | -1 | 19 | 5 2/3 |
| A. Sanchez | ATL | R | -171 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 23.4 | 6 1/3 |
| K. Freeland | COL | L | +114 | 4 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 18.9 | 5 1/3 |
| L. Weaver | STL | R | -123 | 3.5 | 6.5 | 3 | 21.1 | 6 |
| C. Anderson | MIL | R | +146 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 19.3 | 5 |
| R. Hill | LAD | L | -158 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.5 | 26.2 | 5 2/3 |
| A. Cobb | BAL | R | +241 | 5.5 | 3 | -2.5 | 14.8 | 5 |
| S. Gray | NYY | R | -265 | 3.5 | 6.5 | 3 | 21.3 | 6 1/3 |
| C. Carrasco | CLE | R | -175 | 3.5 | 7 | 3.5 | 27.1 | 6 2/3 |
| A. Mejia | MIN | L | +161 | 5 | 3.5 | -1.5 | 14.3 | 5 |
| M. Stroman | TOR | R | +125 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.5 | 18 | 6 |
| S. Manaea | OAK | L | -135 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 17.1 | 6 |
| D. Keuchel | HOU | L | -130 | 3.5 | 5 | 1.5 | 17.9 | 7 |
| W. LeBlanc | SEA | L | +120 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 19.7 | 5 |
| J. Junis | KCR | R | +105 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 20.8 | 5 2/3 |
| D. Covey | CHW | R | -114 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.5 | 16.2 | 5 2/3 |
| S. Romano | CIN | R | +100 | 4.5 | 4 | -0.5 | 16.2 | 5 1/3 |
| M. Fiers | DET | R | -108 | 4.5 | 4 | -0.5 | 17.4 | 5 1/3 |
| N. Tropeano | LAA | R | -102 | 4 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 20.7 | 5 1/3 |
| T. Galsnow | TBR | R | -106 | 4 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 29.6 | 6 |
Key
L/R = Lefty or Righty
$Line = Money Line
OTT = Opposing team’s run total
K = Projected Strikeouts
+/- = K-OTT
K% = Strikeout Percentage
IP = Innings Projection
Many factors can change between the time I write this article and the time lineups lock. I’ll do my best to update the article, so checking back frequently is encouraged. You can also ask questions on Twitter or Facebook. I’ll do my best to get to all of them!
To see my favorite hitters for today’s slate, click NEXT!
Hitters
Giancarlo Stanton
Stanton will face Alex Cobb in Yankee Stadium. Cobb has been a bit unlucky this season with a 6.08 ERA and a 4.63 SIERA. That being said, a 4.63 SIERA isn’t good and Stanton is the top overall play of the day. He has the highest home run projection today, and it’s not particularly close. If you can stand the boom/bust nature of Stanton, he’s a cash game lock and a great tournament play.
Cleveland Bats
Cleveland is the top option on the early slate as they’ll face Aldeberto Mejia in Target Field. They have the second highest team run total on the slate behind the Yankees. Mejia is a regression candidate with his 3.65 ERA, but a 5.25 SIERA. I expect Cleveland to exceed their run total today, putting all of their top bats in play. Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor are the top options from Cleveland, but Edwin Encarnacion has the highest home run projection from the team. Ramirez actually leads the AL in both home runs and steals, making him my preferred cash game option due to his ability to score in multiple ways. A full Cleveland stack is in play for both cash games and tournaments.
Manny Machado
Machado will face Chase Anderson in Dodger Stadium. Anderson is also a regression candidate considering his SIERA is more than a full run higher than his ERA. Anderson is a reverse-splits pitcher, so even though Machado does not have the platoon advantage, it should work in his favor. Outside of Machado, there are very few shortstops worth paying for on the main slate, making him an even better play. Machado is the cash game play, but a fade in tournaments makes sense due to his high ownership.
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