Happy Monday! Miraculously, my lineup cashed yesterday thanks to some garbage time stats from Carlos Santana and Charlie Blackmon. Hopefully we can have a better, easier-breathing day today.
Pitchers
Hisashi Iwakuma, SEA – $8,300
Today’s a tough day for selecting pitchers with the lack of aces on the hill, but I think Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma has a great matchup tonight in the pitcher friendly confines of Safeco Field nonetheless. Aside from the fact that the Astros like to swing and miss a lot, Iwakuma has some encouraging career numbers against Houston sluggers such as Cris Carter, Jed Lowrie, and Colby Rasmus (.136, .267, and .071 BA respectively). The Seattle hurler had a couple of tough outings to begin the year, but they were against some of the best offenses in baseball, the Angels and Dodgers. The price is definitely right for Iwakuma and his relative cheapness can help you upgrade elsewhere.
A.J. Burnett, PIT – $7,000
The Pirates veteran had a stellar start against the Tigers in his most recent outing, going 6.2 innings with 8 Ks and only giving up one earned run. The opportunity for strikeouts against the free-swinging Cubs is definitely there, and I think Burnett will make a lot of young Chicago players look silly tonight. Burnett might be a better GPP play tonight than cash games, but if you’re looking to squeeze another stud bat into your lineup, give the Pirates probable a look.
Hitters
Miguel Cabrera, 1B, DET – $5,000
If you’re feeling bold enough to fade Miggy tonight, good luck to you. Cabrera is a lifetime .345 hitter against Sabathia, with 2 homer and 12 RBI. The once elite Yankees southpaw has had a couple of encouraging starts thus far this year, but right handed batters have rocked him over the past couple of seasons and the Tigers’ lineup could be in for a “perfect storm” kind of night. I like a Tigers stack in general tonight as you will see in my lineup, but if you had to have only one Detroit player, it has to be Miggy.
Derek Norris, C, SD – $2,800
One of my favorite value plays tonight, Norris has a good matchup against Jorge De La Rosa who is returning from the DL (so he could still be rusty) in Coors Field, aka hitters’ heaven. He should find himself right in the middle of that revitalized Padres lineup, so the opportunity for stats is great. I like most San Diego hitters tonight but if you are using the recommended stud above, Norris will be a great play and salary relief for your lineups.
Charlie Blackmon, OF, COL – $4,200
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I’m partly endorsing Blackmon today because he helped salvage my lineup yesterday, but he has a good matchup in Coors Field and will most likely be at the top of the lineup. Chuck Nasty has been hitting great for the past couple of games after a sluggish start to the season, and a matchup with the young Odrisamer Despaigne could be add more fuel to the fire for the Rockies outfielder. Hitting leadoff, playing at Coors Field, natural lefty over righty advantage, and hot recent hitting all make Blackmon a must-start tonight, and he is cheaper than both of his outfield cohorts.
Recommended Stacks
Tigers hitters vs. Sabathia (Davis, Cabrera, J.D. Martinez, Iglesias)
Rockies (lefty) hitters vs. Despaigne (Blackmon, CarGo, Morneau, Arenado)
Seattle hitters vs. Wojciechowski (Cano, Seager, Miller, Ackley)
Tonight’s Lineup
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