Baseball is back! Check back here throughout the day for updated blurbs as teams confirm their lineup. We’ll keep you updated on some of the day’s highest-impact trends by utilizing our Models and Vegas dashboard. Projected and confirmed lineups for every game can be found on our MLB Daily Lineups page.
Rockies (+166) at Nationals (-181) — 7:05 PM EST
Rockies in: Ian Desmond
Rockies out: Charlie Blackmon (tight right quad)
Charlie Blackmon remains sidelined with a tight right quad, allowing DJ LeMahieu to slide up to the leadoff spot and Ian Desmond to take over in center field. Chris Iannetta will bat second for the third time in the last five games, and he leads all catchers in the DraftKings main slate with a 0.418 wOBA and 0.276 ISO against left-handed pitchers. The Rockies aren’t in an enviable position as they are implied to score less than 4.0 runs on the road, but heavy winds are projected to aid the hitters and opposing starter Gio Gonzalez has the second-highest year-long fly ball rate among main slate starters. The Rockies implied total has already jumped 0.4 runs since the line opened, and hitters with similar line movement in the top five spots of the batting order have historically averaged a FantasyLabs’ +0.99 DraftKings Plus/Minus.
Yankees (-106) at Red Sox (-102) — 7:05 PM EST
Yankees in: Aaron Hicks
Yankees out: Tyler Austin
Aaron Hicks will bat sixth as the DH in his return from the disabled list. He’ll displace Tyler Austin, who has been suspended for his actions in Wednesday’s brawl but will appeal. The wind will be beneficial for the hitters in Fenway Park, and Hicks’ salary has decreased to $2500 on FanDuel. Red Sox starter Rick Porcello possesses the second-highest WHIP and HR/9 rates among the starters in the main slate, and the primary concern for the hitters rests in the 40% chance of precipitation.
Angels (-136) at Royals (+126) — 8:15 PM EST
Angels in: Ian Kinsler
Angels out: Zack Cozart
Ian Kinsler was activated from the disabled list, and he’ll bat leadoff for an Angels team presently implied to score 5.2 runs. He is currently the highest-rated hitter in the Bales Model on DraftKings and FanDuel. Despite his negative wOBA and ISO splits, he’s far too cheap to fade. The Angels will likely be the most popular stack on the four-game slate on DraftKings and five-game slate on FanDuel. The top four hitters in their order are the top-rated hitters in the Bales Model, and Royals starter Ian Kennedy has the highest HR/9 rate on the slate. Despite not allowing a home run this season, Kennedy has yielded a slate-high 46% hard-hit rate. Fading the Angels will be the contrarian move in tournaments.
Pictured above: Ian Kinsler
Photo Credit: Icon Sportswire — Getty Images
