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.
Angels (+210) at Indians (-230) — 1:10 PM EST
Angels in: Eric Young, Kole Calhoun, David Fletcher
Angels out: Mike Trout (right wrist contusion), Justin Upton, Albert Pujols, Luis Valbuena
Mike Trout remains sidelined due to a bruise on his right wrist, while Justin Upton and Albert Pujols will receive routine days off. Luis Valbuena has been DFA’d. The Angels will roll with Kole Calhoun, Eric Young, and Shohei Ohtani at the top of the order for their matchup against the Indians. They’re presently implied to score just 3.8 runs, although the Angels lineup has combined to post a strong .335 wOBA vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months – the second-highest mark in Sunday’s main slate. Shane Bieber needs to do a better job limiting big hits, as he ranks among the main slate’s bottom-four pitchers in average batted ball distance, exit velocity, and fly-ball rate allowed over the past 15 days. He’ll have to be especially careful against Calhoun, Ohtani, Francisco Arcia, and Kaleb Cowart, as each batter has posted positive wOBA and ISO splits vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months.
Reds (+156) at Nationals (-170) — 1:35 PM EST
Nationals in: Bryce Harper (right knee)
Nationals out: Ryan Zimmerman
Bryce Harper will play through his right knee injury and bat cleanup for a Nationals lineup presently implied to score an impressive 5.2 runs. Ryan Zimmerman will receive a routine day off. Lead-off batter Adam Eaton is particularly set up well against righty Luis Castillo, as he’s posted .191 wOBA and .116 ISO differentials vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. Overall, Eaton has posted the seventh-best wOBA vs. righties over the past calendar year. He’s especially in play on FanDuel, where Eaton’s $3,100 price tag comes with a 97 percent Bargain Rating and a moderate 5-8 percent projected ownership rate. Castillo will look to do a better job limiting hard hits, as he’s allowed bottom-two marks in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate over the past 15 days. The Nationals’ combined .325 wOBA vs. righties over the past 12 months is the third-highest mark in Sunday’s main slate. Eaton, Juan Soto, Harper, and Daniel Murphy form the main slate’s third-highest rated four-man stack on FanDuel in the Bales Model.
Padres (+164) at Cubs (-178) — 2:20 PM EST
Cubs in: David Bote, Victor Caratini, Ian Happ
Cubs out: Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Jason Heyward
Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, and Jason Heyward will each receive a day off Sunday against the Padres. David Bote and Addison Russell will bat third and fourth, respectively, for a Cubs lineup presently implied to score a slate-high seven runs. The Cubs boast slate-high Team Value Ratings on both DraftKings and FanDuel, and both offenses figure to benefit from estimated wind gusts of 13 miles per hour blowing out to center field. The top of the order is particularly in play on FanDuel, where each of Albert Almora, Javier Baez, Bote, and Russell have a Bargain Rating of at least 90 percent with five-plus Pro Trends. This is all bad news for southpaw Joey Lucchesi, who has allowed seven runs (including three dingers) in his last 9.2 innings pitched. Lucchesi will have his hands full with a Cubs lineup that has combined to post a slate-high .323 wOBA vs. left-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. The Padres-Cubs’ matchup presently has the third-most hitter-friendly Weather Rating in Sunday’s main slate.
