Thursday’s main Major League Baseball slate features six games, starting at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Pitchers
The four pitchers projected to score the most fantasy points are:
Sonny Gray (R)
Framber Valdez (L)
Ross Stripling (R)
Touki Toussaint (R)
The highest-rated pitcher on Bales Model for both DraftKings and FanDuel is Sonny Gray from the Cincinnati Reds. Gray has been inconsistent throughout his 2021 campaign. However, when his game is on, he has been electric. In his last outing against the New York Mets, Gray was on his “A game.”
In six innings, Gray allowed five hits, giving up one earned run and striking out seven batters. Gray will be looking for a similar performance in this spot, as he takes on a Pittsburgh Pirates team that’s last in the National League Central Division with a 41-67 record. Another reason to back Gray is that the Pirates are projected for the second-lowest implied runs total on the slate (3.8 runs).
The highest-priced pitcher on the slate for both DraftKings and FanDuel is Framber Valdez from the Houston Astros. Valdez has won both of his last two outings. In those games he pitched a total of 11 innings, allowed only four hits, while striking out 10 batters. A concern with Valdez is that he hasn’t had the best control of his pitches of late. In those same 11 innings, Valdez walked nine opposing batters. Although his recent control of pitches is concerning, he will be pitching against the Minnesota Twins, who are projected for the lowest implied runs total on the slate (3.7 runs).
A top-three rated pitcher on Bales Model for both DraftKings and FanDuel is Ross Stripling from the Toronto Blue Jays. In his first full season with the Blue Jays, Stripling has increased his K/9 and lowered his H/9 from last year. His 4.75 ERA is not the most attractive, but he has 85 strikeouts in 85.1 innings pitched. The main reason for the high ERA is that Stripling has been prone to allowing long balls. In eight of his last nine starts, Stripling has allowed at least one home run to opposing batters. The Blue Jays have won seven of their last 10 games and are hoping to lean on their right-handed pitcher to add another digit to the win column as they take on the Cleveland Indians.
Touki Toussaint from the Atlanta Braves is a hard-throwing pitcher with an impressive five K/BB ratio this season. Although he struggled mightily in his last start by allowing seven earned runs in only 3.1 innings pitched, Toussaint is ready to rebound and prove his doubters wrong against the St Louis Cardinals. The Braves are in a thick battle for the NL East division as there are three teams within 2.5 games. They’re looking to complete a three-game sweep and tighten the division gap.
Value
Bales Model projects Triston McKenzie to be score the most points/salary on FanDuel. McKenzie’s 1-4 record with 6.11 ERA is not the prettiest, but he has struck out 79 batters in only 63.1 innings pitched. The Indians are seven games out of the wild card race but are looking for a strong performance from McKenzie as they take on the Toronto Blue Jays.
Hitters
Notable Stack
Today’s top projected points stack comes to you from the Houston Astros (-227):
- Jose Altuve (R)
- Michael Brantley (L)
- Yulieski Gurriel (R)
- Yordan Alvarez (L)
The Astros are projected for the highest implied runs total on the slate at 5.8 runs. The Astros have the second-best run differential in MLB (+150 runs). This high-powered offense is hoping to pile on runs as they take on the Minnesota Twins (45-63). This is the first game in a four-game series in which the Astros scored 22 runs in their first three head-to-head matchups. On FanDuel, this stack will cost you $14.5k in salary and are projected for a combined 51.9 fantasy points.
Other Hitters
The highest-rated batter on Bales Model for DraftKings is Jonathan India from the Cincinnati Reds. India is projected to bat leadoff for the Reds who like the Astros, are projected for an implied runs total of 5.8. India is coming off multi-hit performances in both last two games and has increased his batting average to .284. Although he has struck out seven times in his last five games, India has also hit four doubles.
The highest rated batter on Bales Model for FanDuel today is Tim Anderson from the Chicago White Sox. Anderson has an impressive .301 batting average, even though he has struggled recently. After scoring only one run Wednesday, the White Sox are hoping their bats heat up to increase their 9.5-game division lead.
Value
Finally, here is a handful of batters to consider while completing your lineups that are projected for a high fantasy points/salary:
- Max Schrock
- Yoan Moncada
- Ben Gamel
- Luis Arraez
- Kevan Smith
