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.
Rays (+104) at Orioles (-113) — 7:05 PM EST
Orioles in: Danny Valencia
Orioles out: Tim Beckham (strained left groin)
Tim Beckham has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a strained left groin. He’s expected to undergo surgery and could miss about six weeks. The Orioles recalled Jace Peterson from Triple-A in a corresponding roster move. Danny Valencia will bat sixth and start at third base. The Orioles are especially in play on DraftKings, where they currently boast the third-highest Team Value Rating in Wednesday’s main slate. Overall, Trey Mancini, Manny Machado, Adam Jones, and Valencia form the highest-rated four-man stack in the Bales Model. They’re set up well against Jacob Faria, who ranks among the main slate’s bottom-two pitchers in averaged batted ball distance, exit velocity, and hard-hit rate allowed over the past 15 days.
Cubs (+118) at Indians (-128) — 7:10 PM EST
Cubs in: Tommy La Stella
Cubs out: Kris Bryant (laceration above eye)
Kris Bryant suffered a laceration above his eye after being hit by a pitch earlier this week and won’t suit up Wednesday. The Cubs will roll with Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras, and Tommy La Stella at the 3-5 spots. Rizzo in particular is in play, as he’s posted positive wOBA and ISO splits vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. Overall, he ranks among the main slate’s top-nine first basemen in wOBA and ISO vs. righties over the past calendar year. Still, the whole Cubs lineup will have their hands full with Trevor Bauer, who has pitched at least five innings while allowing three or fewer runs in all four of his starts this season. Bauer has averaged 10.08 K/9 over the past 12 months and has a strong 7.1 K prediction – the fourth-highest mark in Wednesday’s main slate. Both offenses will have to deal with estimated wind gusts of 10 miles per hour coming in from center.
Athletics (-102) at Rangers (-106) — 8:05 PM EST
Rangers in: Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Rangers out: Adrian Beltre (strained left hamstring)
Adrian Beltre has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a strained left hamstring, although it’s only a Grade 1 strain and he isn’t expected to miss an extended period of time. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start at third base and bat sixth for a Rangers lineup currently implied to score 4.8 runs – tied for the highest mark in Wednesday’s main slate. Overall, each of Nomar Mazara, Joey Gallo, and Drew Robinson have posted positive wOBA and ISO splits vs. right-handed pitchers over the past calendar year. Still, the rest of the lineup isn’t set up very well considering they’ve combined to post a slate-low .240 wOBA vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. Kendall Graveman will need to do a better job limiting base runners, as he ranks among the main slate’s bottom-three pitchers in WHIP over the past 12 months.
Mets (+122) at Cardinals (-132) — 8:15 PM EST
Cardinals in: Kolten Wong
Cardinals out: Matt Carpenter
The Cardinals will roll with Tommy Pham, Dexter Fowler, and Jose Martinez at the top of the order for their matchup against the Mets. They’ll face off against Steven Matz, who has averaged 7.64 K/9 and a 1.47 WHIP over the past calendar year. Matz will look to continue to force hitters to keep the ball on the ground, as he’s one of just three pitchers in Wednesday’s main slate that have allowed a ground-ball rate over 60 percent over the past 15 days. The top of the order offers plenty of power upside, as Pham, Martinez, Yadier Molina, and Paul DeJong combine to form the main slate’s highest-rated four-man stack in combined ISO over the past 12 months. Exposure to the Rangers should be focused on DraftKings, where six of their nine starters have a Bargain Rating of at least 70 percent.
Mets in: Wilmer Flores
Mets out: Asdrubal Cabrera (sore right hamstring)
Asdrubal Cabrera is dealing with a sore right hamstring, so the Mets will bat Yoenis Cespedes, Jay Bruce, and Todd Frazier at the 2-4 spots. They’re set up well against Michael Wacha, as five of the Mets’ eight non-pitcher starters have posted positive ISO and wOBA splits vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. Overall, Michael Conforto, Cespedes, Bruce, and Wilmer Flores form the main slate’s fifth-highest rated four-man stack in combined ISO. Still Wacha has done a solid job limiting big hits this season, ranking among the main slate’s top-three pitcher in average batted ball distance and fly-ball rate allowed over the past 15 days. Be sure to monitor the weather, as current forecasts call for a 36 percent chance of precipitation with estimated wind gusts of five miles per hour blowing in from left field.
Pictured: Kyle Schwarber
Photo via Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
