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.
Yankees (-173) at Orioles (+159) — 7:05 PM EST
Yankees in: Austin Romine
Yankees out: Gary Sanchez
Gary Sanchez will receive a routine day off, so the Yankees will roll with Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge, and Greg Bird at the top of the lineup for their matchup against the Orioles. They’re currently implied to score a slate-high 5.8 runs and boast a top-three Team Value Rating on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Overall, Gardner, Judge, Didi Gregorius, Neil Walker, and Gleyber Torres have posted positive ISO and wOBA splits vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. Gardner is particularly in play on FanDuel, where his $3,100 price tag comes with a 90 percent Bargain Rating and a +1.71 Projected Plus/Minus. The Yankees are positioned well against righty Andrew Cashner, who has allowed 10 earned runs in his last 15.2 innings pitched. Cashner has posted the fourth-highest WHIP among pitchers in Thursday’s main slate over the past 12 months and will have his hands full with a Yankees lineup that has combined to post a slate-high .362 wOBA over the past calendar year. Current forecasts call for an estimated 36% chance of precipitation, which slightly increases the risk for hitters at Camden Yards.
Phillies (+150) at Dodgers (-163) — 7:35 PM EST
Dodgers in: Breyvic Valera
Dodgers out: Matt Kemp
Matt Kemp will receive a day off Thursday against the Phillies. Justin Turner and Yasmani Grandal will bat No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, for a Dodgers lineup currently implied to score just 3.7 runs. They’ll face off against righty Aaron Nola, who has allowed one or fewer runs in four of his last five starts while pitching at least six innings in each. Nola carries a solid 7.3 K Prediction and is attractive on FanDuel, where he boasts a 93% Bargain Rating and +7.04 Projected Plus/Minus. He’ll look to continue to limit big hits, as he ranks among the main slate’s top-four pitchers in average batted ball distance, exit velocity, and hard-hit rate allowed over the past 12 months. Still, Nola has posted fairly extreme home/away splits during his career, averaging 12.13 fewer FanDuel points per game with a mediocre +0.1 Plus/Minus and 51 percent Consistency Rating on the road since 2015. Only Turner and Enrique Hernandez have posted negative ISO splits vs. righties over the past calendar year among the Dodgers position players.
Red Sox (+188) at Astros (-205) — 8:10 PM EST
Red Sox in: Brock Holt
Red Sox out: Mookie Betts (tight left side)
Mookie Betts hasn’t played since May 26th as he continues to deal with a tight left side. Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, and Mitch Moreland will get things started for a Red Sox lineup currently implied to score just 3.7 runs. Benintendi will look to continue to hit the ball well against righties, as he’s posted .366 wOBA and .199 ISO splits vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. The Red Sox will oppose righty Lance McCullers, who has averaged 10.1 K/9 and a 1.4 WHIP over the past calendar year. While McCullers allowed seven runs in just 4.1 innings pitched during his last outing, he previously allowed three or fewer runs while pitching at least five innings in 10 consecutive starts. He carries a respectable 6.6 K Prediction and boasts the main slate’s third-highest Projected Plus/Minus on both DraftKings and FanDuel. McCullers will look to continue to thrive at home, as he’s averaged 22.02 DraftKings points per game with a +5.8 Plus/Minus and a 75 percent Consistency Rating at Minute Maid Park since 2015.
