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.
Giants (-117) at Phillies (+108) — 7:05 PM EST
Phillies in: Nick Williams
Phillies out: Aaron Altherr
Aaron Altherr will receive a day off, so the Phillies will roll with Rhys Hoskins, Odubel Herrera, and Nick Williams from left to right field. They’ll bat second, third, and sixth, respectively, for a lineup currently implied to score a respectable 4.7 runs. The Phillies are particularly in play on FanDuel, where they boast the third-highest Team Value Rating in Monday’s main slate. They’ll face off against Jeff Samardzija, who ranks among the bottom-three pitchers in Monday’s main slate in average batted ball distance and ground-ball rate allowed over the past 12 months. Samardzija has failed to pitch more than five innings in each of his three starts this season. Maikel Franco will look to stay hot, as he’s racked up 15 hits in his last 13 games – including three home runs. His average batted ball distance of 237 feet over the past 15 days is the highest mark among all third basemen in Monday’s main slate.
Marlins (+198) at Cubs (-217) — 8:05 PM EST
Cubs in: Victor Caratini
Cubs out: Anthony Rizzo
The Cubs will go with an all-righty lineup against lefty Jarlin Garcia, so Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, and Jason Heyward will receive days off. Albert Almora, Ben Zobrist, and Kris Bryant will work at the top of the order for a Cubs lineup currently implied to score 4.6 runs. Overall, each of Almora, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras, and Victor Caratini have posted positive wOBA and ISO splits vs. southpaws over the past calendar year. Zobrist is the seventh-highest rated overall batter in the Bales Model on FanDuel, where his $2,700 price tag comes with a 90 percent Bargain Rating and a meager 2-4 percent projected ownership rate. They’re set up well against Garcia, who ranks among the bottom-two pitchers in Monday’s main slate in average batted ball distance and hard-hit rate allowed over the past 15 days.
Twins (+119) at Cardinals (-129) — 8:05 PM EST
Cardinals in: Harrison Bader
Cardinals out: Tommy Pham (tight right groin)
Tommy Pham will remain sidelined with a tight right groin. Harrison Bader will bat second for a Cardinals lineup currently implied to score 4.6 runs. The Cardinals offer power upside throughout their lineup, as only Bader, Jedd Gyorko, and Paul DeJong have failed to post positive ISO splits vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. They’ll face off against Fernando Romero, who allowed just four hits and zero runs in 5.2 innings pitched during his first career start last Wednesday. Romero is set up well against a Cardinals lineup that has combined to post a .289 wOBA vs. righties over the past calendar year. Still, he carries a mediocre 4.3 K Prediction and has a poor matchup against a Cardinals lineup that has combined to strike out on just .206 at-bats over the past 12 months – the second-lowest mark in Monday’s main slate. Both offenses will have to deal with estimated wind gusts of seven miles per hour blowing in from center.
Pictured: Maikel Franco
Photo via Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
