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.
Cubs (+115) at Mets (-125) — 7:15 PM EST
Mets out: Jay Bruce (lower back discomfort)
Mets in: Luis Guillorme
Jay Bruce has been scratched from Saturday’s lineup after going through batting practice and experiencing lower back discomfort. Jose Bautista will slide to left field and Luis Guillorme will enter the lineup at third base. Brandon Nimmo, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Bautista will get things started for a Mets lineup presently implied to score just 3.7 runs. Be sure to monitor the weather, as current forecasts call for an estimated 45 percent chance of precipitation. The Mets don’t offer much upside throughout their lineup, as only Amed Rosario and Bautista have posted positive wOBA and ISO splits vs. southpaws over the past calendar year. Overall, the Mets have combined to post a slate-low .292 wOBA vs. left-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. Mike Montgomery carries a modest 5.4 K Prediction and is in play on FanDuel, where his $6,900 price tag is complemented by a 70 percent Bargain Rating.
Dodgers (-130) at Rockies (+120) — 7:15 PM EST
Dodgers out: Max Muncy
Dodgers in: Breyvic Valera
The Dodgers will roll with Chris Taylor, Justin Turner and Yasmani Grandal at the top of the order for their matchup against the Rockies Saturday. They’re currently implied to score a slate-high 5.7 runs and are particularly in play on FanDuel, where they boast the main slate’s highest Team Value Rating. Overall, Taylor, Turner, Grandal, and Matt Kemp form the main slate’s highest-rated four-man stack in the Bales Model on FanDuel. Grandal in particular is set up well against righty German Marquez, as he’s posted a .331 wOBA and a .252 ISO vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. Still, Marquez has done a good job limiting big hits recently, ranking among the main slate’s top-five pitchers in average batted ball distance and exit velocity allowed over the last 15 days. The public figures to be all over both offenses at Coors Field, as each of the top-four batters on the Dodgers and Rockies have a projected ownership rate of at least 9-12 percent on FanDuel.
Phillies (+115) at Giants (-125) — 10:05 PM EST
Giants out: Brandon Belt (appendix), Buster Posey
Giants in: Pablo Sandoval, Nick Hundley
Brandon Belt was rushed to the hospital and had his appendix removed Friday night. The Giants will roll with Pablo Sandoval at first base during Belt’s absence, and Nick Hundley will draw the start ahead of Buster Posey at catcher. They’re currently implied to score four runs against the Phillies. They’re lead by righty Vincent Velasquez, who has averaged 9.9 K/9 and a 1.4 WHIP over the past 12 months. Velasquez has pitched great recently, allowing two or fewer runs in four of his last five starts. He’ll look to continue to limit big hits, as he’s allowed an average batted ball distance of 185 feet with pedestrian 26 percent hard-hit rate over the past 15 days. Velasquez is set up well against a Giants lineup that has combined to post a .309 wOBA vs. right-handed pitchers over the past calendar year – the third-worst mark in Saturday’s main slate. Exposure to Velasquez should be focused on FanDuel, where his $8,400 price tag comes with an 85 percent Bargain Rating.
