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.
Rangers (-108) at Tigers (-100) — 7:10 PM EST
Tigers in: Jim Adduci, Ronny Rodriguez
Tigers out: John Hicks, Mikie Mahtook, Jeimer Candelario
The Tigers will roll with JaCoby Jones, Nick Castellanos, and Niko Goodrum at the top of the order for their matchup against the Rangers. They’re presently implied to score a very respectable 4.8 runs and carry the slate-high Team Value Ratings on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Jim Adduci in particular is set up well against righty Bartolo Colon, as Adduci has posted positive ISO and wOBA splits vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. He’s especially in play on FanDuel, where his $2,000 price tag comes with a 95 percent Bargain Rating and moderate 5-8 percent projected ownership rate. Colon has historically struggled to limit big hits, ranking among the main slate’s bottom-two pitchers in average hard-hit rate, exit velocity, and home runs allowed per nine innings over the past 12 months. While the Tigers lineup has combined to post a slate-low .262 wOBA vs. right-handed pitchers over the past calendar year, they could benefit from estimated wind gusts of 12 miles per hour blowing out to right field.
Red Sox (-340) at Royals (+305) — 8:15 PM EST
Red Sox in: Xander Bogaerts, Andrew Benintendi
Red Sox out: Mitch Moreland (back spasms), Rafael Devers
Mitch Moreland is still dealing with back spasms, so the Red Sox will bat J.D. Martinez and Steve Pearce in the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, respectively, for their matchup against the Royals. They’re presently implied to score an impressive 5.3 runs and are especially in play on FanDuel, where the Red Sox boast the main slate’s fourth-highest Team Value rating. Overall, Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Martinez, and Pearce form the highest-rated four-man stack in Friday’s main slate. Every Red Sox batter carries both a Bargain Rating of at least 82 percent as well as five Pro Trends on FanDuel. They’re set up well against righty Jason Hammel, as the Red Sox have combined to post a .336 wOBA vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months – the fifth-highest mark in Friday’s main slate. Hammel will need to do a better job forcing his opponent to keep the ball on the ground, as he’s one of just two pitchers to allow a fly-ball rate of at least 50 percent over the past 15 days. Still, both pitchers could benefit from estimated wind gusts of nine miles per hour blowing in from right center field.
Royals in: Mike Moustakas (back spasms)
Mike Moustakas missed the last two games due to back spasms, but he’ll bat third for a Royals lineup currently implied to score a slate-low 2.8 runs. Overall, they’ve combined to post a mediocre .294 wOBA vs. southpaws over the past 12 months – the second-lowest mark in Friday’s main slate. They’ll have their hands full with Chris Sale, who has allowed two or fewer runs in five consecutive starts while striking out at least nine batters in each game. Sale carries a very strong 8.6 K Prediction and is one of just three pitchers in Friday’s main slate that have averaged at least 13 K/9 over the past calendar year. He’ll look to continue to dominate in Kansas City, where he’s averaged 36.9 FanDuel points per game with a +4.7 Plus/Minus and a 57.1 percent Consistency Rating in seven starts since 2013. Exposure to Sale should be focused primarily on FanDuel, where his $12,500 price tag comes with a 92 percent Bargain Rating and a slate-high +11.6 Projected Plus/Minus. Both pitchers could benefit from estimated wind gusts of nine miles per hour blowing in from right center field.
