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.
Indians (-219) at White Sox (+200) — 7:10 PM EST
Indians out: Edwin Encarnacion (left arm discomfort)
Edwin Encarnacion is dealing with discomfort in his left arm and won’t suit up Saturday, so the Indians will roll with Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley, and Jose Ramirez at the top of the order for their matchup against the White Sox. They’re presently implied to score an impressive 5.2 runs and are especially in play on DraftKings, where they boast the third-highest Team Value Rating in Saturday’s main slate. Overall, each of Brantley, Ramirez, Yonder Alonso, and Greg Allen have posted positive ISO and wOBA splits vs. right-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. Righty James Shields needs to do a better job forcing batters to keep the ball on the ground, as he’s one of just five pitchers to allow a fly-ball rate above 40 percent over the past 15 days. He’ll have his hands full with an Indians’ lineup that has combined to post a .324 wOBA vs. righties over the past calendar year – the third-highest mark in Saturday’s main slate.
Cardinals (-155) at Royals (+143) — 7:15 PM EST
Cardinals out: Yairo Munoz (sprained right wrist)
Cardinals in: Paul DeJong
Yairo Munoz has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a sprained right wrist. Jose Martinez, Marcell Ozuna, and Paul DeJong will bat third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, for a Cardinals lineup presently implied to score 4.8 runs. Martinez in particular is set up well against southpaw Danny Duffy, as he’s posted positive wOBA and ISO splits vs. left-handed pitchers over the past 12 months. Exposure to Martinez should be focused on FanDuel, where his $2,900 price tag comes with a 93 percent Bargain Rating and a low 2-4 percent projected ownership rate. Duffy has struggled mightily recently, allowing 13 combined earned runs during his last three starts. He ranks among the main slate’s bottom-three pitchers in both average batted ball distance and fly-ball rate allowed over the past 12 months. Still, both pitchers could benefit from estimated wind gusts of six miles per hour blowing in from right field.
Dodgers (-137) at Rockies (+126) — 8:10 PM EST
Rockies out: Nolan Arenado (sore right shoulder)
Rockies in: Ryan McMahon
Nolan Arenado is dealing with a sore right shoulder, so the Rockies will roll with Charlie Blackmon, DJ LeMahieu, and Carlos Gonzalez at the top of the order for their matchup against the Dodgers. They’re presently implied to score a strong 5.1 runs, and both offenses could benefit from Coors Field’s typical fantasy-friendly weather conditions that feature estimated wind gusts of seven miles blowing out to left field. Exposure to the Rockies should be focused on DraftKings, where they presently boast the fifth-highest Team Value Rating in Saturday’s main slate. Overall, Blackmon, LeMahieu, Trevor Story, and Ryan McMahon form the main slate’s fourth-highest rated four-man stack on DraftKings in the Bales Model. Righty Walker Buehler has allowed at least two home runs in three of his last four starts.
