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.
Brewers (+109) at Nationals (-118) — 7:05 PM EST
Nationals in: Bryce Harper (illness)
Bryce Harper has been in and out of the lineup over the past week due to an illness, and he’ll bat third vs. the Brewers and right-hander Jhoulys Chacin on Friday. And despite dealing with a tight hip, Matt Wieters will be behind the plate for the fourth straight game. The Nationals are presently implied to score 4.7 runs, a tepid mark on the slate and diluted by the forecasted rain. Trea Turner and Wilmer Difo are the only hitters in the lineup with a positive recent batted ball distance, and although he’s hitting eighth, Difo leads the Nationals with six DraftKings Pro Trends and a 48% recent fly ball rate. Chacin has performed well in his last four outings, allowing no more than three runs in each contest and notching at least seven strikeouts in half those performances. Alas, his 5.2 K Prediction combined with the forecast mutes his appeal as a potential SP2.
Reds (+174) at Cardinals (-190) — 8:15 PM
Reds in: Billy Hamilton (left leg), Eugenio Suarez (mid-back spasms)
Billy Hamilton returns to the leadoff spot after missing Thursday’s game opposite a left-handed starter. Additionally, Eugenio Suarez, who was scratched on Thursday due to back spasms, will bat cleanup vs. the Cardinals and lefty Austin Gomber. Hamilton has a team-low 0.279 wOBA against lefties over the past 12 months, but Suarez leads all hitters in the lineup with a 0.447 wOBA and 0.288 ISO against southpaws over the same duration. Suarez also leads all third basemen in wOBA while ranking third with a 249-foot recent batted ball distance. Gomber has allowed more than two runs once in his last five starts, but he doesn’t rate well in the Bales Model due to his 4.9 K Prediction and 225-foot recent batted ball distance allowed — second-highest mark on the slate. His salary has also spiked to a season-high $7,700 on DraftKings. However, the last time he faced the Reds, Gomber recorded 19.85 DraftKings points in his first career start.
Twins (+112) at Rangers (-121) — 8:05 PM EST
Twins out: Eddie Rosario (quad)
Twins in: Robbie Grossman
Eddie Rosario suffered a strained right quad in Thursday’s game and is expected to miss the entire weekend series against the Rangers. Robbie Grossman has entered the lineup in left field and will hit third for just the second time this season. Joe Mauer is the highest-rated batter on both DraftKings and FanDuel in the Bales Model, and the Twins are currently implied to score 5.6 runs — the second-highest mark in Friday’s slate. The Twins also carry the highest Team Value Rating (98) on FanDuel with every batter priced below $3,200. The Twins set up extremely well for tournament stacks with six left-handed hitters benefitting from a more favorable Park Factor Rating at Globe Life Park in Arlington.
