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There is just one slate today and it starts early with the first game taking place at 1:05 p.m. ET. In total there are 11 games being played today which gives plenty of options to choose from. The only downside is that it is a Sunday which will lead to many regular players getting a day off and the weather may cause delays with the possibility of being called off completely
Must Play SP: Chris Sale, BOS ($23,800) vs BAL
There are a ton of high quality pitchers to choose from as Sale, Kluber, Strasburg, and Syndergaard all take the mound today. The most expensive pitcher for the day is my favorite pick of the day and that honor belongs to Chris Sale. In his career, Sale has owned the Orioles by posting a 32.2% K-Rate to go along with his stellar 2.21 FIP. Owners should expect similar results today.
Honorable Mention: Corey Kluber, CLE ($22,300) vs TOR
Value SP: Julio Teheran, ATL ($12,900) @ CHC
Teheran has a 7.07 ERA in his first 3 starts of the season and for him to be a bargain he will have to perform much better than that but I expect a strong showing as he has pitched well against the Cubs in the past and the game being a Wrigley is a huge advantage for Teheran because he hates pitching at Home – In 2017, 5.86 Home ERA and 3.14 Road ERA.
Honorable Mention: Jhoulys Chacin, MIL ($11,100) vs NYM
IF: Freddie Freeman, ATL ($9,600) vs CHC (RHP Tyler Chatwood)
Freeman could be daily must in your lineup but it’s even better today. Freddie Freeman is 7-13 with two walks, two doubles, five runs scored, and three RBI in his career against Tyler Chatwood. Those are great numbers and the additions of Ozzie Albies and Ender Inciarte have only made Freeman better.
Honorable Mention: Jose Ramirez, CLE ($9,100) vs TOR (LHP Jaime Garcia)
OF: Gregory Polanco, BOS ($8,100) vs MIA (RHP Jose Urena)
I would have picked Mookie if he is was surely going to play, but the Red Sox might choose to sit him after that awkward slide home yesterday. I expected Polanco to have a big day yesterday but they were shut out by a rookie pitcher. (Of course that would happen) Polanco has shown a lot of improvement from last year with 5 HR already after hitting a disappointing 11 last year. He has been taking more walks but striking out a lot more as well and his hard hit% has seen an increase of 15%. Another trend to notice is Polanco’s struggles against lefties. In 2017, he struck out 22.7 % against LHP compared to just 12.1% against RHP – That trend has continued so far. These struggles shouldn’t be a problem today as he faces a righty.
Honorable Mention: J.D. Martinez, BOS ($9,000) vs BAL
Value OF: Corey Dickerson, PIT ($7,300) @ MIA (RHP Jose Urena)
Just like my Polanco pick yesterday, I am doubling down on another Pirates hitter as a value play since very little has changed since yesterday. In 2017, Dickerson was off to a hot start with the Rays but couldn’t overcome the one weakness in his game, Left Handed Pitching. He started to struggle when he was finally allowed to face lefties. If he has improved is yet to be seen but we won’t be seeing that today as he faces a RHP. 24 of his 27 home runs came against RHP last year.
Honorable Mention: Leonys Martin, DET ($6,700) vs NYY
Top Stack: Cardinals vs Reds (RHP Homer Bailey)
I expect the Cardinals to have a good day against Bailey and the Reds. The Cardinals lineup still has veterans like Carpenter and Molina while having Dejong and Pham to provide a spark if needed. Most of them can be had fairly cheap at FantasyDraft:
Matt Carpenter ($6,800)
Marcell Ozuna ($7,400)
Harrison Bader ($5,600)
Greg Garcia ($5,700) could be another cheap bat if you want to load up on pitching.
Honorable Mention: Angels @ Royals (LHP Eric Skoglund)