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German Marquez will continue to look like a top 20 pitcher when he takes on the Giants tonight.
8 Games- 7:05 PM ET
Must Play SP: German Marquez, COL ($22,800) @ SF
Plain and simple, the San Francisco Giants have been the worst offense in baseball for the month of September. They’re carrying a team wOBA of 0.240, which is 0.013 lower than the second worst hitting team, and have the highest strikeout rate by nearly four percentage points. This bodes well for Marquez, who’s averaging 14.1 K/9 through his last four starts and will take the hill in AT&T Park, a stadium some may call the yin to Coors Field’s yang.
Honorable Mention: Vince Velasquez ($16,100)
Value SP: Zach Davies, MIL ($12,600) vs. PIT
It’s only been two starts since his return from the DL, and the most recent one against the Giants was rather lackluster, especially considering how bad they’ve been at the plate. He has gone five innings in both his starts post-injury, however, while allowing a combined three earned runs with only two walks in those games. Pittsburgh has been a top 15 hitting team through September, so there’s risk there, but I prefer Davies’ skill set against a tougher opponent than someone like Yefry Ramirez facing the White Sox.
Honorable Mention: Eric Lauer ($12,800)
IF: Mike Moustakas, MIL ($8,200) vs. PIT (Ivan Nova)
Milwaukee has been hot, and Moustakas is one of the catalysts for their recent surge. Mousse has had delicious stats at the plate this past week, carrying a 1.372 OPS into today’s contest. He’s also had much more success against righties than lefties this season, so he should be able to continue his recent success today. Nova had a really strong outing the last time he pitched, but the game prior allowed six earned runs in less than four innings pitched.
Honorable Mention: Trevor Story ($10,500)
OF: Nelson Cruz, SEA ($8,400) @ LAA (Andrew Heaney)
Similar to how Moustakas’ splits facing a right handed pitcher make him a strong candidate for today, Cruz’s 154 wRC+ against left handers this season makes him a solid play for today. He’s been slightly less productive in his OPS than Moustakas over the past week, but he’s also had more extra base hits. Heaney steamrolled the White Sox in his last outing, but against the Mariners this season his ERA is sitting at 5.00.
Honorable Mention: Joey Gallo ($8,600)
Value Hitter: Jose Bautista, PHI ($7,200) vs. MIA (Elieser Hernandez)
Joey Bats has only been to the plate ten times this week, but man has he been effective when he’s there, compiling two walks and three extra base hits. Philadelphia beat up on the Marlins lat night, and Hernandez has been rather ineffective for Miami in the 61 innings he’s pitched. No guarantee Bautista enters the lineup today, but if he does this is a fairly reasonable price.
Honorable Mention: Aaron Altherr ($6,500)
Stack: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Miami Marlins (Elieser Hernandez)
They exploded for 14 runs last night against the Marlins best pitcher of late. Six of their batters have wRC+ over 150 this week, it’s just a matter of knowing who’s playing with all of the platooning that Gabe Kapler implements. Make sure to check the lineup card before setting your lineup, but here are the Phillies hitters and their respective wRC+ and cost:
J.P. Crawford– 445, $8400
Aaron Altherr– 439, $6500
Jose Bautista– 279, $7200
Rhys Hoskins– 208, $8700
Wilson Ramos– 197, $8300
Carlos Santana– 157, $8600
Honorable Mention: Seattle Mariners @ Los Angeles Angels