Check out all of our starting pitcher rankings and other lineup selection tools here to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions. MLB betting tips for each day's slate of games will also be added in the morning. MLB game odds are provided by ESPN BET
, and all fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.
Note: All information is accurate as of the time of publication. For updates, including what you might have missed from last night, as well as any breaking news that might impact today's MLB slate, be sure to check out the latest fantasy baseball news.
Jump to: Pitching notes | Hitting notes | Betting tips
Reliever depth chart | Start a new league
Pitchers to stream on Friday
Cincinnati Reds RHP Nick Martinez tossed six innings in his opener, fanning five with just one walk, but he yielded a pair of homers to the San Francisco Giants. The long ball has not typically been a problem for Martinez, even with Great American Ballpark as his home yard. Martinez will not be phased by facing the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field, another power-friendly venue. He'll face a lineup striking out at the fourth-highest clip on the young season.
Cleveland Guardians RHP Gavin Williams wasn't as sharp in his opener as he was in the spring, but he limited the Kansas City Royals to two runs over five frames. Next up is a road date with a Los Angeles Angels offense that is off to a slow start, even with a healthy Mike Trout. Williams is in a good spot to pitch like he did in the spring when he tallied 26 strikeouts with only four walks over 17 1/3 Grapefruit League innings.
Pitchers to avoid on Friday
Shallower daily leagues with games started limits might want to avoid Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Mitch Keller for his home affair with the New York Yankees and Royals RHP Seth Lugo for his home tilt with the Baltimore Orioles. Both starters will be working at home in power-suppressing venues, but the opponents offer powerful lineups.
Today's best matchups for pitchers
Chicago Cubs pitchers vs. Padres hitters
Offense: C | Park: B | Umpire: N/A | Temperature: A+ | Wind: A+ | Home
The average pitcher would post a 3.13 ERA in this matchup.
Detroit Tigers pitchers vs. White Sox hitters
Offense: B | Park: B | Umpire: N/A | Temperature: A+ | Wind: C | Home
The average pitcher would post a 3.31 ERA in this matchup.
San Diego Padres pitchers vs. Cubs hitters
Offense: D | Park: B | Umpire: N/A | Temperature: A+ | Wind: A+ | Away
The average pitcher would post a 3.48 ERA in this matchup.
Today's worst matchups for pitchers
Tampa Bay Rays pitchers vs. Rangers hitters
Offense: D | Park: B | Umpire: N/A | Temperature: B- | Wind: C | Away
The average pitcher would post a 4.88 ERA in this matchup.
St. Louis Cardinals pitchers vs. Red Sox hitters
Offense: C | Park: F | Umpire: N/A | Temperature: A | Wind: C | Away
The average pitcher would post a 4.76 ERA in this matchup.
Miami Marlins pitchers vs. Braves hitters
Offense: D | Park: D | Umpire: N/A | Temperature: D- | Wind: A | Away
The average pitcher would post a 4.69 ERA in this matchup.
Hitters to stream on Friday
The Boston Red Sox open their home schedule with a Friday matinee with temperatures expects to be pleasant in the mid-60s. RHP Erick Fedde gets the ball for the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and will be tasked with facing a lineup that is showing signs of life. It's worth checking the availability of Boston's Wilyer Abreu, Kristian Campbell, Triston Casas and Ceddanne Rafaela.
Today's best matchups for hitters
Colorado Rockies batters vs. Athletics pitchers
SP: C | Bullpen: C | Park: A+ | Framing: B | Temperature: F | Wind: F | Home
The average hitter would post a .347 wOBA in this matchup.
St. Louis Cardinals LHB vs. Red Sox pitchers
SP: B | Bullpen: C | Park: A | Framing: B | Temperature: D | Wind: C | Away
The average hitter would post a .335 wOBA in this matchup.
Today's worst matchups for hitters
San Diego Padres batters vs. Cubs pitchers
SP: D | Bullpen: A+ | Park: D | Framing: C | Temperature: F | Wind: F | Away
The average hitter would post a .249 wOBA in this matchup.
Chicago White Sox RHB vs. Tigers pitchers
SP: F | Bullpen: F | Park: C | Framing: F | Temperature: F | Wind: C | Away
The average hitter would post a .266 wOBA in this matchup.
Chicago Cubs RHB vs. Padres pitchers
SP: B | Bullpen: F | Park: D | Framing: C | Temperature: F | Wind: F | Home
The average hitter would post a .274 wOBA in this matchup.
Betting tips
Betting projections are generated by THE BAT X, a system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more. Betting projections for every player, team, and game can be found at EV Analytics.
Note: Expected Value is a measure of how good a bet is, factoring the probability that it will win versus the odds the book is providing. If you were to wager $1.00 100 times on a bet with an Expected Value of $25, you would win some and you would lose some, but in the end you would expect to come away with $25 in profit on your $100 investment.
Today's top HR prop bets
Luis Garcia Jr. | OVER 0.5 HR (+900)
Projection: 12% chance of this bet hitting, with a $23.20 EV
One reason to bet this: Extreme flyball hitters like Garcia generally hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Brandon Pfaadt.
Jose Siri | OVER 0.5 HR (+900)
Projection: 12% chance of this bet hitting, with a $18.30 EV
One reason to bet this: Siri pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (34.6% - 84th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards MLB's fourth-shallowest LF fences in today's game.
Mike Yastrzemski | OVER 0.5 HR (+700)
Projection: 14% chance of this bet hitting, with a $14.48 EV
One reason to bet this: Yastrzemski pulls many of his flyballs (36.5% - 94th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's second-shallowest RF fences in today's game.
Today's top pitcher prop bets
Walker Buehler | UNDER 4.5 K (-165)
Projection: 73% chance of this bet hitting, with a $28.34 EV
One reason to bet this: The Cardinals (19.8 K% (according to my projections) are projected to have the third-least strikeout-prone lineup of all teams today.
Justin Verlander | OVER 5.5 K (+105)
Projection: 57% chance of this bet hitting, with a $16.91 EV
One reason to bet this: Throwing an average of 94.6 adjusted pitches-per-start since the beginning of last season, Verlander checks in at the 85th percentile.
Kevin Gausman | OVER 5.5 K (-110)
Projection: 61% chance of this bet hitting, with a $18.42 EV
One reason to bet this: Alejandro Kirk, the Blue Jays' expected catcher in today's matchup, is a very good pitch framer.