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.
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Pitchers to stream on Saturday
Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are a combined 18-7 for the New York Yankees. Together, they're overshadowing Clarke Schmidt, who is 3-3 despite a sparkling 3.16 ERA in 11 starts. The Yankees host the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, and even though the Orioles offense has been better of late, they still fan at an above average pace. Schmidt is on a roll, posting a 1.07 ERA and 0.87 WHIP over his last four games spanning 25 1/3 innings.
Grant Holmes struck out 24 batters in 11 2/3 innings over his last two starts, including 15 whiffs his last time out. He has walked five and surrendered three homers over that span, but the punchouts are impressive. On Saturday, Holmes faces the Miami Marlins, whose lack of patience and paucity of power feed Holmes' strength.
Two of Dustin May's last three outings have been quality starts, though he only fanned nine while walking 10 in that span. Even so, May is in a great spot when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Washington Nationals. Through Thursday's action, the Nationals are averaging just 2.71 runs per game in June.
Pitchers to avoid on Saturday
With weather and the Colorado Rockies heating up, starting the opposing pitchers in Coors Field is again risky. Merrill Kelly has been a mixed bag over his last six efforts. In his three quality starts during that stretch, the righty surrendered no runs over 19 combined frames, but in the other three outings he yielded 12 earned runs in 16 stanzas. Kelly's inconsistency is best avoided on Saturday.
Hitters to stream on Saturday
Aside from the hitters in the Rockies-Arizona Diamondbacks game at Coors Field, the Chicago Cubs are in a good spot at home for their interleague date with Emerson Hancock and the Seattle Mariners. Dansby Swanson, Michael Busch and Matt Shaw are among the best options available in at least half of ESPN leagues.
Betting tips
Best/worst pitcher/hitter matchups and 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.
Because odds typically do not get set until the previous day's games are completed, betting tips will be added in the morning.