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 Monday
Erick Fedde is the slate's top-ranked streamer. He may not have the allure of more dominant hurlers, but Fedde generally doesn't hurt himself with walks and he keeps the ball in the yard, two traits conducive to points-league scoring. The lack of strikeouts renders Fedde vulnerable to potent lineups, as shown by the Chicago Cubs plating seven in 3 1/3 innings in his last start. Fedde is in a great spot for a rebound, facing a Pittsburgh Pirates offense with the second lowest wOBA in the league versus right-handers.
Michael Wacha is like Fedde in that he's not dominant but run prevention over a high total of innings is recognized by points-league scoring. Fedde's matchup is better but with the Kansas City Royals facing the Seattle Mariners in pitcher-friendly T Mobile Park, Wacha is in a favorable setup. Although not dominant, Wacha misses more bats than Fedde and is on a strikeout surge with 30 punchouts over his prior 30 1/3 innings.
In contrast, the Athletics Jacob Lopez is emerging as a high strikeout starter, capable of piling up points. He fanned 38 over his previous 27 1/3 frames, spanning five starts, and posted a 1.98 ERA and 0.99 WHIP during this stretch. Next up is a road date with the Tampa Bay Rays. Lopez shouldn't be vexed by the hitter-friendly nature of the venue since his team also plays in a generous minor league park. The Rays are below average facing lefties, in part due to two of their best hitters, Jonathan Aranda and Brandon Lowe being lefty swingers.
Hitters to stream on Monday
The Baltimore Orioles bats came alive over the weekend and even though they'll be on the road in Arlington against the Texas Rangers, facing southpaw Patrick Corbin benefits the Orioles' right-handed contingent. Jordan Westburg has been sidelined with a jammed finger, but if he's back in the lineup, he's in play. If not, Ramon Urias will likely handle the hot corner and bat second. Ramon Laureano, Gary Sanchez and Coby Mayo also enjoy the platoon edge.
Hitters to avoid on Monday
Even though Chase Burns fanned eight New York Yankees over five stanzas in his major league debut, he's risky to stream when the Cincinnati Reds visit Fenway Park. That said, it's a tenuous proposition to trust Boston Red Sox batters, especially with their proclivity to strike out.
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.