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 Thursday
David Peterson's past two outings have been a struggle, but they come following a run of seven straight quality starts. The lefty's last three efforts have been on the road, but Thursday he's back home for a date with the Milwaukee Brewers. With a 56% ground-ball rate and Citi Field at his back, Peterson is a streamer for all home games, regardless of the opponent.
Dustin May is exhibiting the standard pattern after returning from Tommy John surgery, with his velocity at the pre-surgery level (and ticking up lately) but control and command slower to come around. Even so, the righty is in play almost any time the Los Angeles Dodgers are at home and definitely when facing subpar offenses like the Chicago White Sox, who sport the lowest wOBA in the league with a right-hander on the hill.
After three straight quality starts and 28 strikeouts over those 21 2/3 frames, Jose Soriano experienced a hiccup in his last effort, surrendering eight runs in four stanzas to the Washington Nationals in Anaheim. With the Los Angeles Angels visiting the Atlanta Braves, look for Soriano to get back on track against an underperforming offense that's been in a rut for a month.
Hitters to stream on Thursday
Bryce Elder can be partially excused for his last outing where he gave up nine earned runs in just two frames. The Braves righty warmed up, then endured a two-hour rain delay before heating up again. However, Elder also surrendered nine runs in 8 2/3 innings over his prior two starts. The Angels sport the fourth-highest home run rate in the league, so don't expect them to respect Elder when they face off in Truist Park. Mike Trout is available on only 12% of ESPN leagues, so it's worth checking on every other Angels batter to fortify a Thursday lineup with only 10 games.
Hitters to avoid on Thursday
A typical Thursday ploy in category leagues (head-to-head or rotisserie) is streaming stolen base specialists. The Seattle Mariners don't always start Dylan Moore, but when they do, he's a candidate for a swipe or two. However, with the Mariners entertaining the Kansas City Royals, Moore's speed game is mitigated by the best team at controlling the running game.
The Mets are next best at throwing out runners attempting to steal. They host the Brewers, where Mets starter David Peterson will enjoy the platoon edge on Christian Yelich and Brice Turang. With their running curtailed, the safe play is avoiding the Brewers pair.
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.