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 Monday
Noah Cameron's 2.56 ERA is tabbed about two runs too low by the associated ERA estimators as he's benefiting from a .206 BABIP and 84.4% left on base mark. The rookie left-hander is ripe for a surface stats correction but with the Kansas City Royals hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cameron should be safe for at least one more start as he'll face the offense sporting the second highest strikeout rate and third lowest wOBA facing southpaw pitching.
It was an odd first half for Brady Singer in his first season with the Cincinnati Reds. His ground ball tendencies were expected to help him limit homers in the Great American Ballpark. While his home runs are under control, he's become a fly ball pitcher. His BABIP has followed suit by dropping, but a big uptick in walks has mitigated giving up fewer hits. Singer still warrants streaming consideration, but it requires facing an inpatient lineup without much power. The Miami Marlins fit the bill, so Singer is in play when the clubs meet on Monday.
Streaming against the top team in the American League may seem risky, but much of the Detroit Tigers success is due to pitching and timely hitting. Their scoring runs despite a league average wOBA and above average strikeout rate. Even so, it takes a pitcher with the upside of Shane Baz to trust against the Tigers. The Tampa Bay Rays have been working with Baz and throwing fewer four-seam fastballs while introducing a cutter has him back on track with 20 strikeouts and only two walks over his past two starts, spanning 15 frames.
Pitchers to avoid on Monday
Freddy Peralta isn't struggling, but he isn't dominating either. The Milwaukee Brewers are home against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is a busy week with 95 games, so avoiding Peralta for this tough matchup could help you stay out of a hole to begin the week.
Hitters to stream on Monday
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora has been successfully platooning versus left-handed pitching, including the last two games of the Fourth of July weekend road set with the Washington Nationals. The club is back home tonight, with the Colorado Rockies sending Austin Gomber to the Fenway Park hill. Nate Eaton, Romy Gonzalez, Rob Refsnyder, Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela all enjoy the platoon edge on a vulnerable lefty.
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.