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 Friday
The All-Star break came at a good time for the Tampa Bay Rays as they dropped a four-game series to the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park. Taj Bradley is tasked with getting the club back on track in a home date with the Baltimore Orioles. It's been an uneven season for the righty, but he showed signs of finding a groove heading into the break, especially with respect to strikeouts. He faces an Orioles team that fans the fourth most in the league with a right-hander on the hill.
While it's clearly too early to start tracking the Detroit Tigers magic number, they open the post-break festivities with the largest divisional lead as they're a comfortable 11.5 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers are in a good place to extend it with a series in Arlington against the Texas Rangers. Reese Olson is still working his way back after missing over six weeks with right index finger inflammation. This is a favorable spot to return to form, facing a Rangers offense with the sixth lowest wOBA with a right-hander on the hill.
Jonathan Cannon's sophomore season has been a mild disappointment, especially considering that the Chicago White Sox are developing a reputation for developing young pitching. A high .298 BABIP hasn't helped, but he's also walking a few more batters. He's in a strong spot to come out of the break on a high note facing the Pittsburgh Pirates and the second lowest wOBA versus right-handers. The long ball was an issue for Cannon, and the Pirates sport the lowest home run rate facing righties.
Hitters to stream on Friday
The Minnesota Twins open the proverbial second half in Coors Field. The Colorado Rockies have announced that LHP Kyle Freeland will start Friday, putting the spotlight on the Twins right contingent. Only Byron Buxton is rostered in at least half of ESPN leagues, and he's available in 17%, so it's worth investigating. Carlos Correa, Ryan Jeffers, Willi Castro, Ty France and Royce Lewis are all in play.
Patrick Corbin entered the break with three straight quality starts, but with a pedestrian 18.8% strikeout rate, he's vulnerable to potent lineups, like the Tigers. Righty swingers Gleyber Torres, Spencer Torkelson, Dillon Dingler and Javier Baez all enjoy the platoon edge, as does switch-hitter Wenceel Perez.
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.