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
There is a chance this is Edward Cabrera's last start in a Miami Marlins uniform. He stumbled in his last start before the break, but he got back on track last time out with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings while limiting the San Diego Padres to just one run. Cabrera has a road date with the sputtering St. Louis Cardinals. Over the past month, the Cardinals averaged the fifth fewest runs per game in MLB.
Slade Cecconi is an example of being both lucky and good. His peripherals are improving, in part because he's amid a stretch of facing lesser opponents. After Monday's matchup with the Colorado Rockies, he's slated to face the New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. Of course, the schedule could change, especially at this time of the season but the 26-year-old righty lines up for a solid second half. It doesn't get much more favorable than a home affair with the Rockies.
The New York Yankees offense isn't nearly as daunting with Aaron Judge on the shelf. Even after acquiring Ryan McMahon, it's a lineup that can be handled by a solid pitcher like Drew Rasmussen. After limiting his workload to preserve innings for most of July, the Tampa Bay Rays will deploy the righty as a traditional starter. Rasmussen's 2.93 ERA is a little more than half a run lower than its estimators, but a mark in the mid-threes is still well under league average.
Pitchers to avoid on Monday
Max Fried posted a 1.92 ERA and .94 WHIP over his initial 108 innings with the New York Yankees. However, over his last four outings, the lefty recorded a 6.52 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, spanning just 19 1/3 frames. To be fair, he was dealing with a blister for some of that run. He could snap out of his funk at any time, but in leagues with a games started or innings limit, it makes sense to wait for Fried to show he's back on track, thus look elsewhere when he squares off with the Tampa Bay Rays in a road tilt.
Hitters to stream on Monday
Last week, 45-year-old Rich Hill limited the potent Chicago Cubs to one run over five innings, but he punched out only one batter while yielding nine hard-hit balls. The veteran lefty's second start for the Kansas City Royals will be at home against the Atlanta Braves. The visitors like to stack their lineup with righty swingers when a lefty is on the hill, rendering Marcell Ozuna, Sean Murphy and Jurickson Profar as batters to stream.
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.