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 Saturday
Eury Perez isn't pitching as deep as the elite starters, but his rate stats since July 1 are among the best in the league, with a 1.29 and 0.64 WHIP leading the way. His 26.2% K/BB% is the ninth best among pitchers throwing at least 20 innings during this span. On Saturday, the Miami Marlins host the New York Yankees in an interleague affair. Even without Aaron Judge, the visitors rely on power, and LoanDepot Park is a big downgrade from Yankee Stadium.
Max Scherzer is coming off his best outing of the season, fanning 11 with no walks in seven innings against the Detroit Tigers. He'll be hard-pressed to match that effort at home against the Kansas City Royals, but it's a favorable matchup against the offense with the fourth-lowest wOBA facing right-handed pitchers.
Chase Burns gets the nod for the Cincinnati Reds against the Atlanta Braves in the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic in Bristol, Tennessee. The dimensions of the venue will be similar to the Great American Ballpark, but the huge grandstand area could skew depth perception, resulting in subpar batter's eye. As a strikeout pitcher, Burns could benefit, especially facing a lineup that has a high strikeout and is missing Ronald Acuna.
Pitchers to avoid on Saturday
Bailey Ober is slated to be activated from the 15-day IL in advance of the Minnesota Twins' road date with the Cleveland Guardians. When he was last on a major league mound over a month ago, he surrendered seven earned runs in consecutive efforts. Even if Ober's hip impingement was responsible for his struggles and he's now healthy, the team context is terrible after the club gutted its bullpen and lineup at the trade deadline. If Ober were to manage five solid frames, the Twins' suspect bullpen puts holding a lead in jeopardy.
Hitters to stream on Saturday
Walker Buehler posted quality starts in two of his last three outings, but that is misleading, as he issued 10 walks while fanning only nine over those 17 2/3 frames. In addition, Buehler recorded a high 42% hard-hit rate in that span. On Saturday, the Boston Red Sox host a revamped Houston Astros batting order. Not only is Jeremy Pena back, but the club acquired Carlos Correa and Jesus Sanchez, adding punch to a below-average offense. Correa, Cam Smith, Christian Walker and Sanchez are the chief targets 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.