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
This is probably the last time Edward Cabrera will be highlighted as a streamer when he takes the hill for the Miami Marlins. No, his schedule isn't about to get hard, and he isn't being shut down. His rostership is trending up and it's likely to eclipse the 50% cutoff. Over his last 16 outings, Cabrera is down to a 2.22 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. Lady Luck may be lending as assist, but Cabrera's 19.8% K-BB% over that span is the 12th best among qualified pitchers, so the righty is demonstrating more than just good fortune. Next up is a road date with the Cleveland Guardians and the lineup sporting the fifth lowest wOBA facing righties.
Max Scherzer posted four quality starts over his last five outings, including the last three. One was against the Los Angeles Dodgers and another facing the Detroit Tigers, so a matchup with the Chicago Cubs is less daunting than it might be for a less experienced pitcher. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Cubs for a 3:07 p.m. ET matinee. Over the past month, the Cubs recorded the seventh lowest wOBA versus right-handers.
Hitters to stream on Thursday
Batters playing in Coors Field are always in demand, but on days like Thursday with only seven games on the docket, it pays to hustle to the waiver wire. The Arizona Diamondbacks square off with RHP Bradley Blalock and his 11.76 ERA over 20 2/3 home innings. Lefty-swinging Adrian Del Castillo, Jake McCarthy and Alek Thomas enjoy the platoon edge, but don't ignore righties Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Blaze Alexander and Tyler Locklear.
Colorado Rockies batters to target facing southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez include Tyler Freeman, Ezequiel Tovar, Jordan Beck, Warming Bernabel and Kyle Karros. They're all right-handed and available in at least 80% of ESPN leagues.
In rotisserie formats, or head-to-head leagues with category scoring, a common play on short slates is streaming players for steals. Since the break, the Minnesota Twins are tied with the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays for giving up the most stolen bases. The Twins host the Tigers, landing Zach McKinstry and his 17 steals as a solid target for pilfers.
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.