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 are only three games on Monday's ledger, featuring only two starting pitchers available in more than half of ESPN leagues. As fate would have it, they're facing each other when Michael McGreevy and the St. Louis Cardinals visit Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants. The 42-year-old veteran is ranked a bit higher, driven by a strong finish to the season. Over his past five outings, Verlander posted a 0.87 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with a respectable 28 strikeouts in 31 frames. Entering Sunday's action, the Cardinals won only five of their prior 14 games, fueled by striking out 25% of the time.
The Giants are favored, but not by much as McGreevy has pitched well lately, with a 3.13 ERA over his past four games, and that includes a subpar effort against the Giants. On a deeper slate, McGreevy might not make the cut, but when the cut is two, he's worth a look.
Pitchers to avoid on Monday
MacKenzie Gore was under consideration for the streaming section when he takes the hill for the Washington Nationals against the Atlanta Braves on the road. His 57% rostership is just over the limit, and he has pitched well down the stretch, recording a 2.84 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 34 punchouts in 31⅔ innings. However, he has also walked a generous 14 batters, and the Braves lineup has solid facing left-handers lately. Gore needs strikeouts to be successful, and over the last month, the Braves fanned at a frugal 16.9% clip against southpaw pitching.
Hitters to avoid on Monday
This note comes with a caveat as the Milwaukee Brewers might clinch the NL Central on Sunday, but they're still within striking distance of the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in the National League. It's necessary to check the Brewers lineup since there is a chance their regulars take the day off if they enter the contest as the NL Central champions.
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.