Pitching: Skenes (Optimal), McLean (GPP 1), Brown (GPP 2), Cantillo (Value)
Hitting: KC (Optimal), SD (GPP 1), ATL (GPP 2), CHC (GPP 3)
Weather: All Clear
Welcome to a Sunday slate of baseball as we discuss our favorite plays of the day!
The optimal pitcher of this slate is Paul Skenes who takes on the Cleveland Guardians. Skenes has strikeout rates of 27% to LHH and 32% to RHH. He’ll get to face five batters with strikeout rates above 24%, which is very good. The X stats have also been elite as he holds lefties to a rate of (.124/.264) and righties to a rate of (.106/.249). This is the ideal option to start off with in cash game contests.
The next pitcher we like is Nolan McLean who takes on the Phillies. He has strikeout rates of 27% to LHH and 28% to RHH. He’ll get to face 5 batters with strikeout rates above 22% which is solid. The X stats have also been impressive as he holds lefties to a rate of (.146/.314) and righties to a rate of (.097/.259). This is one of our favorite options on the slate.
Now we come upon Hunter Brown who takes on the Baltimore Orioles. He has strikeout rates of 27% to LHH and 23% to RHH. He’ll get to face a whopping 8 batters with strikeout rates above 22% which gives him the most upside of any pitcher on this slate. The X stats are the cherry on top as he holds lefties to the tune of (.181/.334) and righties to the tune of (.098/.266). This is another elite option to consider on this slate.
The value pitcher of this slate is Joey Cantillo who takes on the Pittsburgh Pirates. He has a strikeout rate of 26% to RHH which is key because he’ll be facing up to 7-8 batters who will be righties. It is reassuring to know that 6 of those batters have strikeout rates above 22% which adds to his upside. We feel confident in this value play because he holds RHH to the tune of (.127/.295). This is a great way to free up salary to spend elsewhere.
The optimal team of this slate is the Kansas City Royals who take on German Marquez in favorable hitting conditions. His fastball is his primary pitch and it has been destroyed by both sides of the plate. Nick Loftin, Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, Jac Caglianone, Lane Thomas, and Isaac Collins have had success against that pitch this year. We also like using Michael Massey, Tyler Tolbert, and Luke Maile are also viable due to their success against RHP this year. Our favorite options are Caglianone and Witt Jr.
On the other side of that game, we have the San Diego Padres who take on Noah Cameron. He carries the same problems as his fastball is his primary pitch and it has been destroyed by both sides of the plate. Fernando Tatis, Jackson Merrill, Manny Machado, Ty France, Xander Bogaerts, Miguel Andujar, and Jase Bowen have had success against that pitch this year. Lasty, Luis Rengifo and Luis Campusano are viable values to help you round out this stack given the struggles against RHH in general for Cameron. Our favorite options are Machado and Tatis.
The next stack on our list is the Atlanta Braves who take on Nathan Eovaldi. The cutter has been hit hard by both sides of the plate so that is what we want to target here. Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Michael Harris, Mauricio Dubon, Dominic Smith, Austin Riley, and Jim Jarvis have had success against that pitch this year. Baldwin and Olson are our favorite options on this team.
The last stack to discuss are the Chicago Cubs who take on Zebby Matthews. In the last 30 days, Matthews has struggled massively against LHH and his fastball has been hit hard by RHH. We like Pete–Crow Armstrong, Michael Busch, Ian Happ, and Michael Conforto due to their success against RHP this year. The RHH in play are Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Seiya Suzuki because of the damage they’ve done against the fastball this year. Our favorite options are Armstrong and Hoerner.