Pitching: Cease (Optimal), Misiorowski (GPP 1), Sale (GPP 2), Messick (value)
Hitting: BAL (Optimal), NYM (GPP 1), CHC (GPP 2), BOS (GPP 3)
Weather: CLE/MIN
DISCLAIMER: DISCORD IS HAVING ISSUES! We will be monitoring and get back in as soon as it starts working.
We have a huge slate today, so let’s go over our favorite options!
The top pitcher on this slate is Dylan Cease, who takes on the Los Angeles Angels. He owns elite strikeout rates of at least 32% against both sides of the plate and gets to face at least six hitters with strikeout rates above 23%, giving him tremendous upside. His expected stats are also elite, as he holds lefties to a (.088/.310) rate and righties to a (.051/.242) rate. He is the ideal option for cash contests.
The next pitcher we like is Jacob Misiorowski, who faces the New York Yankees. He has dominant strikeout rates of 46% against lefties and 27% against righties. The Yankees play into his upside by sending six left-handed hitters to the plate today. Four of those hitters carry strikeout rates above 23%, not including Spencer Jones. His expected stats have also been impressive, as he holds lefties to a (.066/.262) rate and righties to a (.114/.287) rate. This is another elite spend-up option to consider.
Next, we have Chris Sale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is an elite pitcher, so we won’t let the matchup scare us. Sale owns strikeout rates of 29% against left-handed hitters and 25% against right-handed hitters. The Dodgers have six hitters with strikeout rates above 20%, which gives him solid upside. His expected stats further strengthen the play, as he holds righties to a (.150/.288) rate and lefties to a (.073/.215) rate. He is an elite GPP option for tournaments.
The value option comes from Parker Messick against the Minnesota Twins. He owns strikeout rates of 22% against lefties and 30% against righties. The Twins are expected to send eight right-handed hitters to the plate, which plays directly into his strengths. That is especially important considering he holds righties to a (.108/.272) rate. He is a great value option that allows you to spend up on premium bats or elite pitching.
The top projected stack today is the Baltimore Orioles against Jacob Lopez. Lopez throws his fastball over 31% of the time to both sides of the plate as his primary pitch. Taylor Ward, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Pete Alonso, Coby Mayo, Leody Taveras, and Jeremiah Jackson have all found success against left-handed pitching this year. Our favorite options are Alonso and Mayo.
The New York Mets are next on our list as they face Ryne Nelson. His fastball has been hit hard by both sides of the plate, especially by lefties. We want to prioritize Juan Soto, MJ Melendez, and Brett Baty from the left side of the lineup. On the right-handed side, Bo Bichette, Mark Vientos, Marcus Semien, Francisco Alvarez, and Luis Torrens have all had success against that pitch this season. Our favorite options are Soto and Semien.
The red-hot Chicago Cubs round out our list as they take on Kumar Rocker. His sinker is his primary pitch, so we want to target hitters who handle that pitch well. We especially want to prioritize lefties, as their numbers against sinkers are excellent. Moisés Ballesteros, Ian Happ, Michael Busch, and Pete Crow–Armstrong fit that profile. From the right side, Dansby Swanson, Carson Kelly, Seiya Suzuki, and Nico Hoerner all look like strong options today. Our favorite plays are Busch and Happ.
The last stack we want to target are the Boston Red Sox. They will face Jesse Scholtens in bulk relief and we feel like they can take advantage of his fastball. Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Marcelo Mayer, and Connor Wong have hit that pitch well this year. You can also consider Wilyer Abreu and Wilson Contreras, who have hit right-handed pitching well.