Captain: Javier (Optimal), Alvarez (GPP), Altuve (GPP), Smith (Value)
Flex: Pena, Paredes, Diaz, Trammell, Tatis, Cronenworth, Machado, Walker, Sheets, Bogaerts, Merrill, Varsho, Rengifo
Relief Pitchers: Morejon, Abreu, Miller (Closer), Hader (Closer)
Fade: Randy Vasquez
Weather: All Clear!
Welcome to a fun showdown game as the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres battle it out to take the series win! The stand of this showdown is that we are going to fade Randy Vasquez. He has been very bad and we don’t think he should be worth any ownership he’ll be getting. We already love the Houston ML as it is, so our lineups will focus on a Houston heavy build.
The pitcher taking the mound for the Houston Astros is Cristian Javier. In the last 30 days, he has struck out RHH at a 31% clip. That is key considering he’ll face at least five of them today. The Padres will also bring up four batters up to the plate with strikeout rates above 22% which adds to the strikeout upside. The X stats have also been solid in the past month for Javier. He holds lefties to a rate of (.144/.270) and righties to a rate of (.154/.313). He is the ideal captain option in cash games or viable in the flex spot if you want to use a Houston bat in GPPs.
Since we are fading Vasquez, let’s talk about why and dive into the Houston bats we like. His cutter has been destroyed by both sides of the plate as his primary pitch so we want to focus on that first. Jeremy Pena, Yordan Alvarez, Isaac Paredes, Jose Altuve, Yainer Diaz, Taylor Trammell, and Cam Smith have had success against the cutter this year. Vasquez also struggles on both sides of the plate in general so Christian Walker and Daulton Varsho are viable options.
Now we move on to the San Diego side as we look for potential one-offs to finish our lineups. The fastball has been a pitch that has given Javier trouble before he rounded into good form so we can target that. Fernando Tatis, Jake Cronenworth, Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, Gavin Sheets, Xander Bogaerts, and Luis Rengifo have had some form of success against the fastball this year. Going six bats is a viable route if you want to take the chance that Javier goes back to his old self. You have plenty of options to round out your lineups though if you need a one-off.
Lastly, we want to discuss the reliever options if you want to free up salary. For Houston, we like using Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu. For San Diego, we like using Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon. Best of luck!