If I were to have asked you prior to the start of the season, who would lead the majors in home runs on July 26, you probably would have said, “Harper, Stanton, or Bautista.” Hey, all of those are fair names. In fact, Encarnacion, Frazier, or Arenado would have made great choices as well. But, would any of you picked Mark Trumbo? Highly unlikely. It appears as though Trumbo is the new Nelson Cruz. After struggling in back-to-back season, Trumbo is well on his way to 40-plus homers, which would be a career high. Baltimore is a perfect spot for Trumbo and he’s making the most of his tenure in Charm City. On Tuesday night, the Orioles welcome Chad “Don’t Call Me Jerome” Bettis and the Rockies to Camden Yards in what will likely be an all-out slugfest. The funny thing is that the Orioles are drastically underpriced. Only $4,100 for Trumbo? Um, what? This guy is leading the majors in home runs for God’s sake! Though his ownership will likely be high, it’ll be tough to fade Trumbo is cash games. Play him and love him when he goes deep twice or play him and get moderately annoyed when he goes 0-for-4 with three Ks and a flyout with the bases loaded–hopefully he’s 50 percent owned!
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Steven Wright, SP: $10,700 – This one is all about the rain. As long as the weather stays nice in Boston on Tuesday, I love using Wright. Unless the weather gods unleash a monsoon out of nowhere, game time temperature is expected to be in the mid-80s. Wright went through a rough patch prior to the All-Star break, but appears to be back on track after posting 35 DK points against Minnesota in his last start.
Chris Archer, SP: $8,700 – This is a very good matchup for Archer even though he’s been up and down (mostly down) all season long. Remember, despite a 4.60 ERA, Archer leads the AL in strikeouts with 147. He’ll be in a pitcher-friendly ballpark with no DH and could be auditioning for a spot in Los Angeles’ rotation; those pesky trade rumors! Archer is definitely the best bang for your buck on Tuesday night.
Francisco Liriano, SP: $8,300 – If you’re looking for high upside to pair with Archer, give Liriano a long look. After months of putrid performances, Liriano hit a groove in his last start and struck out 13 Brewers. Don’t get me wrong, the Mariners are much better against LHP than Milwaukee, but with Liriano’s strikeout ability, he makes for one of the best plays on the slate.
Evan Gattis, C: $4,600 – If you’re looking for power upside at catcher on Tuesday night, Gattis is your guy. He has three homers in his last three games and fares much better against lefties than righties. He will face CC Sabathia in a prime matchup at Minute Maid Park.
Salvador Perez, C: $2,900 – At $2,900, Perez makes for a great punt play with upside on Tuesday night. He will face a returning Tyler Skaggs, who is likely to only pitcher four or five innings, tops. That means Perez will see two or three at-bats against a very average Angels bullpen.
David Ortiz, 1B: $5,700 – This one writes itself: Big Papi at home against the brutal Mike Pelfrey in 90 degree heat. The price is high, but the rewards will be bountiful.
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B: $4,500 – I am not a fan of Andrew Cashner pitching at the Rogers Centre and this one could get ugly quick. My man E5 has just been killing it lately as one of the best power bats and run producers in the game. He’s an excellent alternative to Ortiz.
Jonathan Schoop, 2B: $4,100 – It feels like I write about Schoop on a weekly basis, but for good reason. His price is usually always affordable and today is no different. Schoop is batting .303 with 14 homers against RHP this year and faces Chad Bettis on Tuesday night.
Neil Walker, 2B: $3,000 – Here is another spot that we have save a few bucks on Tuesday night. Walker is batting .279 with five homers against LHP this year; he hit two home runs against lefties from 2013-15 combined. Jaime Garcia will be on the mound for St. Louis, which is a favorable matchup for Walker.
Manny Machado, 3B/SS: $3,900 – This price tag is just too low and Machado is 7-for-20 (.350) over the last seven days. Machado makes for the “no brainer” play of the day.
Maikel Franco, 3B: $3,500 – I have had a ton of success when I’ve used Franco this year, so I am going to pass my profit on to all of you. Don’t worry that this game is being played in Miami–Franco is batting .313 with 11 home runs on the road this year.
Carlos Correa, SS: $4,500 – Between the Orioles and Astros, I’m not sure which stack I love more. With that said, I love Correa so much on Tuesday night that, just like Machado, I will probably use him as a fixture in all of my lineups.
Addison Russell, SS: $3,700 – Russell has done well since the All-Star break as he’s batting .371 over his last 10 games. I recommend paying up at shortstop on Tuesday night, but with James Shields on the mound, there should be plenty of long balls served up and Russell will be very low owned. GPP stunna!
Jay Bruce, OF: $4,900 – If there is one person that doesn’t scare me, it’s Matt Cain. He starts for the Giants on Tuesday night and should get whipped like a government mule. Bruce is 8-for-16 lifetime against Cain, but has never taken him deep. That should change rather soon.
Khris Davis, OF: $4,900 – There is so much I love about this play including: multi-homer possibility, Kyle Lohse as the opposing pitcher, on the road in Texas, scorching heat, and immense upside. Also, Davis will be under 10 percent owned. Book it, brother!
Jose Bautista, OF: $4,100 – This will be Bautista’s second game back from injury, so his price is relatively decent. He could go deep at anytime and will likely be low owned.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
The Eastern Seaboard is looking good on Tuesday, though it will be hot and muggy, especially in the northeast. It could rain in Texas, but it’s nothing that will end in a postponement.
Doing Lines In Vegas
There are several stacks I like on Tuesday including Boston, Baltimore, Houston, and Toronto. If you want something off the radar, try the Reds against Matt Cain or the Pirates against King Felix.
