Everyone knows the Houston Astros can hit. The top three in their order is probably the best top three in all of baseball, featuring Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Carlos Correa. No one will be mistaking them for the Oakland A’s anytime soon; admittedly, Oakland and Houston are not the same place, so that would be a difficult thing to do. Regardless, Thursday’s matchup pits them against A.J. Griffin, in Arlington. Not to wet your appetite too much, but there is one thing that A.J. Griffin and Arlington have in common, and it rhymes with poem puns. Yes, dome buns… Oh what, that’s not right? Maybe you got it right… Ignoring my ignorance, feel free to play as many Astros as you want on Thursday; the away column on the board in Arlington will prove that it can show double digit runs.
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Luis Severino, SP: $7,400 – Luis Severino has two things going for him on Thursday: one, he faces the Oakland A’s (that should be enough to put him in your lineup) and two, his FPPG currently sits in the single digits. Anyone picking their lineup who plays too much attention to that will not put Severino in their lineups, and you should have a leg up on some of the competition already. The A’s lineup strikes out enough that Severino’s filthy stuff can play up, and their lineup is also hitting a measly .219… Even if he doesn’t get K’s he will get outs and the Yanks should be able to handle southpaw Rich Hill enough to get a win.
Edinson Volquez, SP: $7,700 – I will admit, the Tigers have a much better lineup than the A’s. Volquez is pitching like the guy the Royals hoped he would when they picked him to start Opening Night. Always with the potential for a lot of strikeouts to go along with the fact that many will avoid him against a pretty solid lineup, Volquez has enough go-off potential that he cannot be avoided. The World Champions give everyone a good game each and every night, and their de facto ace should succeed in keeping his ERA hovering around 2.
Francisco Cervelli, C: $3,100 – Catcher, as anyone who has been playing DraftKings so far this year, is a pretty bland position, and in all honesty, Cervelli is a pretty bland guy. You can just imagine him going to Buffalo Wild Wings and ordering the Mild wings. However, bland does not lead to many people rostering a guy like Cervelli, and when it’s bland in a good way, it can lead to a solid fantasy night. Against a past-his-prime James Shields, Cervelli should have no trouble putting a few hits together from a run producing spot in the lineup. Choose the mild wings and enjoy them.
Alex Rodriguez, 1B/3B: $3,800 – A-Rod has just started to heat up with the weather; let’s be honest, the cold could not have been good for the old bones. He gets to support our boy Luis Severino against a soft-tossing southpaw in Rich Hill. Homers could be in the cards for this matchup… And hey, Alex also has a steal in his past against Rich Hill! Odds are that it was in the 00’s, but hey, he obviously has him down with a career 100% success rate off him. Honestly, don’t expect a whole lot of running, but do expect a whole lot of trotting around the bases from A-Rod on Thursday.
Jose Altuve, 2B: $4,900 – The first Astro to find his way into our lineup, Jose Altuve is an amazing baseball player. In case you have been under a rock, let’s just say this guy could probably fit under smaller rocks. He’s only 5’6″; I was 5’6″ in the sixth grade… Let’s just say sixth grade me would not find his way into your DraftKings lineup. Jose Altuve should though, because he isn’t just the best 5’6″ hitter in baseball, he’s also one of the best hitters, period, and a matchup with A.J. Griffin in Arlington will not exactly intimidate this little big man.
Eugenio Suarez, 3B: $4,000 – Eugenio Suarez is a fun name to say; say it to yourself as you click the little plus to add him to your lineup. Something that is a lot less fun is facing Jake Arrieta… Luckily, my high school algebra skills tell me that Eugenio’s name is greater than the magnitude of Jake Arrieta’s anti-fun. No one is going to play Eugenio against Arrieta; that’s why you’re doing it. It may be a bit of a risk, but he has the bat to ball abilities to gap a few balls and maybe hit one over the fence and put you in good shape relative to all the schmucks who avoided Eugenio.
Carlos Correa, : $4,600 – Me: “A.J. Griffin, I’d like to introduce you to the best shortstop in baseball, Carlos Correa.”
*A.J. attempts to hide behind Prince Fielder*
Carlos: “Don’t worry A.J., I don’t need to see you to hit home runs off you.”
*Prince proceeds to devour A.J.*
*Carlos proceeds to take him yard anyways.*
George Springer, OF: $4,700 – Yes, another Houston Astro finds his way into our lineup. Luckily, he bats before Carlos Correa and before Prince Fielder has had his mid-first inning snack. That will allow him to hit a home run that makes more sense than hitting one off someone who has been eaten. Smart of A.J. Hinch to hit Springer before Correa, since Correa is the only one to master hitting a homer off a pitcher who is nowhere to be found. Springer has just mastered hitting homers off of mediocre pitchers, and we’ve got that here.
Mark Trumbo, OF: $4,200 – Mark Trumbo is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now, and he is known for his streaky nature. Marco Estrada has discovered how to avoid giving up homers at the rate he used to in Milwaukee, but he will cower in fear at the Orioles’ powerful lineup. Trumbo is right at the heart of that right now, and Estrada better run for cover whenever Marky Mark comes to the plate.
Aaron Hicks, OF: $3,900 – Aaron Hicks is pretty much an automatic starter when the Yanks take on a lefty, as they do Thursday in Rich Hill. There is something to be said for a lefty-masher like Hicks coming to the ballpark knowing he will be in the lineup against a soft-tossing lefthander such as Hill. Do not hesitate to put the powerful and speedy Hicks in your lineup and hope for a bit of everything.
I’m Only Happy When it Rains
Much of the Northeast part of the country is finally warming up, and games played in 30 degree weather are hopefully behind us. Cincinnati and Arlington are both seeing chances of rain in the 7:00 slate of games; be sure to watch these, especially in Texas as there was a postponement there a few days ago. With a lineup that I hope is stacked with Astros playing at the Rangers, it is especially important you watch what happens there as you won’t want to miss that production.
Doing Lines in Vegas
Two games find themselves with an over-under of 8.5, and those are the Toronto-Baltimore game and the Houston-Texas game. Good, we have players from both of those games, with Marky Mark and the Trumbo Bunch, to go along with our ship of Astros. No crazy lines exist in the 7:00 slate, so just go with your gut and if in doubt, find players from these two games in two hitters’ ballparks.
That is all for today. Here’s hoping that your lineups are as fortunate as LeBron’s hairline was when he was cast for a movie.
