Hard to believe we’re approaching the end of month 2 of the MLB marathon. The injuries continue to mount and leave us with some interesting streaming options, which is good news because the pitching options at face value are not great. We get an MLB debut along with a bunch of mediocre starters. The only headliners are Trevor Bauer and Tyler Glasnow. Bauer has a tough matchup against the Astros, leaving Glasnow as the chalky ace pick. We should have another full slate as there’s no inclement weather on the horizon.
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German Marquez, SP: $8,800 – Marquez has been much better than his 4.82 ERA would indicate. That tends to happen when you start 7 of 10 games in Coors Field. He has a GB rate north of 50%, HR/9 under one, and is currently striking out over a batter per inning. Thankfully he goes from one of the worst pitchers parks to one of the best in Citi Field. The cherry on top of that sundae is he gets to face a depleted Mets team. Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, J.D. Davis, Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and the list goes on and on the players currently on the IL.
Tyler Glasnow, SP: $10,700 – The Royals have really struggled since the calendar flipped to May, ranking 23rd in both wRC+ and wOBA. They do a good job putting the ball in play, striking out the 3rd fewest at 22.2% during that time. The good news is that Adalberto Mondesi is back in the lineup, so that number should come up some. Moreover, Glasnow is a K machine. His 36% k rate currently ranks 4th best in the game and his 2.87 xFIP is 5th best. He’s at home in a friendly hitters ballpark and all signs point to a stellar outing.
Catcher/First Base
Eric Hosmer, C/1B: $2,900 – Adrian Houser is dreadful against LHH, AND I MEAN DREADFUL. He’s allowed a .293/.375/.490 slash line against in his career. Hosmer finds himself in a ballpark that’s great for LHH home runs as well. I love the Padres lefties in this one.
Luke Voit, C/1B: $2,800 – Voit hasn’t really got it going yet since coming off the IL but he has an interesting match up here. He gets a very green rookie in Alek Manoah. Manoah has only racked up 35 IP in the minors before his upcoming debut. He dazzled in minors as well as spring training but he still has virtually no experience in pro ball. A debut, in Yankee Stadium, I wish him the best but this has disaster written all over it.
Second Base
Jake Cronenworth, 2B: $3,200 – More like RAKE Cronenworth, ammiirright?!? Okay I’ll show myself out now. In all seriousness though, this guy just keeps hitting, .298/.368/.472 in his short career. He gets a juicy matchup and a nice bump in a power-friendly American Family Field.
Max Muncy, 2B: $3,900 – Muncy has been a man on a mission over the last week and change. Hitting .476/.577/.897, and has his season average up to .292. It’s a pretty small sample, but much like others on this list, Luis Garcia has struggled against LHH. He has a 5.50 FIP and a 1.99 HR/9 against.
Third Base
Eugenio Suarez, 3B: $2,600 – Not much positive to write home about his season. He does still have great power though and can easily explode on for a multi-homer game. He’s cheap and gets a soft matchup against Joe Ross. Ross has the 6th highest FIP (min of 30 IP) at 5.97. Homers have been a problem for him, allowing 2.06 HR/9.
Gio Urshela, 3B: $2,200 – Gio has been one of the lone bright spots for the Yankees this season. Thanks to solid production and a growing list of guys on the IL, he’s found himself hitting 4th of late. A clean-up hitter in Yankee stadium of $2.2K against a guy making his debut? Yes, please.
Short Stop
Xander Bogaerts, SS: $3,800 – Xander is low-key putting together an MVP season. YES, I know it’s not even June. He’s currently 3rd in MLB in WAR and is slashing .345/.402/.602. He gets Drew Smyly in this one and LHP tends to struggle in Fenway. Smyly doesn’t need help in that category as he’s already posted a 6.36 FIP in 37 IP this season.
Trea Turner, SS: $3,800 – Trea has been the NL version of Xander Bogaerts. He goes up against Jeff Hoffman, who has been pretty average at face value. However, his walk rate is 12.4% and he only generates ground balls at a 36.6% clip. His HR/9 and BABIP are at career lows at the moment and that is going to change eventually with his shaky command.
Outfield
J.D. Martinez, OF: $4,200 – Forecast is Boston shows a solid 15 MPH wind out to left field. This should bode well for the right-handed slugger who gets a good matchup in this one.
Eddie Rosario, OF: $3,200 – He currently holds a 5-game hitting streak, 3 of those have been of the multi-hit variety. Jose Urena isn’t any good and is just holding onto a rotation spot until one of the Tigers youngsters comes up. Urena features a sinker, which he throws almost 50% of the time. Rosario mashes against that pitch with a wOBA of over .366 in 5 of the last 6 seasons.
Matt Beaty, OF: $2,100 – Beaty has been a respectable big league bat over his 155 game career. Slashing .264/.328/.429, unfortunately playing for the loaded organization in LA, his playing time has been a victim of circumstances. A combination of injuries and playing in an AL park this go-around should afford him some playing time. As I mentioned, it’s unclear if Luis Garcia is any good at getting LHH out. Moreover, Beaty should have opportunities to produce in a deep Dodgers lineup.
Jesse Winker, OF: $3,900 – Winker has always been touted as someone who can hit but for how much power was always the question. Well, along with horrendous defense but we’ll gloss over that here. He seems to have quieted the power chatter with 12 homers in 2020 and 13 already this season. He gets another good matchup against a homer-prone Joe Ross in this one.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
No bad weather to report. There are plenty of ballparks that will experience some wind blowing to the outfield. The only game that won’t feature winds favorable to hitters is Giants at Diamondbacks.
Doing Lines In Vegas
Royals at Rays at Tropicana Field, O/U 7 runs score — Take the under. Life may be too short to bet the under but that’s where the smart money is in this one. Mike Minor and Tyler Glasnow take the mound in this one. The Rays have really against LHP this year, 30.4% K rate and a modest 97 wRC+. The Royals have been pretty poor after their hot April. They own a 23rd ranked 86 wRC+ in May. Glasnow has been elite, with a 2.90 ERA, 3.24 FIP paired with a 36% K rate. Combine all this with the fact that Tropicana is one of the best pitchers parks in baseball and we should get a very low-scoring affair.
