It’s the dead of summer and there is nothing better to do here in Tampa other than go to the beach. It’s forbidden to wear jeans during the months of July and August as the temperature rarely dips below 90 degrees. Earlier this week there was a shark attack in the Miami area where a guy was bit on both legs. However, today I’m receiving alerts that there will be a shark attack in the San Diego area. Today Jeff Samardzija takes the mound against Padres in San Diego. This will likely be a favorite just because he is going up against the Padres and that seems to be the trend with every DFS player. Shark has not been impressive at all this season. His home/away splits are not impressive in regards to ERA. One stat that he has consistently maintained is his 9.69 k/9. I think Shark is a must play today given the pitcher friendly park and pitcher friendly lineup.
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Chris Archer, SP: $22,800 – This should be the favorite for cash game plays today. Archer gives you comfort behind the mound today going up against a struggling Angels lineup. The Angels hit for .256 in June and are hitting .219 for July. Vegas has yet to release a line on this game so I’m assuming they think this game will be tight.
Steven Matz, SP: $15,300 – I never feel comfortable pitching a lefty against this Colorado lineup however we are not in Colorado any more Toto. DFSBot feels awfully confident in Matz today as it has Matz as the 2nd best pitcher on the board. Matz brings salary relief along with a bum elbow. I’m not likely to put him in a lot of my lineups today given the other pitchers on the board but he’s worth a shot in a few gpp lineups.
Carlos Martinez, SP: $21,000 – Apparently, I’m not a fan of the cheap pitchers today as this is the 3rd recommendation over $20k. This will be Martinez first start against the Pirates this season which is odd because they are in the same division. Last season Martinez absolutely dominated the Pirates and I expect the same to continue.
Anthony Rizzo, IF: $9,600– It’s not Rizzo’s birthday but he’s getting cake anyways as he is facing Ubaldo Jimenez. The Cubs have come out firing after all-star break posting 19 runs in 2 days. They get another shot of putting up double digit runs and Rizzo should be a big part of that.
Travis Shaw, IF: $8,800 – Jeremy Hellickson is on the mound today and you know what that means. We have an extended home run derby contest in Milwaukee today. Hellickson is giving up 1.76 hr/9 which ranks the 9th highest in the league. Shaw has 20 bombs on the year and will have a good chance to hit a few more today.
Anthony Rendon, IF: $8,800 – When Rendon catches fire it usually comes in bunches. Rendon knocked 2 out last night and gets another favorable matchup against Homer Baily.
Mike Zunino, IF: $6,300 – Zunino got the day off yesterday so he’ll likely be in the lineup today. He has a ton of upside for his price. He’s facing lefty Derek Holland who has been serving up the home runs this season. Zunino is capable of a double dong day and gives some salary relief.
Nelson Cruz, OF: $9,300 – Cruz is starting to heat up as he has 4 home runs in his last 7 games. I will be trying to squeeze Cruz into all of my lineups today. Don’t take my advice, take DFSBot’s advice since it has Cruz as the highest rated player to go deep today. Derek Holland is another guy with a high hr/9 and another candidate to pick on today. Any right-handed bat in this lineup is in play today.
Yoenis Cespedes, IF: $6,600 – Another diamond in the rough. Cespers looks to finally be heating up and his price is still extremely low. He faces Jeff Hoffman who has pitched well outside of the Colorado but it’s also a small sample size. I will be going after Cespedes in a lot of my lineups today since he’s so cheap with high upside. [Just keep an eye on the lineup as Cespedes left last night’s game with a hip thing.]
Brandon Moss, OF: $6,300 – Brandon Moss is one of those pesky guys who has always given Yu Darvish trouble. If Moss is in the lineup today I think he’s worth a look. Moss has 4 home runs off Darvish lifetime.
Adam Jones, OF: $8,000 – There will be some added pressure in Jose Quintana’s first start for the Cubs. It’s ironic his first start with the new team will be against an American League team. Adam Jones has always hit Quintana well and will not ease the nerves of the newest edition to the Cubs rotation.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
Attention! Attention! Can I have all your eyes and ears. We only have 2 games as of now with any chance of rain. Those games are Blue Jays vs. Tigers and Diamondbacks vs. Braves. As always let’s keep an eye on these 2 games up to lineup lock.
Doing Lines In Vegas
There is only one favorite worth mentioning today and that is the Astros over Twins -206. The rest of the games today are going to be a little tight. Here are the games with run totals over 10 today, Yankees vs Red Sox, Blue Jays vs Tigers, Nationals vs Reds and Cubs vs. Orioles. Please note the 2nd game between the Red Sox and Yankees tonight is not on the main slate.
