Hitting could reign supreme considering the group of pitchers set to take the mound across baseball Monday. With that being said, there are still a few pitchers in favorable spots to provide value.
Read MoreMLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 7/26/18
*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*
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There aren’t a lot of great pitching options available Thursday, which could lead to some big offensive performances. Sign up for our Newsletter and try our Playerlab tool, where you can filter the stats that matter the most and help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.
STARTING PITCHERS
Dereck Rodriguez vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Stadium – AT&T Park
FanDuel = $8,300
DraftKings = $7,900
Stephen Strasburg looked to be the lone ace on the schedule Thursday, but he then found himself on the DL once again. It’s slim pickings as a result, making Rodriguez possibly one of the best options. He’s posted a 1.15 WHIP so far this season, helping lead him to a 2.72 ERA and a 3.33 FIP. He’s also allowed just three home runs in 53 innings. Don’t count on him for a lot of strikeouts based on his 7.1 K/9, but he has some upside against a Brewers team that is averaging just 3.5 runs across their last 11 games.
Wade Miley vs. San Francisco Giants
Stadium – AT&T Park
FanDuel = $6,300
DraftKings = $6,600
It might be wise to load up on hitters Thursday and just take a shot on a really cheap pitcher if you are playing in a tournament. Miley has been terrible the last couple of seasons and has been limited to four starts this season due to injury. His 1.56 ERA is likely to rise considering his 3.97 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. He also has as many walks as he has strikeouts. The good news is that he’ll face a Giants team that is in the bottom third of baseball in runs scored and has just a .693 OPS against left-handed pitching. If you can stomach the risk, there is potential for value at this price.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Matt Olson vs. Bartolo Colon, Texas Rangers
Stadium – Globe Life Park in Arlington
FanDuel = $3,500
DraftKings = $4,400
The Athletics have had an excellent offensive series against the Rangers, but Olson is only 3-for-14 in the first three games. The Rangers started lefties in each of those contests, so he’ll finally get to face a righty in Colon. Olson only has a .306 wOBA against left-handers, but he has a .354 wOBA against righties.
Greg Bird vs. Jakob Junis, Kansas City Royals
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $3,100
DraftKings = $4,200
The Yankees think highly of Bird, but he’s disappointed again this season. Not only did he spend a significant amount of time on the DL, but he’s batting only .231. He’s starting to show signs of life, though, as he is 16-for-52 (.308) with three home runs across his last 14 games. Junis has cooled off significantly after a hot start and now has a 5.03 ERA that is backed up by an even worse 5.37 FIP, so look for Bird to continue his recent run of success.
Others to consider: Jake Bauers (first base) and Elias Diaz (catcher)
SECOND BASE
Rougned Odor vs. Trevor Cahill, Oakland Athletics
Stadium – Globe Life Park in Arlington
FanDuel = $3,600
DraftKings = $3,900
Odor came through with another hit Wednesday to extend his hitting streak to seven games. He’s not just swinging a hot bat either as he also has four steals during that stretch. His home run total is way down year, but with nine steals and a .260 batting average, Odor has helped to offset his power deficiencies. Cahill has a sparkling 2.95 ERA this season, but his .252 opponents’ BABIP is also over 30 points lower than his career mark, so he’s been a bit lucky.
Jed Lowrie vs. Bartolo Colon, Texas Rangers
Stadium – Globe Life Park in Arlington
FanDuel = $3,500
DraftKings = $4,400
Colon continues to find himself pitching in the majors, but he’s not having a good season with a 4.85 ERA and a 5.12 FIP. He doesn’t walk many batters, but he doesn’t strike out many either with a 5.5% swinging-strike rate and a 5.2 K/9. Lowrie has excelled against righties this year with a .381 wOBA, leaving him with a great matchup to target.
Others to consider: Gleyber Torres and Daniel Murphy
THIRD BASE
Eugenio Suarez vs. Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia Phillies
Stadium – Great American Ball Park
FanDuel = $3,900
DraftKings = $5,100
Suarez made his first All-Star team this season and is well on his way to setting career highs across the board, batting .305 with 22 home runs and 76 RBI. Left-hander Ranger Suarez will be making his big league debut, but he wasn’t exactly overwhelming hitters in the minors with a combined 6.6 K/9 between Double-A and Triple-A this year. He’ll face a tough task in slowing down Eugenio, who has a 209 wRC+ against righties.
Miguel Andujar vs. Jakob Junis, Kansas City Royals
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $3,400
DraftKings = $4,100
Andujar still needs to improve defensively, but he’s made an immediate impact with his bat by hitting .292 with 12 home runs in his first full season in the majors. He has 30 doubles as well, leading to a lofty .500 slugging percentage. He doesn’t have the upside that Suarez does, but he’s hot right now with at least two hits in five straight contests.
Others to consider: Mike Moustakas and Adrian Beltre
SHORTSTOP
Marcus Semien vs. Bartolo Colon, Texas Rangers
Stadium – Globe Life Park in Arlington
FanDuel = $3,900
DraftKings = $4,300
Semien hasn’t hit a home run in well over a month, but he is 25-for-87 (.287) in his last 22 games. He showed an improved eye at the plate during that stretch, walking 10 times compared to 14 strikeouts. He’s 5-for-16 with three doubles, four RBI and five runs scored in the first three games of this series and could have another productive stat line against the struggling Colon.
Didi Gregorius vs. Jakob Junis, Kansas City Royals
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $3,500
DraftKings = $5,000
Gregorius doesn’t provide much production on the road, hitting just .240 with five home runs. He loves hitting in Yankee Stadium, though, with a .286 average and 12 homers. He’s also been much better against right-handed pitchers with a .347 wOBA. His price isn’t great on DraftKings, but he could provide plenty of value based on his price on FanDuel.
Others to consider: Elvis Andrus and Adalberto Mondesi
OUTFIELD
Khris Davis vs. Bartolo Colon, Texas Rangers
Stadium – Globe Life Park in Arlington
FanDuel = $4,500
DraftKings = $5,400
Davis is going to be sad to see this series end. He’s hit game-winning homers both of the last two nights and is 6-for-17 with four home runs and 10 RBI overall. He now has an insane six long balls over his last four games, which is bad news for Colon since he has allowed 1.8 HR/9.
Juan Soto vs. Dan Straily, Miami Marlins
Stadium – Marlins Park
FanDuel = $3,700
DraftKings = $4,400
Soto is starting to strike out more, logging a 25.6% strikeout rate across his last 10 games. His batting average was only .264 during that stretch, but he still hit two home runs and two doubles. Straily has allowed a .349 wOBA against left-handed hitters and isn’t a strikeout pitcher with a career 7.7 K/9, leaving Soto as a viable mid-tier priced option.
Adam Eaton vs. Dan Straily, Miami Marlins
Stadium – Marlins Park
FanDuel = $3,000
DraftKings = $4,600
Eaton has never been much of a power hitter, but he has just three home runs in 147 at-bats this year. However, he has logged at least two hits in 9 of the 17 games he has played in July and is batting .320 for the season overall. He’s drawing plenty of walks, as well, leading to a what would be a career-high .401 OBP. He’s been awful against lefties, but he has a .396 wOBA against righties.
Others to consider: Aaron Judge and Joey Gallo