Friday, July 26th
We begin the Dongers Club Appreciation Contest this week. Monday through Sunday, the average of your top three scores from the main slates when the contest will run.
Dongers Club Appreciation Contest – Day 5 / 7
Below is a link to the leader-board through the first four days. Note, once we complete the qualifier round on Sunday I will need the three people who qualify to hit me up in slack (or ping me on twitter: @steve_renner) and I’ll have the details for the 5 day finals next week.
Dongers Club Appreciation Leaderboard
You must enter minimum of 3 contests to qualify
FRIDAY SLATE
Welcome to an awesome 14 game slate on this Friday, but no it’s not missing a Cubs game. It’s missing the 6:40 Rockies at Reds game which actually has two of the better pitching options on the day of baseball going on it, so that makes for a very interesting slate tonight (yeah, I used the interesting term there).
Eight of the series this weekend are divisional match-ups and only one interleague game between the Astros and Cardinals.
WEATHER
All games play.
There are a ton of higher priced bats tonight that I think lead the way. Fortunately for us, DraftKings has completely butchered pricing on the pitchers tonight so you shouldn’t have any issue finding enough $ for hitting by focusing on mid range and below with pitching
Zack Greinke
… So yeah, despite what I wrote above about focusing on mid-range, I do have to cater to the FanDuel audience as well and even on DK Greinke is relatively solid for the match-up against the Marlins. Zack going back to his home state of Florida and facing a bad team in Miami. Not much else to say here. Logic, data, gut feel, it’s all there unless you are just gonna be cute and contrarian and stack the Marlins? Didn’t think so.
Jose Urquidy
Here’s your DK Pricing error. He just dropped a 35 in his last start as chalk and 48 hours ago everyone was claiming the Cardinals were COLD and you should play Jordan Lyles?!?##? But tonight the Cardinals are suddenly hot? Make up your mind ppl.
Zack Wheeler
Wheeler is really the only other big upside guy on this slate and lets be real, he’s Zack Wheeler and he is coming off a long rest so more than 5 IP today is not realistic IMO. That said he’s usually had his good games at home and Pittsburgh is an offense that offers plenty of upside despite a hot Starling Marte. The $1500 boost on him over Junis on FD is too much for me there, especially when I can get Greinke for $900 more. Wheeler is a DK only spot and at best 20 points DK upside.
Guys who do just okay, nothing great but not horrific
- Joey Lucchesi
- Jeff Samardzjia
Boring Chalk:
- Daniel Norris (DK) … Blah
DK PITCHER PAIRINGS RANKED
- Greinke & Urquidy
- Greinke & Lucchesi
- Wheeler & Junis … Go full tilt here!
FD ARMS RANKED
- Greinke
- Lucchesi
- Junis
Projected Chalk:
Core Stack + One offs is the optimal build today folks……
CUBS
Friends don’t let Friends stack the Pirates is what we like to say. Well, the Cubs are pretty close behind them. Unless it’s a Cubs vs Brewers series in Miller Park with Gio Gonzalez on the mound. Milwaukee’s bullpen isn’t one that should terrify us anymore and of all the games going tonight I think this one has the most sneaky upside in it all around. The Cubs got a little banged up on Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco, but all indications are that Kris Bryant will be good to go tonight and this is a HUGE put up or shut-up series for both teams. Javy Baez leads the way as he comes in on a pretty consistent streak and has mashed LHP all year long.
TWINS
It’s always dangerous to look ahead at the next days schedule while current games are going on. Last night as I saw the Twins got Dylan Cease tonight I got really excited, then they proceeded to hit a ton of bombs. Well, Max Kepler is someone who has killed Chicago and obviously Cruz comes in on fire as well, but Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario to me are guys priced very well and worth taking shots on tonight here too. Twins should rake again.
YANKEES
Empire strikes back tonight against a guy they know well in Cashner. Torres, Voit and Didi.
BRAVES
Atlanta going into Philly? Logically on paper this has the makings of actually being a 5-3 lower scoring game, but even with that said the Braves will get their runs via the long ball and value plays like Brian McCann and Nick Markakis are where I’d shop here today.
CATCHER
- Brian McCann … Long before Robinson Chirinos was the master of ceremony on Friday nights there was Brian McCann. Going into Philly against Arrieta is a great spot for him at a very affordable price on DK.
- Chance Sisco … Yes, I am forcing it here with this kid who I am high on but Tropeano is a big HR guy and good weather again. Gotta think the Orioles get a HR and he is the most likely guy to do it.
- Robinson Chirinos
FIRST BASE
- Edwin Encarnacion / Luke Voit
- Anthony Rizzo … Nobody has him and he owns Miller Park too. Soft tosser like Gio probably walks him but I don’t often go Cubs but when I do, I go full Cubs and that means Bryzoo
- Carlos Santana
- Ji-Man Choi … Whatever, he sucks.
SECOND BASE
- Gleyber Torres – So what happens when Torres gets to face a former Oriole pitcher but is now a Red Sox? We shall find out, none the less the Empire strikes back tonight.
- Austin Nola
- Robel Garcia
- Robbie Cano
THIRD BASE
- Kris Bryant … Hits in 7 of last 9 with 3 XBH and 3 multi-hit games. Steady and low owned.
- Gio Urshela
- Matt Duffy … Value play
SHORTSTOP
Tough call here on DraftKings tonight, either you are on the Twins and ride with Polanco or take Baez — who I obviously love tonight and has a great match-up.
- Javy Baez
- Jorge Polanco
- Francisco Lindor
OUTFIELD
- Max Kepler
- Cody Bellinger … Best of the studs tonight
- Ronald Acuna Jr
- Austin Meadows
OUTFIELD – Off the wall
- AJ Pollock
- Jason Heyward
- David Peralta … He’s back!
- Michael Brantley
- Jorge Soler
OUTFIELD – Value
- Avisail Garcia
- Franmil Reyes
- Nick Markakis
- Dominic Smith
THE CHAIRMAN
Javier Baez – SS – Chicago Cubs
The cover photo today is very appropriate, it’s like Javy Baez looking at his bat and saying — Fuck you Jobu, you no help me now, I do it myself.. We are in a little bit of a “yawn” stretch for the ole Chairman. I mean, could Ohtani have started worse without being a complete tilt by going Walk-HBP last night on his way to actually scoring double digits without a hit?
Well, Javy Baez may not demolish the curve ball. But the change-up? Which Gio throws a ton? Oh. Javy likey
THE REST
- Brian McCann – C – Braves
- Jorge Polanco – SS – Twins
- AJ Pollock – OF – Dodgers
- Kris Bryant – 3B – Cubs
- Avisail Garcia – OF – Rays
- Carlos Santana – 1B – Indians
- Gleyber Torres – 2B – Yankees
- BONUS …………………………… Michael Brantley – OF – Astros
