Friday, August 9th
Fourteen game slate tonight so no White Sox and no Athletics, you can all cry about not having the Matt Olson double dong game now. I know you are extremely upset about this, so much so that you might happen to go put in a 2 game slate NFL pre-season lineup and roster Taysom in every position. Because, who doesn’t do that?
This means we have 6 new series starting today. Someone wants some GIFs for them, dontcha?
Houston Astros at Baltimore Orioles
Hold on, they’re actually letting this series happen?
This isn’t fair.
Washington Nationals at NY Mets
Texas Rangers at Milwaukee Brewers
Riveting match-up.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals
HELLZ TO THE YES ON THE OVERS!
Tampa Bay Zunino’s at Seattle Mariners
WEATHER
All games play, unless they don’t in which case it will be due to variance.
The reason you are paying for my advice is for the calls like Chris Sale last night. I’m gonna pound my chest on some of these stud calls when saying you have to have them over the past 6 weeks and nobody in the world would project 12 K for Sale last night.
WALKER BUEHLER
Price tag is the main issue with Walker today. Specifically on FanDuel it’s a very tough pill to swallow on a one pitcher site with plenty other mid range arms being viable as well. But in two starts against ‘Zona this year he has really been very animated and dominated them with 20 strikeouts over 15 innings and 4 ER. Walker at home on a Friday is money in the bank. Take walker to the bank my friend….
8 innings, 4 hits, 9 strikeouts and a nice big fat W.
BRAD KELLER
Keller is a -151 favorite on the road. Why? Because they’re facing Edwin Fucking Jackson. KC has to win this game, no? Is this a trap? Either way, if the Royals lose it won’t be on Keller in my mind. He’s pitched very well of late and gets plenty of swings and misses. Mr. 7 innings and a quality start will do his thing again today
7 innings, 2 ER, 7 strikeouts
Also Consider: Marcus Stroman – the Nationals back from the west coast will have the jet lag slowing them down. Step up game for Stroman, who pitches well when there is a sense of urgency and tonight at home vs the Nationals brings that.
JALEN BEEKS
I am not a huge Beeks guy, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a viable pitcher in this league and when mediocre pitchers get teams who are asleep at the plate like Seattle you gotta consider them. The Mariners have very little here to scare us off Beeks who as the official starter IMO will pitch better than if he was coming in after an opener tonight.
5 innings, 5 strikeouts, 0 ER
DREW SMYLY
He sucks, but so does San Francisco. Only a viable DK option as an SP2 with Walker Buehler IMO.
FAVORITE DK Pairings
- Walker & Smyly … Basically I would play Walker and a french hooker if I could just to get Walker in.
- Keller & Beeks
- Stroman & Keller
FAVORITE FD ARMS
- Keller
- Buehler
- Beeks
ASTROS
Shouldn’t the Astros mascot be Astro, from the Jetsons? I like their mascot and all, who is named Orbit, but this just feels like a missed opportunity to put a dog as your mascot? Kind of the whole alternative mascot thing. I know that’s more of a football thing where teams have multiple mascots and I can’t really think of that case in MLB, but then maybe I am just having writers block at the moment…. Also, doesn’t Houston come off as being the city in Texas that nobody in Texas wants to admit is part of Texas? I mean, it just feels less Texan than San Antonio, or Dallas or…. oh, uhhh, back to baseball. Yeah. Uhhh. What the fuck do you want me to say? There are three teams this year in baseball who have set the ALL TIME RECORD for most games in a season with 5 home runs against one team. THEY ALL DID IT AGAINST BALTIMORE. I don’t care if this is Dylan Bundy on the mound today. Not having Houston in Camden Yards is just not gonna happen for me today, tomorrow and Sunday. So quit asking. They’re gonna be #1 all weekend barring more riots in Baltimore that would cause the game to be cancelled.
RED SOX
One team you can pivot off Houston with to me in the same price range is Boston. Jaime Diarriah on the road and the Angels shitty bullpen are too hard to pass up for a Boston team that could really use a get right 17 run game against a poor sucker and that poor sucker? Jaime Barria, who can’t get anyone out on the road — especially right handers named JD Martinez. Either way this game is going OVER
ROYALS
Ed-Win Jack-Son. Need I say more? He aint good. He lets guys get on base all the time. Royals are affordable and should very much be popular today. Ball will get in the air and leave Comerica park tonight for Kansas City. Whit-Soler-Soler-Soler-Soler. And yea, Alex Gordon in Comerica.
SNEAKY TEAMS
In order for this to pay off lots of really good teams have to just have quiet nights tonight but I like the spot this team is in……
Tampa Bay
Great road hitting team, good park, terrible opponent. Pham-Diaz-Zunino the core.
San Diego
Kyle Freeland never seems to have the ability to lock in two good starts in a row and coming off a very good home start against the quiet Giants, I would expect this to continue today. San Diego has been murdering LHP and Manny Machado is in a little 3 game hitless slump that shoud end with a banger tonight. Machado-Tatis-Renfroe are all excellent HR upside plays.
SNEAKY GAME STACK
PIRATES / CARDINALS
As they say, When in Rome… Pirates and Cardinals overs folks, it’s a thing…
Welcome to the Marcell Ozuna heater! It’s here. Marte-Ozuna battle it out tonight for supremacy but just lurking waiting to wake up is Josh Bell.
CATCHER
- Mike Zunino
- Martin Maldanado
- Christian Vazquez
- Pedro Severino
FIRST BASE
Another quiet night at first base with the old men club showing up as Pujols is my #1 first basemen today.
- Albert Pujols
- Yuli Gurriel
- Ryan O’Hearn
- Josh Bell
SECOND BASE
You could take the route of just punting with a 0 here today, or pay up for actual production… The value guys here suck.
- Jose Altuve
- Ozzie Albies … OK, you can play him again
- Keston Hiura
THIRD BASE
Top heavy, no point not getting a stud here today
- Hunter Dozier
- Rafael Devers
- Manny Machado
- Alex Bregman
SHORTSTOP
Good value spot.
- Xander Bogaerts
- David Fletcher
- Didi Gregorius
OUTFIELD – Mt. Rushmore
- George Springer
- Jorge Soler
- JD Martinez
- Marcell Ozuna
OUTFIELD – Tier 2
- Josh Reddick
- Brett Gardner
- Mookie Betts
- Whit Merrifield
OUTFIELD – Value
- Alex Gordon
- Justin Upton
- Josh vanMeter
- Marwin Gonzalez
THE CHAIRMAN
- Jorge Soler – OF – Royals
THE REST
- Josh Reddick – OF – Astros
- Brett Gardner – OF – Yankees
- Mike Zunino – C – Rays
- Albert Pujols – 1B – Angels
- Jose Altuve – 2B – Astros
- Matt Carpenter – 3B – Cardinals
- Xander Bogaerts – SS – Red Sox
- BONUS ………………………. Thomas Pham – OF – Rays
