Michael Beller, Adam Ronis and Jeff Boggis win tickets to the #toutdaily on @FanDuel final on August 28th, when 15 ticket holders will compete for $2,000 in prizes and the Tout Daily 2015 crown!
Notably, Adam Ronis won his second ticket to the finals. (Each Tout Daily player may win a maximum of two tickets in the contests five phases.) Other ticket holders thus far are: Scott Pianowski, Lenny Melnick, Tom Kessenich, Lawr Michaels, and Jeff Erickson,
Notably, Derek VanRiper was edged out of a ticket by Jeff Boggis by .25 of a point. That’s a single out by a single hitter over the course of four weeks. VanRiper failed to win a ticket despite finishing in the Top 10 during Phase 3 three times. Only Michael Beller, the Phase 3 winner, also finished in the Top 10 three times during Phase 3.
Notably, nobody else was close to the tickets.
Which brings us to Tim McCullough, who won Phase 3 Week 4, with 50.25 points. This was his second Top 10 finish in #toutdaily’s 12 weeks.
Much like Week 11 champ, Phil Hertz, McCullough built his team with unpopular choices. Only Rajai Davis, Adrian Beltre and Xander Bogaerts were owned by more than two other Tout Daily teams.
Big earners for McCullough were spread across the board, with his exclusive Jake Arrieta earning 13 points despite failing to get the win in St. Louis, and Russell Martin, Prince Fielder, Dee Gordon, Scott Van Slyke and Rajai Davis each earning more than five points.
Phase 3 Week 4 runners up include Ray Murphy (Taijuan Walker, Edwin Encarnacion and Scott Van Slyke) and Tim Heaney (Tyson Ross, Edwin Encarnacion, Brian Dozier and Ryan Raburn).
Notably, Charlie Wiegert’s fourth-place team was the highest finisher to roster the night’s biggest-scoring (and highest-priced) starter, Max Scherzer.
Congratulations to Tim McCullough, Adam Ronis, Michael Beller and Jeff Boggis, and please join us next week for Phase 4 Week 1, when the slate is wiped clean!
We asked the Touts to share their picks for best pitcher and best hitter in tonight’s Tout Daily Week 12 contest. For more about Tout Daily visit here.
Tonight’s contest is Week 4 of Phase 3 of the five phase contest. The top three finishers in each phase get a ticket to the big August 28 final, with big money and the chance to be the first Tout Wars Daily champ. Here are the leaders going into this final week (click to enlarge):
Scott Pianowski, Jeff Erickson, Adam Ronis, Lenny Melnick, Lawr Michaels and Tom Kessenich have tickets to the finals already. The leaderboard is here.
Here are this week’s Tout picks. I’ll be updating this as they come in, so check back later if you get a chance.
Paul Sporer Picks
Francisco Liriano ($9900–Atlanta at Pittsburgh) The contact-heavy approach has served ATL well this year against righties where they sit around or just below average. Yes, that is being “served well” for ATL standards because they were expected to be a total doormat coming into the season and they have been vs. lefties. They sit 28th in wRC+ at 76 WITH Freddie Freeman… imagine them without and it’s not like he killed lefties in the first place (.769 OPS). Liriano has been mostly excellent this year with a 3.26 ERA and skills to back it (and then some). He’s had a few clunkers as he always does, but the upside is elite once he gets rolling.
Luis Valbuena ($3900–New York Yankees at Houston) Valbuena is a DFSer’s dream with his low costs and HR-dependent production. With 19 HRs the price has jumped up, but he’s still worth targeting in tourney situations because of that power output. He’s incredibly boom or bust with two 14-pt nights within his last eight games and then just 7.25 pts in the other six combined. He’s at home and he’s facing righty, his two prime splits. And he’s facing a righty who gets mauled by lefties in Nathan Eovaldi (.964 OPS v. LHB).
Brian Walton Likes
Francisco Liriano ($9900–Atlanta at Pittsburgh) Wise money will be on Max Scherzer ($12,500) against the inept Phillies offense, but then again, if the Nats’ ace was ever going to have an unexplainable let-down, wouldn’t this be the time? Instead, I will save almost three grand and select the ace of my National League Tout Wars squad, Pittsburgh’s Francisco Liriano, who takes on the Freddie Freeman-less Braves at home.
Jason Heyward ($3700–Chicago Cubs at St. Louis) On the offensive side, I will highlight Cardinals outfielder Jason Heyward. Early returns had pegged the Braves as the clear winner in the Shelby Miller trade, but Heyward is finally heating up. The 25-year-old has a .913 OPS in June and is coming off a Miami series during which he went deep twice and plated four.
Jeff Boggis Has A Lot on the Line Tonight
Max Scherzer ($12,500–Washington at Philadelphia) Going into tonight’s contest, I am in 3rd place and a close to a “golden ticket” into the Tout Daily Championship, so I can’t afford to get cute and take chances with my roster tonight. Starting pitching is my top priority and I plan on building my team around Max Scherzer. He is the highest salaried pitcher tonight, but that is not stopping me from rostering him in tonight’s contest. Scherzer has averaged 16.95 fantasy points per game this season and over the past 2 weeks, he has averaged 26 fantasy points. He is coming off his no-hitter against Pittsburgh on Saturday and he is facing a team that he has pitched well against this season. In 2 starts against the Philadelphia Phillies this season, he is 2-0 and is averaging 8 innings pitched, 1 earned run, and 7.5 strikeouts. If he repeats this average, that’s 18.5 fantasy points on Friday night. Scherzer faces Aaron Harang who is giving up a lot of home runs lately. Over the last 4 starts, Harang has allowed 20 earned runs in his last 23.2 inning pitched. There is a 50% chance of rain in Philadelphia on Friday, but it decreases to only 20% on Friday night.
Nolan Arenado ($4,500–Colorado at San Francisco) The third baseman for Colorado is the hottest hitter in baseball this week and ranks #1 overall in the past 7 days with 9 runs scored, 4 home runs, 9 RBIs, and a .391 batting average. He faces Tim Hudson tonight to where he is slugging .500 against him in his last 19 plate appearances. Arendado has 20 home runs and 60 RBIs on the season.
Todd Zola Divines
Francisco Liriano ($9900–Atlanta at Pittsburgh) Facing a weak-hitting Braves team that whiffs at a 22 percent clip versus southpaws, at home in one of the best pitcher’s parks in the league. It’s not even a bang-for-the-buck thing. I expect more points from Liriano than anyone on the docket, including Scherzer and Kluber.
Derek Norris ($2,800–Arizona at San Diego) You know the expression friends with benefits? I call this a punt play with benefits. Norris faces a weak lefty at a minimum price at a position I’ll either spend a ton for the right situation or go cheap. This is going cheap in a great situation.
Al Melchior Ruminates
Max Scherzer ($12,500–Washington at Philadephia) Everyone knows by now that Scherzer has been nearly perfect in back-to-back starts, and he has been flat-out dominant all season long with great control. Add in a matchup against the worst offense in the majors against righties and that makes Scherzer worth every penny.
Luis Valbuena ($3900–New York Yankees at Houston) Valbuena doesn’t hit for average against righties or lefties, but he does crush righties for a .288 Iso. Eovaldi has allowed a .380 batting average to lefties. Looks like the perfect night to start Valbuena.
From the Godfather of Fantasy Sports, Charlie Wiegert
Max Scherzer ($12,500–Washington at Philadephia) The closest thing to a sure thing, so you have to pay the price. But Max has been on a roll, has an inferior Phillies team, and wants to extend the Washington pitchers scoreless innings streak. He’s 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA vs Phillies this year, pay the price and get the best.
Evan Longoria ($2900–Boston at Tampa Bay) I’ll have to go cheap with Scherzer, so looking for bargains. I’ll take a couple $2200 outfielders, and some right handed hitting Blue Jay hitters at home vs Texas lefty starter Nick Martinez and hope Evan Longoria takes Rick Porcello deep.
Steve Moyer’s Inside Edge
Francisco Liriano ($9900–Atlanta at Pittsburgh) Anyone cheaper than Mr. No-Hitter is a bargain tonight and Inside Edge says Lirano is the best choice on the board. When the Phillies are pounding Scherzer later, you’ll be doing the happy dance (OK, I’m getting carried away).
Justin Upton ($3,300–Arizona at San Diego) Clicks on all cylinders according to the new, even more improved this week Inside Edge engine. Say Hey, Robbie Ray!
Ray Murphy’s Thoughts
Taijuan Walker ($7,800–Seattle at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) Much attention will be focused on Scherzer, but I’ll take a shot with Taijuan Walker tonight for $7800. He’s been on a roll for the last month, and in that time has established that he can thrive on the road. He is at Anaheim tonight, facing a surprisingly-punchless Angels lineup. I’ll roll with him and bet that I can use the $4700 savings between him and Scherzer to build an offense that makes up any points gap between the two hurlers.
Scott Van Slyke ($3,000–Los Angeles Dodgers at Miami) is my favorite platoon specialist tonight: facing rookie southpaw Justin Nicolino, Van Slyke will slot into the middle of the Dodgers lineup. Look for a long ball from him.
Michael Beller Zags
Francisco Liriano ($9900–Atlanta at Pittsburgh) You can go in a lot of different directions with your pitcher tonight, but I’m riding with Francisco Liriano. A matchup with the Freddie Freeman-less Braves? Yes, please.Josh Donaldson ($4,100–Texas at Toronto) Rostering Liriano instead of one of the pitchers priced higher than him allows me to stack Blue Jays. Of all those Jays, I think Josh Donaldson is the best bet. He should be able to take advantage of a matchup with Nick Martinez.
Eno Sarris Digs
Jesse Hahn ($7,800–Kansas City at Oakland) Way down there on the list, the 12th-most expensive pitcher, that’s the one I want. Hahn hasn’t been a great source of strikeouts, but he continues to tell me they are coming, and there are reasons to believe — his curve is among the league-leaders in spin rate, and was a top-five pitch by whiffs last year among curveballs thrown by starters. In the meantime, though, he’s just a really high floor pitcher at home. After being on teams with pitcher’s parks over the last two years, he’s shown a 3.03 ERA at home. Like the price most of all, though.
Victor Martinez ($3,300–Chicago White Sox at Detroit) It’s so nice to be able to play Victor Martinez at catcher. It’s even nicer when he’s facing a lefty that uses a curveball as his out pitch. Martinez has traditionally batted better from the right side, and has mashed yakkers over his career. Given that Jose Quintana doesn’t get many whiffs, and Martinez doesn’t whiff much, this seems like a great matchup for the Tiger. I was tempted to put a cheap Ryan Rua on here — the Texas outfielder is facing a lefty today, in Toronto — but Rua will bat lower in the lineup and is more of a lineup hole-plugger with some upside.
Phil Hertz Hits
Jesse Hahn ($7,800–Kansas City at Oakland) I’m a little nervous about Jesse Hahn’s potential lack of strikeouts, but he’s been pitching well, the A’s are playing well, and the price is right.
Logan Morrison ($2,400–Seattle at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) has an OPS north of .800 against righthanded pitchers and has hit Matt Shoemaker well before.
Scott Engel’s Kiss
Francisco Liriano ($9900–Atlanta at Pittsburgh) If you are not going to spend up for Max Scherzer tonight, then Francisco Liriano looks like a good option at $9,900. The Braves offense is rather punchless without Freddie Freeman and Liriano should be in line for the win.
Brian Dozier ($3,900–Minnesota at Milwaukee) Kyle Lohse is having a terrible season and I will always attack him when I can. Righties are hittng .323 with 10 HRs against him so I will lock in Brian Dozier at 3,900 and maybe add a Twins teammate or two.
Gene McCaffrey’s Pearls
lex Colome ($6,400–Boston at Tampa Bay) Roll those dice with Alex Colome against the anemic Red Sox in Tampa. You may lose but you should have plenty of hitting points.
Robinson Cano ($2,600–Seattle at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) is finally heating up, nice spot vs lost righty Shoemaker tonight.
Lenny Melnick’s Voice
Max Scherzer ($12,500–Washington at Philadelphia) If we are true Baseball fans ,we must root for Max Scherzer to tie Johnny Vander Meer’s record of 2 NO hitters in a row Im rooting and playing him for all the wrong DFS reasons
Evan Gattis ($3,300–New York Yankees at Houston) Eovaldi in Houston? Give me Gattis and a side order of Valbuena please! Ill take it TO GO! (deep)
Jake Ciely Skies One
Max Scherzer ($12,500–Washington at Philadelphia) Man, it’s tough to stomach a pitcher priced at $12,500, but is there a chance we see back-to-back no-hitters for Max Scherzer? After all, the Phillies are the worst team in baseball against righties for wOBA (.279) and wRC+ (74). There are quite a few hitters in the $2,000 range, where you can build a solid lineup behind Scherzer (I did it), so you have to go with the guy who has 52 points over his last two starts.
Jake took Byron Buxton, early in the day, but switched to Bryce Harper when Buxton went on the DL.
Lawr Micheal’s Disembodied Poetics
John Lackey ($8,800–Chicago Cubs at St. Louis) Since I need points, my “crapshoot” is Lackey facing the Cubbies, who are indeed free swingers.
Andrew McCutchen ($4,200–Atlanta at Pittsburgh) With Josh Harrison ($3,300) A minor stack against Williams Perez, who has pitched well enough, but averted disaster by allowing opposing hitters a .324 OBP to go with his 1.377 WHIP.
Scott Swanay’s Stabs
Trevor May ($6,400–Minnesota at Milwuakee) He’s been pitching better of late, and he gets to face a strikeout-prone team(Milwaukee) that’s starting a struggling pitcher (Kyle Lohse). Max Scherzer seems like the “obvious” pick for tonight, but the Phillies don’t strike out a lot, so I’ll spend my money elsewhere.
Charles Blackmon ($4,400–Colorado at San Francisco) The price tag seems low for a streaking hitter facing a mediocre starter (Tim Hudson). The only thing that could make this match-up more appealing were if the game were being played at Coors Field. Brett Gardner was the other hitter I considered tabbing for this week’s contest.
Doug Anderson’s Dailies
Tyson Ross ($8,800–Arizona at San Diego) – FanDuel has five pitchers priced above Ross. Just remember this is Tyson Petco Ross we’re talking about. He’s a much different pitcher than Tyson on-the-road Ross. While this year’s splits don’t agree, I’m going with a career’s worth of splits. He’s also coming off a dominant performance of his own against these same Diamondbacks.
Yoenis Cespedes ($3,700–Chicago White Sox at Detroit) vs. Jose Quintana (LHP) – First of all, I’m not a big believer in Batter vs. Pitcher numbers. BUT, Cespedes is part of maybe the best stack of the night, and he’s 8-for-12 with four home runs off Quintana in his career. It’s a small sample size, but it does tell me Quintana is not going to dominate Cespedes.
Pitcher (Cost–Game) Votes (FanDuel Points)
Francisco Liriano ($9900–Atlanta at Pittsburgh) 7 (8) Max Scherzer ($12,500–Washington at Philadelphia) 5 (17) Taijuan Walker ($7,800–Seattle at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) (12)
Jesse Hahn ($7,800–Kansas City at Oakland) 2 (8) Alex Colome ($6,400–Boston at Tampa Bay) 2 (5) John Lackey ($8,800–Chicago Cubs at St. Louis) Trevor May ($6,400–Minnesota at Milwaukee) (-4.67) Tyson Ross ($8,800–Arizona at San Diego)
Hitter (Cost–Game) Votes (FanDuel Points)
Luis Valbuena ($3900–New York Yankees at Houston) 2 (.25) Jason Heyward ($3700–Chicago Cubs at St. Louis) (-1) Nolan Arenado ($4,500–Colorado at San Francisco)
Derek Norris ($2,800–Arizona at San Diego) (2.25) Justin Upton ($3,300–Arizona at San Diego) Evan Longoria ($2900–Boston at Tampa Bay) Scott Van Slyke ($3,000–Los Angeles Dodgers at Miami) (8.25)
Josh Donaldson ($4,100–Texas at Toronto) (3.25)
Victor Martinez ($3,300–Chicago White Sox at Detroit) (1.25) Logan Morrison ($2,400–Seattle at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) (.25) Brian Dozier ($3,900–Minnesota at Milwaukee) (7.75)
Kole Calhoun ($2,200–Seattle at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) Robinson Cano ($2,600–Seattle at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) (5.25) Evan Gattis ($3,300–New York Yankees at Houston)
Bryce Harper ($5,300–Washington at Philadelphia) Andrew McCutchen ($4,200–Atlanta at Pittsburgh) With Josh Harrison ($3,300)
Charles Blackmon ($4,400–Colorado at San Francisco) Yoenis Cespedes ($3,700–Chicago White Sox at Detroit) Ian Kinsler ($2,800–Chicago White Sox at Detroit)
I’ve had a lot of bad days playing DFS, when most of my picks were outliers, guys picked in under 5 percent of the teams.
Tonight, Phil Hertz won Week 3 of Phase 3 of Tout Daily with a roster of just such outliers. Only Steven Vogt, who was on 11 percent of Tout Daily teams was on Phil’s squad and more than two others.
Phil was the only owner of Roenis Ellis, who he plugged in this afternoon’s Tout Picks post at ToutWars.com.
On the hitting side, he soared with Nolan Arenado, Stephen Vogt (who was owned by five teams), Jhonny Peralta, Brett Gardner and Justin Upton. Apart from Vogt, none of his scorers was owned by more than two teams in the Tout Daily contest.
It should be noted that Hertz hurt. The second place team was more than 10 points behind. Second place finisher Jake Ciely managed to do it without a productive pitching performance (from Carlos Carrasco). It seems there are many ways to skin a cat.
The weekly leaders for the ticket to the final on August 28 are: Derek Van Riper, Michael Beller, and Jeff Boggis, but they are trailed by Scott Pianowski, Adam Ronis, Brian Walton and Lenny Melnick, all of whom (apart from Brian Walton) already have tickets to the finals.
Prompted by Fred Zinkie’s Tweet, a look at the Tout Wars Mixed Auction trades of the past week.
The first trade (actually before the big 8) was classic hitting for pitching.
Al Melchior gets: Matt Carpenter StL from Scott Pianowski Scott Pianowski gets: James McCann Det and Jacob DeGrom NYM from Al Melchior
Accepted by all parties at 2:30 PM on 05/28/2015.
Trading season usually starts about two months into the season. Melchior now needed a catcher. So he dealt.
Al Melchior gets: Carlos Perez LAA from Paul Singman Paul Singman gets: Nick Castellanos Det from Al Melchior
Accepted by all parties at 4:21 PM on 05/28/2015.
More hitting for Melchior for more pitching.
Al Melchior gets: Mark Teixeira NYY from David Gonos David Gonos gets: Dallas Keuchel Hou from Al Melchior
Accepted by all parties at 1:18 PM on 05/31/2015.
Maybe we should take a look at the standings on May 31. You can see today’s standings here.
The team in last place in Runs and next to last in homers, adds Teixeira and Carpenter, giving up two arms from his league-leading pitching staff. How good is the staff now?
His starters include Chris Sale, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and the youngsters, Eduardo Rodriguez and Lance McCullers. Might still be plenty good.
Fred Zinkie is usually the action trader in this league. He starts off with a small one.
Fred Zinkie gets: Danny Santana Min from Paul Singman Paul Singman gets: 3 FAAB dollars from Fred Zinkie
Accepted by all parties at 2:30 PM on 06/01/2015.
Then, loosened up, he goes bigger.
Cory Schwartz gets: Jason Heyward StL from Fred Zinkie Fred Zinkie gets: Kole Calhoun LAA from Cory Schwartz
Accepted by all parties at 2:10 PM on 06/03/2015.
Cory Schwartz then puts together a righteous threeway.
Cory Schwartz gets: Brandon Belt SF from Nando DiFino Scott Pianowski gets: Andre Ethier LAD and Yonder Alonso SD and 1 FAAB dollars from Cory Schwartz. And 2 FAAB dollars from Nando DiFino Nando DiFino gets: Avisail Garcia CWS from Scott Pianowski and Rougned Odor Tex from Cory Schwartz
Accepted by all parties at 11:04 AM on 06/05/2015.
Nando DiFino lures away a top prospect for a former ace.
Nando DiFino gets: Carlos Correa Hou from Joe Pisapia Joe Pisapia gets: Justin Verlander Det from Nando DiFino
Accepted by all parties at 1:13 PM on 06/07/2015.
Closing the circle, Nando and Fred find common ground.
Fred Zinkie gets: Alex Rodriguez NYY from Nando DiFino Nando DiFino gets: Wil Myers SD from Fred Zinkie
Accepted by all parties at 6:12 PM on 06/07/2015.
Scott Pianowski returns, introducing Tim Heaney to the dance.
Scott Pianowski gets: Dexter Fowler ChC from Tim Heaney Tim Heaney gets: Billy Hamilton Cin from Scott Pianowski
Accepted by all parties at 5:21 PM on 06/07/2015.
It’s good to remember this is an OBP league when evaluating that one.
Now Pianowski and DiFino rejigger. Those 3 FAAB are the ones Pianowski picked up in the earlier deal with Nando and Cory.
Scott Pianowski gets: Salvador Perez KC from Nando DiFino Nando DiFino gets: James McCann Det and Martin Prado Mia and 3 FAAB dollars from Scott Pianowski
Accepted by all parties at 6:14 PM on 06/07/2015.
More players move through Zinkie, as he sells low.
Ray Flowers gets: Mike Fiers Mil, Christian Yelich Mia, Drew Hutchison Tor and 2 FAAB dollars from Fred Zinkie Fred Zinkie gets: David DeJesus TB and Starling Marte Pit from Ray Flowers
Accepted by all parties at 9:08 PM on 06/07/2015.
And finally, a small one for a big catcher, at least in the future.
Ray Flowers gets: 4 FAAB dollars from David Gonos David Gonos gets: Blake Swihart Bos from Ray Flowers
Accepted by all parties at 2:14 PM on 06/08/2015.
What’s the final tally?
Al Melchior gets Matt Carpenter, Mark Teixeira and Carlos Perez, giving up James McCann, Jacob DeGrom, Dallas Keuchel, and Nick Castellanos.
Scott Pianowski gets Jacob DeGrom, Andre Ethier, Yonder Alonso, Dexter Fowler, and Salvador Perez, for Matt Carpenter, Avisail Garcia, Billy Hamilton, and Martin Prado.
Paul Singman got Nick Castellanos and 3 FAAB for Carlos Perez and Danny Santana.
David Gonos gets Dallas Keuchel and Blake Swihart for Mark Teixeira and 4 fAAB.
Fred Zinkie gets Danny Santana, Kole Calhoun, Alex Rodriguez, David DeJesus and Starling Marte and gives up 5 FAAB, Jason Heyward, Wil Myers, Mike Fiers, Christian Yelich, and Drew Hutchison.
Cory Schwarts gets Jason Heyward, and Brandon Belt for Kole Calhoun, Andre Ethier, Yonder Alonso, Rougned Odor, and 1 FAAB.
Nando DiFino gets Avisail Garcia, Rougned Odor, Carlos Correa, Wil Myers, James McCann, Martin Prado and 1 FAAB for Salvado Perez, Alex Rodriguez, Justin Verlander, and Brandon Belt.
Joe Pisapia gets Justin Verlander and gives Carlos Correa.
Tim Heaney gets Billy Hamilton and gives Dexter Fowler.
Ray Flowers gets Mike Fiers, Christian Yelich, Drew Hutchison and 6 FAAB for David Dejesus, Blake Swihart and Starling Marte.
We asked the Touts to share their picks for best pitcher and best hitter tonight’s Tout Daily Week 9 contest. You can follow the results here tonight. For more about Tout Daily visit here.
Tonight’s contest is Week 1 of Phase 3 of the five phase contest. The top three finishers in each phase get a ticket to the big August 28 final, with big money and the chance to be the first Tout Wars Daily champ.
Scott Pianowski, Jeff Erickson, Adam Ronis, Lenny Melnick, Lawr Michaels and Tom Kessenich have tickets to the finals already. The leaderboard is here.
Here are this week’s Tout picks. I’ll be updating this as they come in, so check back later if you get a chance.
Jeff Boggis Predicts
Brett Anderson ($6,700–St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers)What? Brett Anderson is still in the major leagues? Not only is he back, but through 55 innings pitched, he has 2 wins, an ERA of 3.25, and WHIP of 1.32, and a K/BB ratio of 39/14. In his last 5 starts, he has averaged 9.8 fantasy points on Fan Duel. I believe that Anderson’s $6,700 is coming at a discounted price due to his back tightness from May 25th, but he pitched well, experiencing no back issues in his next outing on May 31. With a less than stellar selection of starting pitchers tonight, why not spend your salary cap money on hitting and take a calculated risk with Brett Anderson tonight? Tonight’s Projection: 7 IP, 6K, 2 ER, 0 W = 11 Fantasy Points
Paul Goldschmidt ($5,500–New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks)I really wanted to go here with Giancarlo Stanton, but there is a 45% chance of rain tonight at Colorado, paired with a late game start, and I can’t take that big of a risk. Instead, I will go with Paul Goldschmidt and pay up on the premium that I saved by starting Brett Anderson as my starting pitcher. Goldschmidt is on a tear and over the last 7 days, he has a .480 batting average, 4 home runs, 7 RBIs, and 7 runs scored. He is at home and faces a weak Met’s pitcher in Jonathon Niese. If you are looking for a value pick, then start Jose Abreu ($3,700) at home versus Detroit’s Kyle Ryan.
Jeff Erickson’s Picks
Rays at Orioles 8/25/14
Jake Odorizzi ($8,600–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) This is a tough pitcher’s slate, as none of the aces are going and most of the best alternatives are on the road. I’ll use Odorizzi against a Mariners lineup that has really scuffled this week, and hope that he gets better run support than he has in most of his outings. I was tempted to go with Tim Lincecum against the Phillies, but he’s on the road and only $100 cheaper.
Joey Butler ($3,000–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) While he is no longer a bargain basement guy, Butler remains cheap enough to be an automatic start against left-handers, allowing me to invest in an expensive hitter like Giancarlo Stanton in Coors Field (currently only at 51% chance of rain – that’s almost a sunny forecast!).
Todd Zola Says
Edinson Volquez ($8,400–Texas Rangers at Kansas City Royals) On a slate where Jake Odorizzi is the safest option, you may as well swing for the fences. The Royals are the biggest favorite on the board and the run total is among the lowest on the ledger. Volquez has strikeout upside though the Rangers are average in terms of strikeouts versus right-handers.
Paul Goldschmidt ($5,500–New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks) You’re not going to need to spend on an arm so you can go for a top bat and it doesn’t get any better than Goldie facing Jon Niese. Niese has allowed at least four runs in each of his last four outings, serving up a least one homer in each (eight for the season in just 57 frames).
Steve Moyer’s Inside Edge
Michael Cuddyer ($2,700–New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks) Inside Edge says high output/low salary tonight against Jeremy Hellickson.
Williams Perez ($5,800–Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves)With no stud starters tonight, IE says Perez is the second-best choice on the board. And he costs $100 more than Bryce Harper.
Lawr Michaels’ Revelations
Aaron Sanchez ($6,800–Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays) In a day of generally crappy pitching, I am buying as low as is reasonable with Sanchez, figuring he can whiff some swing happy Astros and hang on for six decent innings.
Avasail Garcia ($2,500–Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox) Again, somewhat under the radar, but he kicks it against lefties and I think Kyle Ryan makes an appropriate victim. DPed and Hanley look equally tasty versus the struggling Kazmir.
Eno Sarris’s Notes
Jake Odorizzi ($8,600–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) In the past, I may have emphasized the Odorizzi’s splitter negates the platoon advantage well, so the lefties in Seattle’s lineup might be neutralized, leaving one big righty to get past. But even with Mark Trumbo in the mix, Odorizzi won’t worry too much about this matchup. The new hybrid cutter/slider — yes, it’s a slutter — gives him a weapon against righties that he was missing. Odorizzi is a top pitcher in a good park against a meh lineup, and he’s not one of the two most expensive pitchers on a tough day for pitching. Giddyap.
Paul Goldschmidt ($5,500–New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks) Sometimes, the big boys are worth the money. Both Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Cabrera have the platoon advantage (against Jon Niese and Jose Quintana, respectively) in nice parks tonight (Arizona and Chicago respectively), but it’s Goldschmidt that has rocked curveballs most of his career (judging by FanGraphs’ pitch type weights, while Cabrera’s work against them has been more modest. Add in the fact that Goldschmidt is at home, and all batters fare better in their home environs, and he seems like today’s rock solid pick.
Michael Beller Says
Jake Odorizzi ($8,600–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) I’m betting a lot of people go cheap on pitching with the generally weak options on Friday. Odorizzi, who just held the Mariners to one earned run and fanned seven in seven innings last week, is well worth the $8,600.
Paul Goldschmidt ($5,500–New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks) This doesn’t really require an explanation, but any time one of the best hitters in the league is also one of the hottest hitters, he needs to be in your lineup.
Ray Murphy Likes
Wade Miley ($7,000–Oakland Athletics at Boston Red Sox)On a day with no “safe” options for the mound, you can turn it around and look and see which risky pitcher has the best matchup. At BaseballHQ, we have a tool called Pure Quality Starts that rates each SP outing on a scale of 0-5. Among tonight’s matchups, the “softest” for any scheduled starter is Wade Miley ($7000) against the A’s: against LHPs on the road, the A’s offense has allowed opposing pitchers to post an average PQS score of 4.0 (i.e. a very good outing). Put another way, the A’s have a .625 OPS against lefties (.739 vR), and a .698 OPS on the road (.724 at home). Miley gets the better end of both of those splits tonight.
Wil Venable ($2,400–San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds) A dearth of top-end pitching tonight means that hitting options will be abundant. Even with a cheap pitcher like Miley, a cheap hitter or two can really open up some options in the rest of your lineup. A favorite budget-hitter of mine tonight is Wil Venable who checks every box you want: he’s batting leadoff, with the platoon advantage, against a shaky SP in Raisel Iglesias, in a hitter-friendly balllpark. I’ll take that every night.
Peter Kreutzer Thinks
Tsuyoshi Wada ($6,700–Chicago Cubs at Washington Nationals) has been striking guys out since his return from the DL but has yet to score a win. This is a rematch of a Chicago game 10 days ago that Tanner Roark won 2-1, and the Nats have struggled to score runs since. Ks, cheapness, and a chance to win make Wada a good bet on a tough night for pitching picks.
Charlie Blackmon ($4,000–Miami Marlins at Colorado Rockies) has the platoon advantage in Colorado. Nuff said! Unless it rains too much.
Doug Anderson Values
Jake Odorizzi ($8,600–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) He’s not been quite as good on the road, but Seattle ranks 24th in the Majors in runs scored at home. On a day like today, there’s something to be said for safety, even in a tournament.
Jose Abreu ($3,700–Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox) Abreu is a .331 career hitter vs. LHP. Kyle Ryan has had 4.00-plus ERAs in three of his five minor league seasons. The Cell is a great hitter’s park. I’m taking Abreu at a reduced price and will spend it elsewhere.
Paul Greco Writes
Jake Odorizzi ($8,600–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) Not a single pitcher tonight over $10K means, find the best option. Tonight, I’m rolling with Jake Ordorizzi against the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners are losers of five straight and are averaging seven strikeouts per game over those five loses. I’m going to take the points here with Ordorizzi and hope the Rays stay hot, winners of four out of their last five games.
Dustin Pedroia ($3,200–Oakland A’s at Boston RedSox) is hitting 87 points better at home (.351/.264) than on the road. He’s also facing a lefty in Scott Kazmir who he’s enjoyed tremendous success against in his career (.475). Since May 21 Pedroia is batting .380 with three homers.
Gene McCaffrey Cracks
Williams Perez ($5,800–Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves) Lots of bad pitching bets, lots of dynamite hitter matchups, I’m going to roll the dice and let the chips fall with Williams Perez on the hill.
Troy Tulowitzki ($4,800–Miami Marlins at Colorado Rockies) For hitters, there might be five who pop two HRs and one of the better bets to do that is Tulo.
Scott Pianowski Plays
Billy Hamilton ($3,300–San Diego Padres @ Cincinnati Reds) and Brandon Phillips ($3,300–San Diego Padres @ Cincinnati Reds) As good as Tyson Ross is, he’s far and away the biggest stolen-base giveaway in the league. Someone is running in Cincinnati tonight.
Jake Odorizzi ($8,600–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) Consistency is one of the most underrated aspects of a pitcher’s profile. Odorizzi hasn’t had a blowup start yet, and he’s worked six innings or more in every turn.
From the Godfather of Fantasy Sports, Charlie Wiegert
Williams Perez ($5,800–Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves) Long shot time! There’s no pitcher I really like tonight, so I’d rather spend my money on hitters. Perez is coming off a good last outing vs the Giants, has averaged almost a strike per inning, and I’m projecting his home start against Pittsburgh should produce 14 points.
Josh Donaldson ($4,900–Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays) Big money going on Toronto’s 3B Donaldson, who has 6 HRs in his last 8 games, 4 in his last three in the Rogers Centre. Hopefully he takes Houston starter Roberto Hernandez deep tonight in what should be a high scoring affair North of the border. I’m also targeting Miami hitters against Eddie Butler at Colorado. Butler has an over 5 ERA at night at home, with left-handed hitters raking .333 against him.
Phil Hertz rules
Jake Odorizzi ($8,600–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) has had no disastrous starts this year and a number of very good to excellent starts. Pitching Seattle makes him a safe choice with good upside.
Yasmany Tomas ($3,000–New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks) hasn’t hit for much power, but he has hit. He gets a struggling and perhaps injured Jon Niese in a very good hitters park.
Scott Swanay votes
Jake Odorizzi ($8,600–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) You can throw the names of the top half dozen options in a hat and pick one this week, but I’ll go with Odorizzi. His K/9 is lower than some of the other options I considered (Martinez, Ross, Kazmir), but I’ll go with him because he’s facing a strikeout-prone, offensively-challenged team that becomes even more so with the addition of the newly-acquired Mark Trumbo to that lineup.
Eric Hosmer ($3,500–Texas Rangers at Kansas City Royals) Based on a cursory glance at historical results from this weekly contest, it appears that RBIs may be the hitting category with the strongest correlation with overall hitter points. So, I’ll go with a middle-of-the-order bat who should get several RBI opportunities as his team squares off against Texas rookie Chi Chi Gonzalez.
Brian Walton’s selections
Tyson Ross ($9,000–San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds) has a great matchup Friday night against Cincinnati. In 25 career innings against them, the Padres starter allowed just two runs on 12 hits for an ERA of 0.72. Reds batters have managed a collective .145 batting average against him.
Brandon Belt ($3,600–San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies) has never faced pitcher Jerome Williams, but last month in his seven starts, hitters smoked the Phillies right-hander to the tune of a 6.62 ERA. This season, Belt has seven home runs, 22 RBI and a .994 OPS against right-handed pitching, so what could possibly go wrong for Williams?
Al Melchior opines
Jake Odorizzi ($8600–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) Odorizzi seems to have gotten past his control and long ball issues, and with an 11.2 percent whiff rate, he has some strikeout potential that hasn’t been fully tapped this season. Even with Mark Trumbo, the Mariners lineup represents a good matchup and Safeco Field is a favorable venue.
Justin Upton ($4000–San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds) With Upton facing Jon Moscot in his major league debut, it’s hard to find a more enticing hitter. Moscot is a contact pitcher with flyball tendencies who will be toiling in the Reds’ bandbox of a ballpark. Upton is slugging .510 against flyball pitchers this season, which is not far above his .487 career mark against flyballers. As Tony Robbins likes to say, “Yumbo!”.
Paul Sporer likes
Jake Odorizzi ($8,600–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) Pitching is tough today because there just aren’t any HIGH caliber names. There are some solid ones like Odorizzi, but no unquestioned studs. I think Odorizzi is a solid option. He has a pretty high floor as he hasn’t allowed more than 4 ER in any outing this year. His Ks has dipped from last year, but the results are much better (4.13 to 2.61 ERA) so it’s been a worthy trade-off. The Ms have some punch in their lineup, but they are in the bottom 10 of wRC+ v. righties this year.
Preston Tucker ($2,900–Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays) Aaron Sanchez has a 1.013 OPS lefties with a 12% K rate and 17% BB rate. Tucker has emerged into the three-hole of that lineup, too, and they’re headed to Rogers Centre. Best part is that Tucker hasn’t really shown a platoon split in either of the last two seasons so he’s not even super susceptible to lefty RPs later in the game.
Pitcher (Cost–Game) Votes (FanDuel Points)
Brett Anderson ($6,700–St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers) (10.66) Jake Odorizzi ($8,600–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) 13 (8.33) Edinson Volquez ($8,400–Texas Rangers at Kansas City Royals) (9.33) Williams Perez ($5,800–Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves) 3 (6)
Aaron Sanchez ($6,800–Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays) (14) Wade Miley ($7,000–Oakland Athletics at Boston Red Sox) (15.33) Tsuyoshi Wada ($6,700–Chicago Cubs at Washington Nationals) (-.34) Tyson Ross ($9,000–San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds) (14)
Tanner Roark ($5,600–Chicago Cubs at Washington Nationals) (11.66)
Hitter (Cost–Game) Votes (FanDuel Points)
Paul Goldschmidt ($5,500–New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks) 4 (6.5) Joey Butler ($3,000–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) (2.5) Michael Cuddyer ($2,700–New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks) (5.25) Avasail Garcia ($2,500–Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox) (7.25)
Ben Paulsen ($3,300–Miami Marlins at Colorado Rockies) (.25)
Wil Venable ($2,400–San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds) (6.25) Charlie Blackmon ($4,000–Miami Marlins at Colorado Rockies) (3) Jose Abreu ($3,700–Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox) (3.25) Dustin Pedroia ($3,200–Oakland A’s at Boston Red Sox) (5.75) Troy Tulowitzki ($4,800–Miami Marlins at Colorado Rockies) (4.75) Billy Hamilton ($3,300–San Diego Padres @ Cincinnati Reds) (1.25) Brandon Phillips ($3,300–San Diego Padres @ Cincinnati Reds) (1.5) Lucas Duda ($3,800–New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks) (.25) Josh Donaldson ($4,900–Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays) (1.25) Seven Souza ($3,700–Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners) (-1) Yasmany Tomas ($3,000–New York Mets at Arizona Diamondbacks) (3.75) Eric Hosmer ($3,500–Texas Rangers at Kansas City Royals) (.5) Brandon Belt ($3,600–San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies) (2.25) Justin Upton ($4,000–San Diego Padres at Cincinnati Reds) (1.25) Manny Machado ($3,300–Baltimore Orioles at Cleveland Indians) (-1) Preston Tucker ($2,900–Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays) (-1)
We asked the Touts to share their picks for best pitcher and best hitter tonight’s Tout Daily Week 8 contest. You can follow the results here tonight. For more about Tout Daily visit here.
Tonight’s contest rounds out Phase 2 of the five phase contest. The top three finishers in each phase get a ticket to the big August 28 final, with big money and the chance to be the first Tout Wars Daily champ.
The current top 10 are Lawr Michaels, Lenny Melnick, Patrick Mayo, Jake Ciely, Tom Kessenich, Chris Liss, Scott Pianowski (who already has a ticket), Steve Gardner, Seth Trachtman and David Gonos. The leaderboard is here.
Here are this week’s Tout picks. I’ll be updating this as they come in, so check back later if you get a chance.
Steve Moyer says:
Lance McCullers ($5400–Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros) – He’s at the bottom of the starting pitcher salary heap, but Inside Edge says he’s tonight’s seventh-best starter. That’s a mismatch.
Jose Iglesias ($2300–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) – Another bargain pick (fresh off the DL, make sure he’s playing), taking these two guys will allow you to fill your lineup with all kinds of studs elsewhere, maybe even Brycie-poo.
Andrea LaMont’s picks:
Anibal Sanchez ($8,200–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) has faced current Los Angeles Angels batters 72 times over his career, allowing 17 hits, including two home runs, while walking only two and striking out 17. Although Sanchez has been both great and horrid on the mound this season, he still maintains an impressive K/BB ratio of 3.47, and has gone at least six innings in seven of ten starts so far this season.
Torii Hunter ($3400–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) In 2058 total at bats against Left-Handed Pitchers, Hunter has earned a .297 average, with 93 home runs and 327 RBI. So far this season, he is hitting .300 against lefties, with three home runs and 10 RBI. Hunter has hit in each of the last seven games, and should see no problem keeping the streak alive today when he faces LHP Mark Buehrle at home. Hunter bats second in the lineup, behind Brian Dozier, and in front of Trevor Plouffe, who are also hitting the ball well right now. Hunter has earned 23.5 points over his last seven at Fan Duel, and costs $3400.
Ferdinando DiFino likes:
Mike Foltynewicz ($7300–Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants) With 14 strikeouts against two walks in his last two starts, Foltynewicz seems to have the early control issues handled. He gets a nice pitcher-friendly park tonight against a team that can be shut down offensively in the right circumstances.
Dustin Pedroia ($3200–Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers) $3200 for a leadoff hitter with power potential, against a pitcher who is erratic and has bouts of wildness, seems like too good of a bargain to pass up
Jeff Erickson’s picks:
James Shields, ($9,300–Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres) There are so many good options tonight, but I’ll shave a few bucks with Shields compared to Harvey/Gray/Hamels and still get a home start in Petco with a lot of strikeouts. I’m hoping that he will be less-used because the Pirates have been hot lately. I also considered A contrarian play with Strasburg against my stinky Reds.Chris Davis. ($3,300–Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles) I am going with a handful of Twins and Orioles tonight. Davis has three homers the last two days and is still pretty cheap at $3,300.
Brian Walton selects:
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) at home has considerable appeal. After all, he is coming off a strong four-game stretch during which he has posted a 1.23 ERA and logged better than a strikeout per inning. Now, he is facing a Colorado lineup that struggles against left-handed pitching everywhere (.675 OPS). That creates a formula for a good night ahead for the Phillies starter – assuming he is not traded first!
Rajai Davis ($3000–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) For my highlight hitter, I will stray off the beaten path. Though the outfielder has drawn the bad side of a platoon with red-hot Anthony Gose this season, the Tigers face their second consecutive lefty in Hector Santiago Friday evening. Given that and his .372 OBP and .898 OPS against left-handed pitching this season, Davis should again be in manager Brad Ausmus’ lineup – and yours, too.
Al Melchior likes:
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadephia Phillies) Matt Harvey against the Marlins is appealing and Lance McCullers is a great tournament play, but Hamels should be safe and productive for any contest, given the Rockies struggles versus lefties and on the road.
Brandon Belt ($3600 – Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants) Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz is allowing a .332 Avg and .239 Iso against lefties. Belt, on the other hand, ranks 12th in wOBA against righties with a .995 OPS. Belt is primed with this matchup to continue his hot streak (last 13 games: .358/.414/.830).
Lenny Melnick picks
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) Colo is No. 1 K team vs LP in MLB
Brian Dozier ($3900–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) Has been hitting LP very well vs Buehrle
Paul Greco takes:
Matt Harvey ($10,700-Miami Marlins at New York Mets) – This is a no brainer to me for today. Harvey is one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game and is facing a lineup that does not particularly hit righties well. Harvey, who pitches better at home, posts a better K% and lower ERA.
Prince Fielder ($4,500-Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers) – There are not many hitters hotter than Prince Fielder right. Over his last seven days all he’s done is hit five homers, drive in 15 RBI and post a .469 BA. Not to mention the fact he demolishes right-handed pitchers (.397). With Josh Hamilton now back in the Rangers lineup, it’s starting to look a little scary for opposing pitchers.
From the Godfather of Fantasy Sports, Charlie Wiegert
James Shields, ($9,300–Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres) Interesting this will be the first time “Big Game” has faced the Pirates. After last night shellacking, the Padres need to rebound . Shields is a veteran pitcher, so the advantage should be on his side.
Prince Fielder ($4,500-Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers) At home vs Boston and Steven Wright. He’s been one of the hottest hitters in the game and hopefully can solve the BoSox rookie knuckleballer, whose road ERA is 4.60, almost 2 runs more than at home.
Jake Ciely likes:
Matt Harvey ($10,700-Miami Marlins at New York Mets) Sure, he’s the most expensive option, but it’s for good reason. The Marlins are highly susceptible to right-handed pitching: 20.4 K% and just 82 wRC+ which falls to just 66 over the last two weeks. Vegas also favors the Mets to win significantly more than any other team tonight. Find a way to squeeze him in.
Joc Pederson ($3500–Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals) When you go Harvey, you have to find some cheaper bats. While Pederson isn’t that expensive, it doesn’t mean you don’t want him. The Dodgers are facing John Lackey and have the highest wRC+ against righties by far at 130 (Giants next closest at 112). In addition, Pederson has an OPS of 1.012 against righties versus just .671 against lefties and a wRC+ of 175 (just 92 for lefties). Oh, and all 12 of his homers have come off lefties!
Todd Zola rules:
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) more than a bang-for-the-buck thing, I say he outscores Matt Harvey outright. The Colorado Rockies fan at a 33 percent clip on the road against lefties.
George Springer ($3900–Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros) Carlos Rodon still struggling with control and Springer (now hitting leadoff) not only has the ability to hit a mistake really far he has the patience to draw a walk and the speed to swipe second.
Scott Engel blesses:
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) should be a lock at home against Colorado. He has a 2.25 ERA in front of the “faithful” that still come out to see him this year. The Rockies have a .293 team OBP on the road with a 22.5 percent K rate.
Norichika Aoki ($2900 – Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants) will certainly get on base and do some damage if Mike Foltynewicz proves to be wild. Getting on base and not making outs is important on Fanduel. Aoki as a 398 OBP this year.
Ray Murphy digs:
Rubby de la Rosa ($7300–Arizona Diamondback at Milwaukee Brewers) If you want an underpriced pitching option today, Rubby’s a great one. He has been shredding RHPs this year (.506 OPS allowed), so he matches up well against the RH-heavy Brewers. Adam Lind is the only lefty threat in that Brewers lineup.
Brian Dozier ($3900–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) faces Mark Buehrle tonight, a matchup that plays right into his platoon split (.872 OPS vL this year, .859 career). The Twins have been battering LHPs as a team, and Dozier bats leadoff against them, so this matchup also ensures max AB for Dozier.
Scott Swanay likes:
Trevor Bauer ($8600–Cleveland Indians at Seattle Mariners) Unlike last week’s contest, there are no pitchers I’d consider “locks” tonight. I also thought about Matt Harvey (vs Miami) and Cole Hamels (vs Philadelphia), but neither of their teams’ offenses is as good as Cleveland’s, and neither of their teams’ offenses is facing Taijuan Walker tonight. So, I’ll go with the slightly less expensive option and hope that he racks up the strikeouts against a team that’s offensively-challenged, even when the MVP-caliber hitting stats of Nelson Cruz are factored in.
Bryce Harper ($6000–Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds). At the risk of being Captain Obvious, there’s no hotter hitter in baseball right now than Harper. He has a match-up in the Great American Ballpark against Anthony DeSclafani, who started out the season looking like a breakout candidate himself, but has cooled down somewhat. I generally don’t like allocating such a large chunk of my hitting budget to one player, but if there were ever a time and a player to do that with, Harper in the midst of his current streak is the guy.
Doug Anderson opines:
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) How many days this year are the Phillies going to be favored in a game? That’s what I thought. Use Cole Hamels on the rare chances you can.
Joey Votto ($3200–Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds) Which Stephen Strasburg will show up today? Lately it’s been the one who hangs sliders and gets knocked around. Either way, Votto is a great OBP player, and FanDuel is basically set up as an OBP league.
Jeff Boggis picks:
Michael Bolsinger ($6900–Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals) is starting in all of my daily lineups on Friday night. His low salary allows me to leverage higher salary batters. He has averaged the most fantasy points per game for all pitchers tonight (14.3). He has won 3 games in a row and Los Angeles has a decent matchup at St. Louis vs. John Lackey. He is almost $4,000 less than Matt Harvey ($10,700) who came off his worst outing of his career and may have dead arm.
Josh Donaldson ($4,800–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) is my must start hitter on Friday night. I played Donaldson on Tuesday evening and he produced 21 fantasy points. He has 4 home runs in the past 3 games and until he cools off, you have to keep starting him in your daily fantasy lineups. He faces Minnesota starting pitcher Trevor May, who owns a 4.95 ERA.
Paul Sporer chimes:
Francisco Liriano ($9100–Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres) SD has fallen to 19th in wOBA v. LH (.317) overall because they are 26th in May (.131). Plus they have a 23% K rate v. LH in May (7th-highest). Liriano’s run is built on domination of righties, too, so even though guys like Upton, Norris, and Kemp have been successful v. LH throughout their careers, Liriano has the chops to shut them down.
Ender Inciarte ($2900–Arizona Diamondback at Milwaukee Brewers) This is a budget play, but a good one for a third OF. Inciarte does his best work v. RH (.716 OPS, compared to .644 v. LH) and Jimmy Nelson has a major platoon split with lefties hitting to a .785 OPS against him with a .197 ISO. Pop isn’t a big piece of Inciarte’s game, but what he does have has a good chance to show up in this matchup.
Pitcher (Cost–Game) Votes (FanDuel Points)
Lance McCullers ($5400–Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros) 1 (10.33)
Trevor Bauer ($8600–Cleveland Indians at Seattle Mariners) 3 (15)
Anibal Sanchez ($8,200–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) 1 (14)
Mike Foltynewicz ($7300–Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants) 1 (12.66)
James Shields, ($9,300–Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres) 3 (10)
Cole Hamels ($9800–Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies) 6 (15)
Matt Harvey ($10,700-Miami Marlins at New York Mets) 4 (15)
Rubby de la Rosa ($7300–Arizona Diamondback at Milwaukee Brewers) 1 (5)
Michael Bolsinger ($6900–Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals) 1 (7)
Francisco Liriano ($9100–Pittsburgh Pirates at San Diego Padres) 1 (17)
Hitter (Cost–Game) Votes
Jose Iglesias ($2300–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) 1 (.5)
Adam Jones ($3,000–Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles) 1 (-1)
Torii Hunter ($3400–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) 1 (3.25)
Dustin Pedroia ($3200–Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers) 1 (.25)
Chris Davis ($3,300–Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles) 1 (7.75)
Rajai Davis ($3000–Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels) 1 (3.5)
Brandon Belt ($3600 – Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants) 1 (.25)
Brian Dozier ($3900–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) 2 (2.25)
Prince Fielder ($4,500-Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers) 3 (1.5)
Joc Pederson ($3500–Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals) 1 (.25)
George Springer ($3900–Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros) 2 (0)
Bryce Harper ($6000–Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds) 1 (1.25)
Brett Lawrie ($2200–New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics) 1 (6.25)
Joey Votto ($3200–Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds) 1 (5.25)
Josh Donaldson ($4,800–Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins) 1 (9.25)
Jose Altuve ($3800–Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros) 1 (3.5)
Ender Inciarte ($2900–Arizona Diamondback at Milwaukee Brewers) 1 (8.5)
We asked the Touts to share their picks for best pitcher and best hitter tonight’s Tout Daily Week 7 contest. You can follow the results here tonight. For more about Tout Daily visit here.
Todd Zola says:
Pitcher: Gerrit Cole ($9,400–New York Mets at Pittsburgh Pirates) – Love Scherzer today but the Phils don’t strike out that much so in a tourney, I’ll save the bucks and take a guy at home, in an extreme pitcher’s park facing a team that fans at an above average rate.
Hitter: Anthony Rizzo ($4,400–Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks) – Batting 3rd on the road should give Rizzo five cracks in a park that boosts lefty power by 16 percent with at least a couple chances against Josh Collmenter who’s surrendered six homers over his last three starts.
Scott Swanay’s suggestions:
Pitcher: Max Scherzer ($11,700–Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals). It’s tempting to go with a cheaper alternative, such as Noah Syndergaard at $7,700, but in this case the opposing pitcher was the tiebreaker for me (Scherzer vs. Sean O’Sullivan; Syndergaard vs. Gerrit Cole). In a tournament-style game like this, where only the top 25% or so finishers win money, it’s imperative to have your pitcher get a Win. Other alternatives considered were Ubaldo Jimenez ($7,200) @ Mia, Rick Porcello ($7,900) vs. LAA, and Alex Wood ($7,700) vs. Mil. In all cases I was looking for opponents w/ low team batting averages who don’t score many runs or hit many home runs.
Hitter: Nolan Arenado ($3,900–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies). He has 7 homers in 137 at-bats, he’s playing at home at Coors Field, and he’s facing an opposing pitcher (Ryan Vogelsong) who’s given up 9 home runs in just 39 innings. I’m in.
Rotoman’s Picks:
Pitcher: Ubaldo Jimenez ($7,200–Baltimore Orioles at Miami Marlins) Scherzer is tempting, but the price difference makes Jimenez irresistible. Riskier, too, but a full Anthony Rizzo cheaper despite pitching in a good ball park against a weak hitting team featuring a pitcher who is still working out the kinks.
Hitter: Mike Trout ($5,200–Los Angeles Angels at Boston Red Sox) The wind is blowing out in Boston, and Rick Porcello doesn’t have the stuff to contain Trout.
Jeff Erickson’s Picks:
Pitcher:Gerrit Cole ($9,400–New York Mets at Pittsburgh Pirates) – If you don’t want to pay the price on Max Scherzer (and it may be a good idea to do so, given the home matchup against the Phillies, with Sean O’Sullivan as the opposing pitcher, and with the Phillies coming directly from Coors Field), look at Cole. The Mets have all sorts of troubles against RH starters, and you might get the benefit of Cole being lesser-owned, given how many other good SPs are going Friday, including Cole’s opposite-number Noah Syndergaard.
Batter: Jimmy Paredes ($3,300–Baltimore Orioles at Miami Marlins) – I’m going back to the well on Paredes. Did you know that only five batters are averaging more fantasy points per game on FanDuel than Paredes (Harper, Goldschmidt, Cruz, Adrian Gonzalez and Rizzo)? At $3,300 against Henderson Alvarez, it’s worth going with him again Friday.
Honorable mention to the San Francisco Brandon’s, who get Kyle Kendrick in Coors Field. Only the weather worries me.
Doug Anderson’s Recommendations:
Pitcher: Max Scherzer ($11,700–Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals)- I hate using up so much salary on one player, but this is about as good a matchup as you could imagine. He pitches at home against baseball’s worst offense and is opposed by a mediocre minor league pitcher. I’ll see what kind of lineup I can put around him, but Scherzer is in line for a great day. Sometimes the obvious answer is the right answer.
Hitter:Brandon Belt ($3,900–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies and Kyle Kendrick (RHP)– Belt has not gotten the power going, but everything else is pointing up. Belt is hitting .358 in May and .347 with all of his homers against right-handed hitters. Add in Kyle Kendrick and Coors Field and you have the makings of a big day.
Jeff Boggis’s Picks (for Fantasy Baseball Empire)
Pitcher: Max Scherzer ($11,700–Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals) I’m always trying to come up with optimal lineups through various daily strategies. Over the previous weeks, the days when I finished in the money was when I had my pitcher have an outstanding outing, regardless of the points generated from my hitters. So I don’t want to skimp today on starting pitching, regardless of salary. For my team, I’m going with Scherzer tonight at $11,700 against Philadelphia. I like to use 2 weeks of pitching stats to analyze pitchers and to avoid a 7 day analysis due to 2 starts for some pitchers. Over the past 2 weeks, Scherzer has 14 innings pitched, 2 wins, 17 strikeouts, an ERA of 0.64 and a WHIP of 0.86. He is at home tonight and faces a Phillies team that ranks last in slugging percentage (.355) and home runs (24) on the season. Scherzer has averaged 17.5 fantasy points over his past 4 starts and has 2 outings this season with 20+ fantasy points. If you want to save a few dollars, I’d also recommend Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer at $9,100. He faces the Oakland A’s at home, but has a tough matchup as he faces Oakland’s Scott Kazmir. Archer has not been able to put it all together for a single outing for fantasy owners this season. He’s pitched well in his last 2 starts, but his run support and strikeouts have been inconsistent. I’d like to see Archer go at least 7 innings tonight as he has pitched 7 innings in 4 out of his 9 outings this season.
Hitter: Hunter Pence ($3,300–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies). When a quality hitter can be rostered at a bargain price, I have to add this team to my starting lineup. Hunter Pence is being priced as he returns from the DL. I am getting a quality hitter at a DL price. Pence has multiple hit games in 3 of the 5 games since his return from the DL. He has a favorable matchup tonight against Kyle Kendrick and is playing tonight in the hitter’s park of Colorado.
David Gonos:
Hitter: Danny Espinosa ($2,900–Baltimore Orioles at Miami Marlins) Thirteen second basemen are priced higher than Espinosa tonight, and the switch-hitter’s power comes against RHP. He faces Philly’s RHP Sean O’Sullivan (9.64 ERA vs. LH hitters, with 3 HRA in just 4.2 IP).
From the Godfather of Fantasy Sports, Charlie Wiegert
Pitcher: Zack Greinke ($9,900–San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers). It’s all about the strike outs and innings pitched, and when Greinke pitches against San Diego, there is a good chance you’ll get lots of both, and perhaps a win. Zack is 5-0 with a 1.58 ERA in 9 starts against the Padres, and only given up 1 run is 13 innings against them this year. And in that San Diego has the 4th most strike outs in MLB, it makes it worth the price to make him a good play tonight.
Hitter: Nolan Arenado ($3,900–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies). This game should be a slug fest with Vogelsong or Kendrick having a combined ERA over 12. Nolan has two dingers vs Vogelsong and comes in with a day of rest yesterday. He’s been in a rut lately with only 1 hit in his last 15 AB’s, which has caused his salary to drop. Vogelsong should be just what he needs to break out of the mini-slump!
Brian Walton Touts Hitting:
Hitters: Brandon Belt ($3,900–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies) and Charlie Blackmon ($3,800–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies) For Friday night offense, Coors is the place to be, especially with Kyle Kendrick opposing Ryan Vogelsong. On the Giants’ side, I will go with a player I own in NL Tout Wars, first baseman Brandon Belt, at $3900. Kendrick has been bad everywhere this season, but worse at home and worse against left-handed hitters. Enter Belt, who has a 1.018 OPS in 24 career games at Coors.
In an equal-opportunity view, I am backing Charlie Blackmon against Vogelsong. This season, the Giants’ starter’s splits between left- and right-handed hitters (1.143 vs. .649 OPS) are about as extreme as one could have. The lefty-swinging Blackmon has performed well against right-handed pitchers in 2015 (.317/.375/.505/.880).
Steve Moyer’s Inside Edge:
Pitcher:
Carlos Carrasco ($8,700–Cincinnati Reds at Cleveland Indians) Only Scherzer and Felix rate a higher IE matchup score and Carrasco is way cheaper.
Hitter: Justin Maxwell ($3,000–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies) Gotta make sure he’s in the lineup and it doesn’t rain, but he’s a top Inside Edge matchup score at a bargain-basement price.
Lenny Melnick’s Picks:
Pitcher: Gerrit Cole ($9,400–New York Mets at Pittsburgh Pirates) My Pitcher tonite. Ks and wins are the name of the game at Fanduel Mets can be beaten away from Home and with erratic bats, the Ks will come as well. No need to spend the extra bucks on bigger names.
Hitter: Hunter Pence ($3,300–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies) Has made a nice return from injury and will light it up at Coors. Good Value.
Paul Sporer’s Selections:
Pitcher: Gerrit Cole ($9,400–New York Mets at Pittsburgh Pirates) Cole’s making his ace transformation before our eyes. He hasn’t allowed more than 3 ER in a single outing, he’s fanned 6+ in seven of eight starts, and the NYM offense has regressed from their early “decent” start w/a .615 OPS v. righties this month (second-worst in MLB).
Hitter: Bryce Harper ($6,000–Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals) Versus Scott O’Sullivan: Lefties have owned SOS forever and Harper is owning everyone right now. It’s a bit of an easy pick, but easy doesn’t make it wrong!
The Pickboard
Pitcher (Cost–Game) Votes (FanDuel Points)
Gerrit Cole ($9,400–New York Mets at Pittsburgh Pirates) 7 (22.33)
Max Scherzer ($11,700–Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals) 6 (17)
Zack Greinke ($9,900–San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers) 3 (11.66)
Ubaldo Jimenez ($7,200–Baltimore Orioles at Miami Marlins) 2 (5)
Carlos Carrasco ($8,700–Cincinnati Reds at Cleveland Indians) 1 (15)
Hitter (Cost–Game) Votes
Brandon Belt ($3,900–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies and Kyle Kendrick (RHP) 3 (10.5)
Nolan Arenado ($3,900–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies) 2 (-1)
Hunter Pence ($3,300–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies) 2 (4.25)
Nick Hundley ($3,000–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies) 1 (2.25)
Carlos Gonzalez ($3,300–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies) 1 (2.25)
Charlie Blackmon ($3,800–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies) 1 (2.25)
Justin Maxwell ($3,000–San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies) 1 (dnp)
Anthony Rizzo ($4,400–Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks) 1 (.75)
A.J. Pollock ($4,000–Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks) 1 (10.5)
Bryce Harper ($6,000–Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals) 1 (6.75)
Ryan Zimmerman ($3,300–Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals) 1 (.5)
Mike Trout ($5,200–Los Angeles Angels at Boston Red Sox) 1 (6.25)
Jimmy Paredes ($3,300–Baltimore Orioles at Miami Marlins) 1 (3.5)
Danny Espinosa ($2,900–Baltimore Orioles at Miami Marlins) 1 (-.75)
Kyle Seager ($2.900–Seattle Mariners at Toronto Blue Jays) 2 (2.5)
Evan Longoria ($3,200–Oakland Athletics at Tampa Bay Rays) 1 (11.75)
Which brings us to Tim McCullough, who won Phase 3 Week 4, with 50.25 points. This was his second Top 10 finish in #toutdaily’s 12 weeks.
