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Let's get to today's interesting facts, using DraftKings prices. We'll cover all players, but remember that there's a seven-game afternoon slate that gets underway with Red Sox-Rays at 12:10 p.m. ET. Please note that much of the information in this post is being published several hours prior to game times, so check MLB lineups later to confirm that any recommended players are included.
5 Things to Watch:
1. Kyle Hendricks ($9,500) and the Cubs are the day's biggest favorites at -218 over the Reds. Aside from Jays-Rockies -- which featured 23 runs on Tuesday -- the highest projected run totals are Twins-White Sox and Marlins-Tigers, both with 9.5.
2. Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw has returned to Los Angeles to get his sore back checked out. Team president called the examination "precautionary," but the soreness seems to be worse that usual, so Kershaw's Friday start could be in jeopardy. Stay tuned.
3. Players who might not be able to go today due to minor/day-to-day issues are Joc Pederson (shoulder), Curtis Granderson (calf), Joe Panik (concussion), Aledmys Diaz (swelling near eye), Lorenzo Cain (hamstring) and Carlos Beltran (hamstring).
4. Yo, BvPers: David Ortiz ($4,300) is 8-for-20 with three homers vs. Matt Moore, and that's not a bad price ... Brian Dozier ($4,600) is 8-for-22 with a couple of homers vs. James Shields, teammate Eduardo Nunez ($4,700) is 10-for-23 with a couple of homers vs. Shields ... George Springer ($4,800) is 7-for-15 with a homer vs. Jered Weaver ... Billy Butler ($3,000) is 16-for-36 with three homers vs. Jake Peavy, and you'll need to hope that the A's see this matchup as a reason to actually let Butler play ... Matt Kemp ($4,300) is 9-for-25 with a couple of homers vs. Yovanni Gallardo.
5. The Indians have scored 73 runs during their 11-game winning streak. Today they face Atlanta's Joel De La Cruz, who makes his big-league debut on the heels of a 4.68 ERA in 57 2/3 innings at Triple A this season. A line had not been posted as of 7 a.m. ET, but the Tribe is clearly a huge favorite with Danny Salazar on the hill. This could be ugly.
D.J. Foster's recommendations for the day are below!
Must-start of the day: Marcell Ozuna, MIA
Absolutely crushing lefties this year with a 1.293 OPS against southpaws. Ozuna is also red-hot with a 1.247 OPS and 4 HR in his last 10 games.
Deal of the day: Joe Mauer, MIN
He's available for just $3,600, and he's 15-for-43 lifetime against James Shields. Even though he doesn't have a huge upside, he's a cheap stack insert who gets on base a ton.
Avoid of the day: Carlos Martinez, STL
Martinez hasn't shown a ton of strikeout power this year (70 K in 89 IP), and the Royals are just seventh in strikeouts per game. Although he's a sizable favorite at home, the upside is a lower than you should want at $9,200.
Stack of the day: Minnesota Twins
Taking the Blue Jays against a lefty at Coors Field seems a little too easy, so here's an alternate option. This game has a high projected run total, and James Shields has been an absolute disaster lately. He's given up 10 HR in his last 10 games and has an 8.06 ERA and a 2.06 WHIP. Stack up the Twins.
Starting pitchers:
Danny Salazar, CLE: The Braves are one of the worst lineups in baseball, and Salazar has been showing off his strikeout power (99 K in 86 IP) this season.
Brock Stewart, LAD: It's hard to tell what we're going to get from Frias in his debut, but the Brewers are a below-average hitting team and Frias has been solid in the minors this year. At this price ($5,200), I'm willing to punt and hope he gets run support.
Max Scherzer, WAS: Scherzer has the most upside of anyone on the board, and the Mets are just 22nd in OPS this season. Mad Max is hot right now, as he's recorded double-digit strikeouts in each of his last three starts.
Catchers:
Jason Castro, HOU: 3 HR in 23 at-bats against Jered Weaver.
Buster Posey, SFG: .867 OPS against left-handed pitching this season.
First basemen:
Joe Mauer, MIN: He's available for just $3,600, and he's 15-for-43 lifetime against James Shields. Even though he doesn't have a huge upside, he's a cheap stack insert who gets on base a ton.
David Ortiz, BOS: As noted above, 8-for-20 with 3 HR lifetime against Matt Moore.
Second basemen:
Brian Dozier, MIN: As noted above, 8-for-22 with 2 HR lifetime against Shields.
Jose Altuve, HOU: 1.088 OPS in last 10 games and gets the soft-tossing Jered Weaver.
Third basemen:
Josh Donaldson, TOR: You may not be able to afford a Blue Jays stack, but Donaldson owns a 1.010 OPS against LHP this season.
Matt Carpenter, STL: Red-hot with a 1.243 OPS over the last 10 games.
Shortstops:
Eduardo Nunez, MIN: 10-for-23 with 2 HR against Shields lifetime and is part of our Twins stack.
Xander Bogaerts, BOS: .949 OPS against southpaws this season and Matt Moore struggles against the Red Sox.
Outfielders:
Matt Kemp, SD: He's 9-for-25 with 2 HR against Yovani Gallardo lifetime.
Matt Holliday, STL: 11-for-24 with 2 HR against Edinson Volquez.
Marcell Ozuna, MIA: "Must-start of the day"
