I’ve had a busy week and especially since Tuesday/Wednesday — in fact I didn’t sleep Wednesday night and didn’t get to bed until 1am last night. Everything’s fine, just busy with work stuff. You’re like, so what, who cares.
Well. I am just saying that this weekend is always one of my favorites of the year for MLB. I am just now at 1PM looking at the slate, the games and we’re just ahead of what is a TestiFriday where the Cubs play a game at Wrigley at 2:20 vs Houston. A mini Turbo slate and then a really good 13 game slate. Sometimes when you go to take your morning shit it just don’t go right, ya know? Or like you say I’m gonna open the SportsBook app and place some bets, and you scroll and go back and forth so long that now you’re trying to evaluate your life decisions for taking under 2.5 sets in a Junior Asian Womens Tennis match and you’re not quite certain if Zhang or Zheng is winning…
Well. Sometimes when I jump into write my article and do the analysis it just doesn’t come out clear or clean. Today. Today was a good one. I like it.
WEATHER
- Tigers at Orioles: Just rainy and kinda chilly, I think they have a good path to play though and it’s nice to see this on the 7PM Slate
- Nationals at Braves: Something about heavy floods and Waymo’s driving into the floods. I dunno. They survived the Olympic Bombings, the Atlanta Trashers and blowing a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl. I think they’re fine and the game plays here.
DAVIS MARTIN (DK: $8400)
Best play on the slate. Diverse pitch mix, tons of confidence right now, Giants lineup that isn’t good and really mediocre at home. If he walks anyone in the 1st, he gets out through the heart of the order, and second time through the lineup will favor Martin today. I think he’s going 7 IP.
JACOB DEGROM (DK: $9500)
Wasn’t immediately jumping on deGrom but then logic sets in and its like, yeah, hey, just uh, play deGrom tonight. Thanks.
LOGAN GILBERT (DK: $8700)
It always feels like when the Mariners are in Kauffman the games are 10-8 or 4-0. In both scenarios the Royals are on the end of that score & should be against Gilbert today. Without extreme heat in KC the home run issues Gilbert has at times should not be present today. His K% is down, his ERA is up, the WHIP is up, but overall his GB%, CSW% and BB% rates are much better this year. Gilbert screams positive regression – or maybe he would just like me to shut the fuck up and stop mentioning him — which if he gets lit up tonight, I promise I will do.
OTHER PITCHING NOTES
- Walker Buehler is a sneaky cheap play today – He should be in the top 3 list but we have 3 good ones already.
- Gerrit Cole was roughed up a bit in a rehab start & makes his return against the pesky Rays tonight.
D’BACKS
Some things in this world you just cannot say no to –
- Womens Beach Volleyball
- A cold beer on a Friday night
- Chips and Queso
- The Rockies at the Diamondbacks with the roof open on a holiday weekend.
I rest my case & you should expect Arenado/Perdomo/Gurriel/Moniak/McCarthy/Castro to speak their part as well….
BRAVES [Weather]
Acuna comes back and immediately gets a minor injury — they think he plays today though & he was looking good in the return. Michael Harris and a now on fire Austin Riley are the cheap combination at the top. It’s either go all in with 5 Braves like you just opened the lineup page at 6pm and said fuck it, or dont go at all.
- Michael Harris II
- Austin Riley
RED SOX
Sorry, but I just do not see it with Connor Prielipp and lefties who aren’t familiar with Fenway is a bad mix. The team that nobody should be touting as scoring 10 runs is probably the one who has a hard time scoring 5. Well, here I am. Boston nukes today.
- Ceddane Rafaela
- Willson Contreras
TAKE A LOOK AROUND …
As I peek around tonight I see lots of games that stand out. It’s feeling like an overs weekend. Mets/Marlins has sneaky upside, Pirates/Jays might not be explosive tonight but should be good this weekend and what in the world do we do with Dodgers/Brewers. Thats your series at some point between now and Sunday.
TOP ONE OFFS
- Brandon Lowe
- Mookie Betts
- Gary Sanchez
CATCHER
- Gary Sanchez
- Hunter Goodman
- Mitchell Garver
FIRST BASE
- Ben Rice
- Willson Contreras
- Dominic Smith
SECOND BASE
- Brandon Lowe
- Ozzie Albies
- Ketel Marte
THIRD BASE
- Austin Riley
- Nolan Arenado
- Gage Workman
SHORTSTOP
- Mookie Betts
- Geraldo Perdomo
- Andruw Monastiero
OUTFIELD – Mt. Rushmore
- Michael Harris II
- Corbin Carroll
- Riley Greene
- Daulton Varsho
OUTFIELD – TIER II
- Lourdes Gurriel
- Mickey Moniak
- Randy Arozarena
- Ceddanne Rafaela
- Brandon Lowe – 2B – Pittsburgh Pirates – Chairman of The Dongers Club
- Mookie Betts – SS – Dodgers
- The Kraken – Gary Sanchez – C – Milwaukee Brewers
- Nolan Arenado – 3B – Diamondbacks
- Corbin Carroll – OF – Diamondbacks
- Daulton Varsho – OF – Blue Jays
- Michael Harris II – OF – Braves
- Freddie Freeman – 1B – Dodgers
- BONUS …. Riley Greene – OF – Tigers
BETS
- Rockies / Diamondbacks OVER 9 + YRFI
- Twins / Red Sox OVER 7.5
- Rays ML
- Athletics / Padres UNDER 8