Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are looking good right now, as they have scored five or more runs in three straight games, and in a spot to continue that trend today. They are up against Dan Straily , who is a fly ball pitcher, as he is giving up 33% fly ball rate to lefties and a 43% fly ball rate to righties. This lines up nicely with the Phillies since they have so many power bats in their lineup, combined with the fact they are at home in a great hitter’s park. They come in with an implied run total set 4.88, which sixth highest on the day. Some of their hitters are decently expensive, so you will have to spend down on your pitchers, or the other stack in your lineup. Rhys Hoskins .293 ISO. Maikel Franco .233 ISO. Asdrubal Cabrera .227 ISO. Nick Williams .213 ISO. Odubel Herrera .189 ISO. Carlos Santana .184 ISO.
Cleveland Indians
The Indians have an implied run total set at 5.04, which is fourth highest on the slate and will be facing off against Deck McGuire , who will be making a spot start for the Angels today. So far this season, in a very small sample size, he is giving up a .479 wOBA to righties and a 57% hard contact rate to righties, with a 30% hard contact rate to lefties with 1.42 HR/9. Again these numbers come from a small sample size, but I’m willing to side with the always dangerous Indians bats over McGuire. Most players on Cleveland are very expensive and will really come down to how many of them you can fit into your lineup if it’s a full 4 or 5 man stack, or only a three-man stack. If you can fit them in, you should be doing so at every opportunity. José Ramírez .341 ISO. Francisco Lindor .289 ISO. Edwin Encarnación .283 ISO. Yonder Alonso .192 ISO. Michael Brantley .190 ISO.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds make a bit of a contrarian stack today since they come in with a lower implied run total of only 4.01 and are up against Tanner Roark , who has looked solid as of late. In his last two starts, Roark has only given up one earned runs along with piling up 18 strikeouts. Even with those solid starts, he is still giving up a .329 wOBA to lefties along with 1.27 HR/9. The Reds’ hitters aren’t too expensive, so you should be able to fit them into any of your lineups. I would stick with the lefties since that is where Roark is struggling. Scooter Gennett .193 ISO. Mason Williams .190 ISO. Joey Votto .186 ISO. Preston Tucker .175 ISO.
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.