Top Stack
Los Angeles Angels vs Marco Gonzales
Gonzalez has really pitched well for the Mariners this season but the Angels were able to get to him for four runs over six innings a few weeks back. Mike Trout has hit two home runs in each of the last two games as he takes over the major league lead in the category. Trout is also 3-for-6 with a double and a home run off Gonzalez in his career. Zack Cozart for all his struggles this season also has a home run off Gonzalez and doubled off him in their meeting back in early May. The Angels are tied for 11th in baseball with 22 home runs off southpaws this season. Today’s stacks should start with Trout and Ian Kinsler with varying combinations of Justin Upton , Albert Pujols , Zack Cozart and Chris Young .
Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Bullpen
The Rays have been very frustrating to stack against when they take this approach. Based off last week when Wilmer Font got the start he was followed by Matt Andreise and Vidal Nuño . Neither Andreise or Nuno has pitched since so it is my assumption that the order here could very well be the same. Font should be good for two innings given how he has been used this season. Over the last week Toronto ranks fourth in team batting average, fifth in home runs and fifth in OPS. Leading that charge over the last week has been Curtis Granderson who is hitting .412 with two doubles and two home runs during that stretch. Randal Grichuk is also on fire right now, hitting .417 with two doubles and two home runs over the last seven days. I would include both of those two in any Blue Jays stack today. Completing the stack for me today would be Kevin Pillar who has also homered twice over the last week and against Baltimore had three consecutive two hit games. I look for the Blue Jays to jump out to an early lead as Font has allowed 27 earned runs and 11 home runs over 25.1 innings.
Contrarian Stack
Pittsburg Pirates vs Zack Greinke
The series between the Pirates and Diamondbacks has been very high scoring with the Pirates averaging 6.5 runs per game and the Diamondbacks averaging 11 runs per game. I figure the DBacks to be a bit more popular facing Taillon so I am rolling with the Pirates as being more of a lower owned play today against Greinke. Greinke has struggled a bit of late, posting a 3.70 ERA and allowing six home runs over his last four starts. The Pirates outfield is all in play for me today assuming it is Austin Meadows , Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson . Meadows has been the team’s best offensive player since being called up. Marte has collected two hits in each of the last two games and homered last night. Dickerson is hitting .326 over the last 10 games. I am off the Grégory Polanco train so if he is playing today I will be looking elsewhere to complete my stacks. Josh Harrison is also another solid option today as he is on fire right now, hitting .351 over the last 10 games.