The pitchers in Monday’s slate are all just kind of okay. Jeff Samardzija will probably rack up a bunch of strikeouts and Carlos Martinez will likely pick up the win, but they aren’t exactly safe for allowing baserunners and runs, and it only gets worse after them. On the other hand, while there are some friendly matchups for hitters, I wouldn’t consider any of them slam dunks. Asher Wojciechowski and Nick Pivetta have been great at Triple-A and I could argue they have been unlucky in the majors. Bartolo Colon has been an unmitigated disaster, but writing him off completely is almost always a mistake.
The upshot to all of this is there aren’t any cheap stacks I feel great about, and even if there were, I wouldn’t necessarily feel a need to play them. I would rather pay a bit more for my stacks and take my chances with somebody like Sean Manaea, Mike Fiers or Junior Guerra. My stacks for Monday reflect that belief.
My Stacks for Monday, June 5th, listed in order of preference:
Miami Marlins vs. Eddie Butler (R)
Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich, Justin Bour, J.T. Realmuto
Of the players listed above, only Realmuto is batting worse than .280 over the last seven days. I wouldn’t argue with anyone who wanted to replace Realmuto with Dee Gordon, JT Riddle or Derek Dietrich. Butler was finally roughed up in his last start, allowing six earned runs in 4.1 innings. Butler has a 1.58 WHIP on the season, so there are likely more blowups in his future.
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Houston Astros vs. Ian Kennedy (R)
George Springer, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Josh Reddick, Carlos Beltran
Ian Kennedy is probably the best of the pitchers I am stacking against Monday, but Houston undoubtedly has the best, hottest lineup. I might forego Reddick just because his recent production doesn’t really match his price, but he is batting second against righties and he will likely be low-owned. The Astros led the league in wOBA against right-handed pitchers this season, and Ian Kennedy has allowed at least four earned runs in four consecutive starts while failing to go more than five innings in any of them.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Bartolo Colon (R)
Howie Kendrick, Maikel Franco, Odubel Herrera, Cesar Hernandez, Aaron Altherr, Tommy Joseph, Michael Saunders
It will be interesting to see what the Phillies lineup looks like with Maikel Franco, Howie Kendrick and Odubel Herrera all hitting of late and Aaron Altherr, Michael Saunders and Tommy Joseph struggling. I would love to see Tommy Joseph get the day off with Howie Kendrick manning first base, but that may be too much to hope for. In any event, it might not matter all that much. Bartolo Colon has a 6.99 ERA and 1.66 WHIP this season, and he has gotten more than 15 outs just once in his last seven starts. The Braves have a 4.09 bullpen ERA, and even if Colon is able to work around the hits he will almost inevitably surrender, Atlanta’s relievers may not be so fortunate.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Asher Wojciechowski (R)
Jedd Gyorko, Matt Carpenter, Dexter Fowler, Tommy Pham, Stephen Piscotty, Aledmys Diaz
I really like the top of the St. Lous lineup, but the bottom of the lineup may represent better value. I don’t think Wojciechowski is as bad as his 5.63 ERA. He has thrown just 8.0 innings in three appearances this season, and he had a 1.40 ERA in 25.2 innings at Triple-A. That is why the Cardinals are at the bottom of this list. On the other hand, I have little doubt the Cardinals lineup is better than it showed against the Cubs over the weekend, which is why they make this list at all. Of the Cardinals listed above, only Diaz has an OPS under .810 against righties this season.
Player News
Braves optioned RHP Davis Daniel to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Daniel pitched a scoreless inning in his lone day in the majors. His demotion makes room for waiver claim Ian Anderson on the active roster.
Braves designated RHP Zach Thompson for assignment.
Thompson, a member of Triple-A Gwinnett’s roster, pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings in two appearances for the Braves earlier this month. He’s getting taken off the 40-man to make room for Eddie Rosario.
Braves signed OF Eddie Rosario to a one-year contract.
He’s replacing Jarred Kelenic in the roster. There’s not really anything to lose here, even though Rosario struggled during his time with the Braves last season. The 33-year-old just hit .339/.406/.542 in 14 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City before the Dodgers gave him a brief callup and then outrighted him. Odds are that he’ll start against most righties for now, though he could find himself out of a job once Ronald Acuña Jr. returns.
Braves optioned OF Jarred Kelenic to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Red Sox SS prospect Marcelo Mayer went 3-for-7 with a walk, six RBI, four runs scored, and a home run during a doubleheader for Triple-A Worcester on Sunday.
The Red Sox’s second-ranked prospect is now hitting .280/.324/.548 with seven home runs, 34 RBI, 17 runs scored, and one steal in 23 games at Triple-A. He also had a great spring training and seems MLB-ready, but Trevor Story has been great for the Red Sox to start the season, and Kristian Campbell is the AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner right now at second base, so there is no room in the middle infield for Mayer as it stands.
Jordan Lawlar went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI, two runs, and a steal for Triple-A Reno on Sunday.
It’s getting a bit silly at this point. Lawlar is one of the top prospects in all of baseball and is slashing .356/.451/.644 in 26 games with five home runs, 26 RBI, 29 runs scored, and 12 steals. He has started playing third base in Triple-A as well, which could create a full-time spot for him in Arizona with Eugenio Suarez moving to DH. Lawlar should be up relatively soon and deserves to be stashed in all league types.