Hitters
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Play of the Day: Daniel Murphy – Murphy is 4-6 with two homers lifetime vs Dickey. Murphy is keeping pace with his career high .347 average last season by hitting .340 so far this year. Six of his eleven hits vs the Braves this year have gone for extra bases.
Top Play: Nelson Cruz – Cruz ranks slightly above Bautista as an outfield target outside of the top 30 priced on Y! Tonight. Went hitless last night after back to back two hit games, but is 4-8 with 2 HR’s lifetime off the lefty Manaea.
Value Play: Wilmer Difo – Difo is available for the Nationals if you don’t have the salary to fir in Murphy at 2B tonight at only $8. Difor is 4-6 over his last two games, and has reached base safely 10 times in four July starts.
Value Play: Seth Smith – Smith leads the pack of O’s outfield options that are all priced at $12 or under. Smith is only 2-17, both for doubles in July, but face a rookie call-up in Jorge, placing them with one of the top projected run totals tonight.
Pitchers
Play of the Day: Max Scherzer – Scherzer is the largest favorite of the night, and the Braves are the only team projected to score under three runs at the moment. Since a rough stat at Atlanta on May 20th, Scherzer has pitched at least seven innings with double digit strikeouts in seven of his last eight starts.
Top Play: Zack Greinke – Greinke has won his past two starts and four of his last five to become second in the NL in wins, and third with a 1.02 WHIP. Greinke is 8-0 at home with a 2.67 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 11.9 K/9.
Value Play: Cole Hamels – Hamels takes the mound tonight as the 12th priced pitcher on Y!. Hamels is coming off his best start of the season, and faces an Angels team in which he has recorded five of six quality starts with a 2.93 lifetime ERA against. That includes one run off four hits vs them back in April.
GPP Play: Drew Pomeranz – Pomeranz is shuffled in with plenty of nice $44-$45 pitching options tonight. Drew is 5-1 with a 2.52 ERA over his last nine starts, and faces a Tampa team that struggles vs lefties. He struck out 11 Rays in his last start vs them last August.
Player News
Orioles recalled RHP Kade Strowd from Triple-A Norfolk.
It’s the first stint in the majors for Strowd, who, in spite of a 5.44 ERA as a minor league reliever last year, was added to the 40-man over the winter. Considering that he had an 8.10 ERA in 10 innings for Norfolk to open this year, one imagines it will be a short stay. The Orioles will need to make another move Tuesday with Kyle Gibson expected to be added.
Orioles optioned LHP Grant Wolfram to Triple-A Norfolk.
Wolfram pitched both days he was with the Orioles and gave up two runs over 1 1/3 innings.
Josh Bell is out of the Nationals lineup for the first time in 10 games Monday against the Mets.
The Nationals have James Wood DHing and Alex Call in the outfield. Bell, a notoriously slow starter, has hit .140/.238/.290 through 105 plate appearances. It’s been enough to pull his career OPS in March/April under .700 to .698. He’s over .800 every other month except for September, when he’s stumbled to .745.
Even though he went 1-for-7 the last two days, Luisangel Acuña is making a third straight start at second base Monday against the Nationals.
It seems like the Mets are prioritizing infield defense over outfield defense. Jeff McNeil is back in center field for the second time in the three games. He didn’t play against a lefty on Sunday, leaving center for Tyrone Taylor.
Cardinals selected the contract of INF/OF Jose Barrero from Trlple-A Memphis.
The 27-year-old Barrero, who owns a .497 OPS in 447 major league plate appearances for the Reds from 2020-23, was hitting .299/.396/.517 with four homers in 23 games for Memphis. He will get some starts against lefties, but he’s not being called up to play a ton.
Cardinals optioned INF Thomas Saggese to Triple-A Memphis.
The Cardinals want to keep Nolan Gorman in the lineup most of the time, so the 23-year-old Saggese will return to Triple-A, probably until someone gets hurt. He impressed in hitting .341 with a homer and four doubles in 41 at-bats, and there’s a good chance he’ll finish the season as one of the Cardinals’ starting infielders.