Before your MLB day even gets started today, please keep in mind the Rays/Indians game has already been postponed due to Tropical Storm Elsa in the area. Yes, the Rays play in a dome but safety first, people. No one needs to be traveling in the are today. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Wednesday so be sure to note the early start then. We’ll get to the rest of today’s action, but let’s first take a look at some of the highlights from Tuesday first.
A Near No-No
We had quite the pitchers’ duel between St. Louis and San Francisco as Giants starter Kevin Gausman took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He got the first out, but Nolan Arenado stepped to the plate and knocked a single into left field to break it up and that actually turned into the beginning of the end for Gausman. He gave up a two-out single to Tommy Edman and then a bases-clearing triple to Matt Carpenter which gave the Cardinals a lead they would not relinquish. Meanwhile, on the other side, Kwang Hyun Kim also spun a gem with seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks with two strikeouts. He was the pitcher of record when Gausman gave up the runs and walked away with his third win of the season. Kim has been a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy for fantasy owners, maintaining a 3.39 ERA but Gausman has been absolutely fantastic. I’ve never been a fan of his throughout his career, mostly stemming back to his misuse and struggles in Baltimore, but eight wins and this 1.74 ERA and 0.80 WHIP have been other-worldly. The second half for the Giants should be interesting to watch. No one pegged them to play this well or even remotely compete for a Wild Card spot, so watch closely. Pitching at Oracle Park is a good spot to be in for Gausman, but if the Giants falter, there may be a possibility he gets dealt. Remember, he’s only on a one-year deal.
Devers Does Damage
If you listened to Adam Ronis throughout the spring, there’s a good chance your fantasy team is reaping the benefits provided by Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers. Ronis was all over him and recommended an early-round pick which has not failed. A three-hit performance last night extended this hit streak to seven games and he’s now batting .429 with three doubles, two home runs and nine RBI over that span. Not that WAR is a fantasy category, but Devers leads all third baseman with a 3.4 mark which has translated to 21 homers with 71 RBI, 58 runs scored and three stolen bases. To put that into perspective, save for the stolen bases, he leads all third basemen in all the counting stats and ranks second among qualified players with a .290 average. Continue to enjoy the production.
Babyface Gamel
This is part sarcasm and part trolling on Fantasy Alarm’s James Grande, but did you all check out Ben Gamel’s two-homer game for the Pirates yesterday? The hair? The beard? The chronic disappointment? These are the things that define Gamel as both a reality player and a fantasy asset. It was exactly also one week ago today that Gamel was batting third after a late lineup adjustment and Grande recommended using Gamel as a value play in DFS. Despite having Gamel on my Tout Wars team as a reserve and understanding just how bad the guy can be, I took the advice and was promptly served up an “oh-fer” night. Since that day, though, Gamel has now hit four home runs with eight RBI and is now currently on a five-game hit streak. Missed it by that much!
Down Goes Rosario
It’s been a rough road for those who drafted Eddie Rosario and expected a return to his 2019 form when he popped a career-best 32 homers. It would appear that it was his peak season as it’s been downhill ever since. He maintained his power production during the shortened season, but that batting average continued to drop and the OBP wasn’t anything to write home about either. This season, it’s been absolutely atrocious with a .254/.296/.389 slash line and now he’s about to hit the 10-day IL with an abdominal issue. The MRI came back clean, so it doesn’t sound like he’ll be out for too long, but he’s not breaking out of this slump anytime soon. Maybe there’s hope in the second half, but don’t bank on it.
Crushing the Cubs
Are the Phillies that full of brute strength to muscle five home runs yesterday or are the Cubs just that bad? Back-up catcher Andrew Knapp got things started for Philadelphia when he hit a 400-foot bomb to right for the first of five Phillies home runs yesterday. Didi Gregorius, Odubel Herrera, Rhys Hoskins and finally Alec Bohm all took Cubs pitching deep and the Phillies handed Chicago its 10th-straight loss. Surprisingly, the Cubs are just one game below .500 so we can’t bank on the fire sale just yet, but it feels like it’s imminent. We’re targeting against them in DFS, we’re betting against them regularly and if these losing ways continue, you have to expect management to take action soon. Yes, things could easily turn around, but this is already looking like a terrible way to close out the first half of the season.
Today’s Slate
With the postponement of the Rays/Indians game, we have a 14-game extravaganza that starts at 7pm ET. We’ve got some fantastic pitching on the mound with Jacob deGrom, Aaron Nola, Shohei Ohtani, Framber Valdez, a surprisingly strong Adam Wainwright and one heck of a pitchers’ duel with Carlos Rodon facing Jose Berrios. Even Luis Castillo is starting to look good with four-straight quality starts and 26 strikeouts over 26.1 innings. Get those lineups set properly!
Betting Favorites
The biggest betting favorite today is obviously the Mets with deGrom on the mound. The current money line over on the Draft Kings Sportsbook is -275 for the Mets which isn’t a great bet to make as you’re risking way too much to earn back so little. The rest of the field is incredibly close. After the Mets, the next heaviest favorite is the Texas Rangers at -190 over the Tigers followed by the Braves at -177 over the Pirates. Be sure to follow the line movement throughout the day and look for Dan Servodidio’s Best Bets and Prop Bets on Wager Alarm.
Good luck today!
Player News
Iván Herrera (knee) went 2-for-6 with two stolen bases on Wednesday in a minor league rehab game for Triple-A Memphis.
Herrera was at DH in his latest rehab contest after recording seven innings behind the plate during Tuesday’s game. The 24-year-old backstop figures to return to the Cardinals’ lineup at some point later this week. He’s been out since early April working his way back from a bone bruise in his left knee.
J.T. Realmuto was removed from Wednesday’s game against the Rays with a left foot contusion.
Realmuto was pulled from the late stages of Wednesday’s contest after fouling a ball off his left foot in the seventh inning. He managed to finish the at-bat, but was replaced by Rafael Marchán in the bottom of the frame. He’ll head for precautionary X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. There should be an update on his status following the contest.
Dylan Cease left Wednesday’s start against the Yankees with an apparent injury.
Cease left with a trainer in the middle of a seventh-inning at-bat just a couple batters after serving up a game-tying solo homer to Cody Bellinger, which broke up a no-hit bid. The 29-year-old fantasy ace finished the dominant performance at hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium with a season-high nine strikeouts and only issued a pair of walks over 6 2/3 innings of work. There should be an update on his status shortly.
Tyler O’Neill (neck) went 1-for-3 with an RBI single on Wednesday in a minor league rehab game for Triple-A Norfolk.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters he’s hopeful O’Neill will return for this weekend’s series against the Angels out in Los Angeles. The 29-year-old slugging outfielder, who has been out since late April with neck inflammation, went 2-for-6 in a pair of rehab contests.
Romy Gonzalez was removed from Wednesday’s game against the Rangers following an on-field collision.
Gonzalez was lifted from Wednesday’s game at Fenway Park following a nasty collision with Rangers first baseman Josh Smith while trying to beat out an infield single in the sixth inning. The positive news here is that both players were able to get back on their feet with Smith staying in the contest. Gonzalez, who was replaced by Abraham Toro at the cold corner to open the seventh inning, will undergo further evaluation and there should be an update on his status following the game.
Hunter Greene was removed from Wednesday’s start against the Braves with a right groin injury.
Greene made an abrupt exit from Wednesday’s showdown at Truist Park while warming up for the start of the fourth inning. The hard-throwing 25-year-old emerging fantasy ace recorded six strikeouts and scattered two hits over three frames to open the contest. He’ll presumably head for further evaluation and imaging to determine the extent of the injury. The positive takeaway here is that he isn’t dealing with anything arm-related. There should be an update on his status following Wednesday’s contest.