It is already Friday of Week 15 of the Major League Baseball season! This is the last weekend of baseball before the 2022 MLB All-Star Game break, so make it count for your fantasy baseball lineups, MLB DFS lineups, and MLB best bets. Before taking a look ahead at your fantasy baseball lineups for tonight and the rest of the weekend, we first need to look back at the top MLB news and headlines from yesterday’s games. Highlights include the continued Seattle Mariners' win streak, the pitching showdown in the West, and awesome performances by hurlers Luis Castillo and Triston McKenzie. Plus, important MLB injury report updates include Jacob deGrom inching closer to his Mets return and Shane Baz going in the opposite direction with a trip to the IL. Do not forget to check out our updated July fantasy baseball player rankings before setting your lineups this week. Plus, there are plenty of fantasy baseball waiver wire targets to improve your rosters. Also, keep an eye on the confirmed MLB lineups, the latest MLB weather report, and the MLB daily projections for all of your daily fantasy baseball needs. Before we start the weekend, let’s take a look back at the top performances and key injuries from Thursday as well as a look at my two favorite MLB player props for Friday's games.
 

 

 

MLB News and Notes from Thursday

Seattle Mariners Keep On Rolling

 

 

Seattle won their 11th straight in comeback fashion. Down 4-0, the Mariners scored five runs over the last three innings to beat the Rangers and take over the second Wild Card spot in the American League. This is the second longest streak in franchise history (2001 team won 15 straight) and the team has won seven consecutive series. Sam Haggerty was the star as he went 3-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored.

 

Max Meyer To Make Debut

It has been highly anticipated for a while, but Max Meyer finally made The Show. The Marlins called up their #2 prospect and MLB Pipelines #21 overall yesterday. He is scheduled to make his debut on Saturday. Meyer was the third-overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of Minnesota and breezed through the minors until a setback earlier this season with right ulnar nerve irritation that set him down a month. The future is here in Miami.

 

Luis Castillo Dominates Yankees as Reds Take Series

 


After sweeping the Rays last weekend, the Reds have now won five of their last six games and look like a ballclub again. They won the rubber game of their series with the mighty Yankees last night 7-6 as Reds ace Luis Castillo looked dominant. Castillo, rumored to be going to the Yankees at the trade deadline, allowed only one run in seven innings and struck out eight batters as he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He is now 3-4 on the season with a 2.77 ERA/1.08 WHIP with 82 strikeouts in 78 innings.

 

Triston McKenzie's Throwing Darts

 


Triston McKenzie has been straight up dominant in July. It continued last night as he was nearly unhittable in the Guardians 4-0 win over the Tigers. McKenzie struck out a career high 12 batters on 109 pitches with zero walks or runs allowed. He extended his scoreless innings streak to 21 which is the longest stretch by a Cleveland pitcher since Corey Kluber went 26 straight in 2017. McKenzie is now 7-6 on the season with a 3.20 ERA/0.98 WHIP with 96 strikeouts in 101 innings. 

 

Wild West Pitching Duel

 

 

 


The much-anticipated duel out west between the Brewers' Corbin Burnes and the Giants' Carlos Rodón did not disappoint. Burnes made his case for All-Star Game starting pitcher as he ended the first half of the season by allowing only four Giants hits over 7.1 innings with 10 strikeouts in the 3-2 Milwaukee win. He also set a Brewers record with his 19th double-digit strikeout game, passing Yovani Gallardo who had 18 over his career. In his past seven starts, Burnes has a 1.59 ERA/0.86 WHIP and hasn’t allowed more than five hits in any start since June 3.

On other side, Rodon got himself out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning and limited the Brewers to just one run over five innings. He struck out seven batters and only issued three walks and the lefty will carry an excellent 2.66 ERA/1.11 WHIP into the All-Star break. Rodon will also be making an appearance for the second straight year in next week's All-Star Game.

 

MLB Injury News from Thursday

Shane Baz Placed on 15-Day IL

 

 

Tampa Bay Rays top prospect Shane Baz was placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to Wednesday. He felt right elbow discomfort while playing catch on Tuesday and will be out at least four weeks after rest and rehab. Baz was 1-2 with a 5.00 ERA/1/33 WHIP and is coming off a poor performance against the Reds where he allowed seven earned runs in 2.1 innings.


deGrom's Return is Near

 

 

Mets ace Jacob deGrom made his third Minor League rehab start yesterday and threw 42 pitches, 29 for strikes over four innings and allowed one unearned run on two hits while striking out four and walking one batter. The right-hander saw his fastball reach triple digits and most reports have him making one more simulated start before his return to Citi Field. 

 

Friday's Top PrizePicks Props

 

 

OVER 21.5 Fantasy Score & OVER 4.0 Strikeouts

Tyler Wells has four quality starts over his last eight appearances and in that span, he also has a 2.36 ERA/0.95 WHIP. He has a solid matchup tonight against a Rays offense that has a 24.7% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching- the third worst in baseball. The Rays also have a team ISO. wOBA and OPS that are all ranked in the bottom ten in MLB against righties while Wells has four wins over his last five starts. 

 

 


OVER 6.5 Strikeouts

Brandon Woodruff is in a nice spot tonight against the Giants. He has a 32% strikeout rate on the season and strikes out lefties at a much higher clip (43%). Woodruff has one of the best change ups in the game against left-handed batters and the Giants lineup should be left-handed heavy tonight. The Giants strike out 29.7% to right-handed pitching and the roster is only hitting .170 lifetime off Woodruff. I do not usually pick on the Giants, but Woodruff is just on a roll as he was a 1.85 FIP/0.85 WHIP with a 37% K rate over his last five starts. Confidently take the over. 
 

 


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