- After a two-day respite from setting early lineups, matinee baseball returns on Wednesday. Three of the four starters are rostered in well over 50% of ESPN leagues, but Steven Matz (45% rostered) is available in a tick over half as the St. Louis Cardinalshost the New York Mets. The visiting Mets have one of the higher scoring lineups in the league, though they've struggled against southpaws in the early going. Backed by a solid defense in a pitching venue, Matz is a solid streaming option, just note the game starts at 1:15 PM ET.
- The Houston Astros lineup is averaging the eighth-fewest runs per game in MLB. Their offense is due for an uptick which can commence at any time. Even so, Glenn Otto(1%) is an under-the-radar streaming candidate, as well as cost-saving DFS choice, as the Texas Rangers host the Astros in Arlington. Otto opened eyes in his first start, displaying an increasing swinging-strike mark across the board, but most notable was his curveball which he deployed considerably more than last season.
- MacKenzie Gore's (48%) prospect status was such a roller coaster ride, it's hard to believe he's still just 23-years-old. His first two major league starts are encouraging, though 10 strikeouts with four walks in his inaugural 10 1/3 innings warn not to get caught up in his early 1.74 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. Gore's first road outing is in the Great American Ballpark. However, don't let that sway you from streaming him against a Cincinnati Reds squad scoring the fewest runs per game in the league.
- The Boston Red Sox offense has been quiet, in large part to facing some good pitching. Still, good lineups are supposed to perform better. The early struggles have suppressed DFS salaries and even though they'll be adjusted to account for Ross Striplingtalking the hill for the host Toronto Blue Jays, expect both teams to score some runs with Michael Wacha taking the ball for the visitors, and Garrett Whitlock not available since he'll be starting on Thursday. Stacking either side along with betting the over makes sense (or cents).
- Early on, the smart money has been on taking the under on strikeout props. Overall, punch outs are down, and starters aren't working deep enough into games to rack up the requisite whiffs. On the other hand, some teams are fanning at a high clip, including the Baltimore Orioles. Jordan Montgomery takes the hill in Yankee Stadium against the Orioles, and even though Montgomery's 18.3% strikeout rate so far is five ticks below his career mark, his tendency to amass innings against lesser opponents, along with the vulnerability of the visitors lands Montgomery as a fun pick to beat his strikeouts prop.
What you need to know for Wednesday's MLB Games
- Thread starter biggins
- Start date
