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Reminder: Always double check the lineup card before rosters lock to make sure that a player you've chosen to roster is playing that day.
P- David Price vs. Yankees, $11,400
Price is facing a mediocre to weak Yankees lineup in the cold Detroit weather that he should be able to get deep into the game against. His pitching opposition is Adam Warren, so he will likely be in position to have a lead late in the game and come away with a 4 point win. The weather does project a 30% chance of rain in Detroit, though, so keep an eye on that before finalizing your roster.
OF- John Mayberry Jr. vs. Eric Stults, $2,600
Mayberry, a lefty masher, was signed specifically as an impact bat against LHP, and Stults is a soft tossing below average lefty that Mayberry will be in great position to produce against. He already made his presence felt against Stults earlier this year in Atlanta, launching a solo home run off him in a game that the Mets slotted him in the 3 hole for. I expect hard contact from Mayberry tomorrow, and he'll probably be slotted in the middle of the order.
C- Kevin Plawecki vs. Eric Stults, $2,500
Plawecki, the #63 overall prospect according to both Baseball America and MLB.com, was called up yesterday to replace the injured Travis d'Arnaud. Plawecki had 3 hard hit balls in his MLB debut last night and he hit LHP significantly better than RHP throughout his minor league career. Here were Plawecki's splits vs. LHP dating back to 2013:
2013 (FSL/SAL): 135 PA, .981 OPS
2014: (Eastern/PCL): 132 PA, .895 OPS
2015: (PCL): 13 PA, .846 OPS
It's not a huge sample size, but the scouting reports have backed it up as well. Plawecki has a short, fast swing and makes plenty of contact, so he will be less prone to boom or bust games than someone who swings and misses more frequently. I like Plawecki a lot at this price vs. the soft tosser.
3B- Mike Moustakas vs. Mike Pelfrey, $3,000
Moustakas, the former #2 overall pick, might have finally made himself into a useful hitter. Moustakas is hitting the ball hard in over 20% of his at bats, well above average, and it's led to a .218 ISO and 170 wRC+. Pelfrey has had very poor results vs. LHB in recent years: since 2013, Pelfrey's FIP vs. lefties is about 4.5, and ZiPS is projecting an ERA of about 5.5 the rest of the way for Pelfrey. The Royals have been slotting Moustakas 2nd in the lineup, which is big for his DFS value, and I like the price at $3,000 for this matchup against a pitcher who will probably give up a lot of runs.
OF- Dustin Ackley vs. Roberto Hernandez, $2,600
Despite a slow start batting average wise, Ackley has a .263 ISO and an above average hard hit%, and I'm a big believer in Ackley's talent after a swing adjustment last July. The Mariners have been slotting Ackley at the top of the lineup vs. RHP, and Hernandez is a below average pitcher at this stage of his career. I think this price undersells Ackley's abilities hitting at the top of the lineup vs. a below average RHP.
Coors Field
The Padres face Kyle Kendrick, who will flirt with disaster every single time he takes the mound in Denver. In about 400 IP since 2013, Kendrick owns a 4.78 ERA and 4.39 FIP, and ZiPS projects a brutal 5.13 ERA the rest of the way for Kendrick this year. All Padres hitters will be strong choices tomorrow, and here are two that are affordable:
1B- Yonder Alonso, $3,300
Alonso is career 113 wRC+ hitter vs. RHP, and while that isn't great, Kyle Kendrick is going to make that play up much higher.
OF- Wil Myers, $3,800
Myers is the most affordable of the Padres OFers tomorrow, and his leadoff slot in the lineup puts him in great position to get a lot of at bats and score a lot of runs.
Follow me on Twitter at @TimFinn521, I usually tweet out more good options as lineups are released.