We have a full 15-game slate on Friday and the weather should be free from postponed games. Hallelujah! That means we should have plenty of players to choose from on both sides of the ball (plate?).
There are six games with over/unders of at least nine total runs, or more. It’s no surprise that LAD/COL lead the way with 11.5 total runs projected for their matchup at Coors Field. Also, Vegas has pegged that game as a coin toss. So, both offenses will be firmly in play.
On the downside, only one team is favored with odds of at least -180: the Yankees. I’m not even ranking Sonny Gray in my top ten on Friday. So, it will be hard to predict which pitchers will earn the extra four points for a victory on Friday night.
This article is posted well before lineups are released by the managers. If you have a question, feel free to reach me on Twitter @CharlieSideHstl.
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Pitchers
1. Chris Sale, BOS (@ HOU)
2. Stephen Strasburg, WSH (@ ATL)
3. Carlos Carrasco, CLE (@ MIN)
4. Gerrit Cole, HOU (vs. BOS)
5. Nick Pivetta, PHI (@ SF)
6. Jameson Taillon, PIT (@ STL)
7. Miles Mikolas, STL (vs. PIT)
8. Jose Berrios, MIN (vs. CLE)
9. Jaime Barria, LAA (vs. TEX)
10. Tyler Mahle, CIN (@ SD)
Even though Cole is the opposing pitcher, and those four points for wins can be crucial, I’m giving Sale the No. 1 spot on Friday. He’s struck out at least eight batters in five consecutive games and allowed two earned runs, or less, in four of the past six appearances. The ceiling is high for Sale and while Houston has scored the third-most runs in the league, they only have a team .165 ISO against left-handed pitchers (16th in MLB).
Second to Sale is Strasburg. Vegas has labeled this matchup with an over/under of eight total runs and Washington as the favorite (-135). Strasburg has struck out at least seven batters in six of the past seven starts. He’s also allowed three earned runs, or less, in five straight appearances. Strasburg faced Atlanta on April 10th: 8 IP, 0 ER, and 8 K.
Infielders
1. Nolan Arenado, COL (vs. LAD)
2. Chris Taylor, LAD (@ COL)
3. Giancarlo Stanton, NYY (@ BAL)
4. Justin Turner, LAD (@ COL)
5. Jose Ramirez, CLE (@ MIN)
6. Gary Sanchez, NYY (@ BAL)
7. Greg Bird, NYY (@ BAL)
8. Trevor Story, COL (vs. LAD)
9. Anthony Rizzo, CHC (@ NYM)
10. Kike Hernandez, LAD (@ COL)
11. Jesus Aguilar, MIL (@ CWS)
12. Gleyber Torres, NYY (@ BAL)
13. Francisco Lindor, CLE (@ MIN)
14. Yasmani Grandal, LAD (@ COL)
15. Scooter Gennett, CIN (@ SD)
16. Josh Donaldson, TOR (@ DET)
17. Khris Davis, OAK (@ KC)
18. Justin Smoak, TOR (@ DET)
19. Nelson Cruz, SEA (vs. TB)
20. Justin Bour, MIA (@ ARI)
Arenado is always a staple towards the top of our rankings, especially when playing at Coors Field, but we have a new name in the top two. Taylor’s Dodgers are also playing in Colorado on Friday. Taylor is batting .240 (6-for-25) in the past week, but has three doubles and one home run (two walks). Since 2017, Taylor has a .186 ISO against left-handed pitchers.
Thankfully, we were tipped to the NYY/BAL inclement weather on Thursday night and we were able to remove the Yankees and Orioles from our DFS lineups. While you should continue to monitor the matchups, we should be clear from a PPD on Friday. So, insert the Yankees back into your rankings! The Bronx Bombers are projected to score 5.7 runs on Friday (second-most on the slate). Stanton, Sanchez, Bird, and Torres are all viable infielders.
Outfielders
1. Mike Trout, LAA (vs. TEX)
2. Aaron Judge, NYY (@ BAL)
3. Charlie Blackmon, COL (vs. LAD)
4. Mookie Betts, BOS (@ HOU)
5. Yasiel Puig, LAD (@ COL)
6. Matt Kemp, LAD (@ COL)
7. Brett Gardner, NYY (@ BAL)
8. Cody Bellinger, LAD (@ COL)
9. David Dahl, COL (vs. LAD)
10. Carlos Gonzalez, COL (vs. LAD)
11. Justin Upton, LAA (vs. TEX)
12. Gerardo Parra, COL (vs. LAD)
13. Michael Brantley, CLE (@ MIN)
14. Brandon Nimmo, NYM (vs. CHC)
15. Nicholas Castellanos, DET (vs. TOR)
16. Derek Dietrich, MIA (@ ARI)
17. Lorenzo Cain, MIL (@ CWS)
18. Bryce Harper, WSH (@ ATL)
19. Matt Joyce, OAK (@ KC)
20. Domingo Santana, MIL (@ CWS)
Seven of the top 12 outfielders in my rankings are from the LAD/COL matchup. Thank you, Coors Field. Also, Alex Wood was originally scheduled to pitch for the Dodgers, but was bumped back to Sunday. So, Dave Roberts is calling it “bullpen day.” Instead, lefty Scott Alexander is starting for Los Angeles. That’s good news for Blackmon (.207 ISO). The Rockies are also trotting a left-handed pitcher to the hill for Friday. That’s good new for Bellinger (.271 ISO) and Kemp, among others.
One other name I’d like to mention in the Friday write-up is Nimmo. He’s tallied two hits in three straight games and has notched an extra-base hit in four consecutive games. This season, Nimmo is batting .318 (27-for-85) with five doubles, four triples, and five home runs (17 walks) against right-handed pitchers.
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Adam Meyer is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Adam, check out his archive and follow him @CharlieSideHstl.
