Daily Dime: All my lefties hit in Texas
Ah, the full-slate Sunday, a joy to behold. Just make sure funky lineups and spotty weather aren't holding you back.
Players to Buy
Jason Kipnis, 2B, at TEX (Martinez), $4500: Lou raised the price of Kipnis, he’s been losing at the track. But with Kipnis on a ballistic 19-for-31 tear the last seven games (10 runs, one homer, five RBIs, three steals), you have to strongly consider paying up. The Nick Martinez hit-rate luck tour has to come to a stop eventually; last year lefties posted an .832 OPS against him.
Shin-Soo Choo, OF, vs. CLE (Carrasco), $3200: Something’s clicked for him during the current homestand (13-for-28, three homers), and he’ll enjoy the platoon split on Sunday. Maybe the Rangers didn't get rooked on this contract after all.
Salvador Perez, C, vs. NYY (Capuano), $2300: Of course Perez is working for the weekend - Ned Yost rarely gives him a day off. Perez slides up to the No. 6 spot in the order and he’s a career .307/.345/.500 slasher against lefties. No one's afraid of Chris Capuano.
Shelby Miller, SP, at MIA (Alvarez), $9200: It wasn’t easy to trust Miller’s early success, given it was driven by a lot of batted-ball luck, but the strikeouts have returned in the last three starts (3 ER, 6 BB, 25 K). The Marlins only managed a run off Miller in two earlier starts, though he wasn’t in his best form in early April. The Miller we’ve seen of late, that reminds us of his peak form from St. Louis.
Brandon Belt, 1B, vs. CIN (DeSclafani), $2800: He’s found himself over the last couple of nights, collecting six hits including a couple of homers. Assuming the Giants and Reds can dodge the raindrops here, Belt is a must-play while he’s south of 3K. The favorable hitting background is also a plus. If you want another lefty Giant to consider, surging shortstop Brandon Crawford is a steal at $2400.
Kole Calhoun, OF, at BAL (Wright), $3100: Maybe Baltimore righty Mike Wright will go on to have a lovely MLB career, but we’ll want to pick on him as he makes his Orioles debut in a tricky spot (home game, hitter park). Calhoun actually been a better stick against lefties this year, for whatever that sample means, but he showed an 83-point OPS spike in the platoon advantage last year.
Didi Gregorius, SS, at KC (Volquez), $2200: Normally I’d want no part of a ninth-place batter, but Gregorius is the minimum salary and he’s already gotten comfortable against Edinson Volquez (4-for-7, two homers).
Lineup Stack, Mariners vs. Red Sox (Wright): I like to reminisce with people I don’t know. Isn’t Disney World a people trap operated by a mouse? Can vegetarians eat animal crackers? Does a knuckleball work against a lefty-heavy Mariners lineup?
Steven Wright has limited home runs during his brief career, but lefties enjoy a .269 average and .350 OBP against him. We don’t have the Mariners lineup available to us as we go to press, but I’d suspect surging Brad Miller ($2500) will stick in the lineup. Seth Smith is a reasonable cheap outfielder anytime he plays, and Robinson Cano’s tag sure looks appealing at $3200. I always want to talk myself into Kyle Seager.
Players to Fade
Jake Arrieta, A.J. Burnett: Arrieta was on my Wallet list before the season and is on a bunch of my standard roto teams. I hope the guy throws a shutout and strikes out a dozen. But there’s some rain in the forecast, and even more forbidding - the game total is set in the 10.5-11 range, probably because strong winds are coming from the south. I know, being a weatherman is the worst part of this daily roto racket, but with a full slate on the docket, I don’t see any reason to mess with this game.
Jake Marisnick, OF, vs. TOR (Buehrle), $2600: I still like him for seasonal, but the DFS juice runs out a bit now that he's been shifted in the lineup. Marisnick will bat ninth Sunday.
