Daily Dime: Get Brett Anderson I said
Memorial Day! Lineups and weather on the 2s. Let’s have some fun, be it for Daily or for Seasonal.
Players to Buy
Brett Anderson, SP, vs. ATL (Perez), $6700: Although the Braves offense hasn’t been quite the wasteland I expected, it still ranks an ordinary 19th in runs scored. And things really collapse when the opposing starter is left-handed: the Braves rank 28th in OPS against the southpaws.
While our L.A. lefty is no sure thing to work deep into the game, he did record 19 outs in his last turn. Anderson has also fanned 15 (against just four walks) in his last two appearances. The push over the cliff is the Vegas line: the Dodgers are the biggest favorite of the day, minus-190.
Ian Desmond, SS, at CHI (Wada), $3100: His horrendous defense really doesn’t bother us, so long as he doesn’t get booted from the lineup, and his bat has perked up nicely of late (.344/.400/.625 over eight games). Desmond has been hitting second for a week now, part of a Washington offense that’s come alive. Runs are expected at Wrigley on Monday.
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Yankees Lineup Stack, vs. KC (Guthrie): The attack on Yo Gabba Gabba didn’t work out Sunday night, but I’ll jump right back on the horse, mindful of Jeremy Guthrie’s messy splits against left-handed batters. The Yanks are perfectly aligned to take advantage of this, with eight lefty swingers in the Monday lineup.
Joey Votto, 1B, vs. COL (Butler), $3300: Generally I’m not going to be star driven with the recommendations in this column, but when Votto’s price gets this low and his matchup looks this good, we need to have a conversation. Eddie Butler has more walks than strikeouts, for crying out loud. The forecast is a touch worrisome, but if you can get past that, Votto is an easy button to push.
David Ortiz, 1B, at MIN (Nolasco), $2900: Why should you care about a piddly sample of 10 at-bats? When it includes three homers against just one strikeout. Ortiz also has a couple of walks in the mix. It’s also a good time to give Panda Sandoval a shot – you know he mashes against righties, and he owns a .476/.522/.1.095 slash against Nolasco. No contest.
Carlos Martinez, SP, vs ARI (Anderson), $8400: It’s not a pittance of a price, and Martinez has let me down in a few spots before. But consider his career splits: he allows a .629 OPS against righties, and a .841 OPS to lefties. The major bats you worry about in the Arizona lineup are all right-handed (sometimes I wonder how anyone gets Paul Goldschmidt out). If Ender Inciarte or David Peralta take me down, I’ll live with it. Martinez also gets the theoretical boost from a friendly home park, though his career numbers have been better on the road.
Adrian Beltre, 3B, at CLE (Marcum), $2900: Another big name that normally is an easy push, but it gets especially tantalizing at a mere $2900. Beltre doesn’t enjoy the platoon advantage, but he’s done just fine against Shaun Marcum through the years (9-for-23, three homers, just two strikeouts).
Bonus Play: Jose Altuve, 2B, at BAL (Chen), $3800: Because Mike Salfino said so, because of the platoon edge, and because the price has come down notably.
Players to Fade
Colorado Lineup, at CIN (Marquis): I know what you’re thinking – you see Jason Marquis on the other side and you want to stack all over him. But the Rockies just had an extended homestand at Coors Field, and that often turns into a mess when the road beckons, as the batter timing is all messed up. The Memorial Day slate offers a ton of messy pitchers anyway, so it’s not a big deal to look past this one. There’s also rain in the forecast, though I’d guess they still get the game in.
Tanner Roark, SP, at CHC, $4600: Eventually I see Roark turning into a solid, bankable head-to-head pitcher fill, but two questions linger for this matchup. How many innings is he ready to throw after two months of bullpen work? And how many strikeouts can he give us, especially if the appearance is mildly abbreviated? Obviously the price is a daisy, and the pitching slate for Monday is full of sketchy options and land mines, but I’m still going to wait on Roark. One additional point: there’s some ominous wind in the forecast, and the Vegas sharps have posted the total at 11.
Hanley Ramirez, SS, at MIN (Nolasco), $3400: Until he drives in a run in May, I can’t play him. I think he’s playing hurt and probably hurting the team doing so.
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