Baseball is back! Check back here throughout the day for updated blurbs as teams confirm their lineup. We’ll keep you updated on some of the day’s highest-impact trends by utilizing our Models and Vegas dashboard. Projected and confirmed lineups for every game can be found on our MLB Daily Lineups page.
Angels (+136) at Yankees (-148) — 7:15 PM EST
Yankees out: Neil Walker
Yankees in: Greg Bird
Greg Bird was activated off the disabled list and will make his season debut against the Angels on Saturday. He’ll bat sixth and replace Neil Walker at first base. The Yankees are presently implied to score 5.6 runs — the second-highest mark in the main slate — and are one of three teams with a total north of 5.0. Aaron Judge is one of the highest-rate hitters in the Bales Model, and he presently ranks fourth with a 0.345 ISO. Angels right-hander Jaime Barria has stifled the longball this season, but he allowed a 47% hard-hit rate and slate-high 97 MPH exit velocity in his last outing. Conversely, Judge leads all hitters with a 100 MPH exit velocity and 59% hard-hit rate over the last 15 days, and hitters with comparable rates and salary have averaged a FantasyLabs’ +1.66 FanDuel Plus/Minus.
Angels out: Ian Kinsler
Angels in: Luis Valbuena
Ian Kinsler will receive a day off on Saturday and Zack Cozart will return to the leadoff spot and move to second base. Luis Valbuena will enter the lineup at third base and hit seventh, while Shohei Ohtani remains at designated hitter and in the five-hole for the fifth consecutive game. The Angels have seen their implied run total increase by 0.3 runs as they rank fifth in Saturday’s six-game main slate with 4.5 projected runs. Despite a high salary, Mike Trout continues to make for an excellent tournament option as majority of ownership will come from Coors Field. Trout leads the team with a 46% hard-hit percentage over the last 15 days while producing at least 21.0 FanDuel points in six of his last seven games.
Giants (+175) at Cubs (-191) — 7:15 PM EST
Giants out: Buster Posey
Giants in: Nick Hundley
Buster Posey will rest on Saturday despite facing a left-handed pitcher, and Nick Hundley will draw the start at catcher while Brandon Belt remains in the lineup at first base. The Giants are likely resting Posey before Sunday’s day game, but opposing pitcher Jose Quintana has fared considerably better against left-handed hitters than right-handed hitters. The Giants are currently implied to score the third-fewest runs (4.0) in Saturday’s main slate and Quintana carries the second-highest rating in the Bales Model on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Even though Belt fares worse against lefties, he has been scorching hot as of late with a FantasyLabs’ +7.81 Plus/Minus on FanDuel over his last 10 games.
Pictured above: Greg Bird.
Photo credit: Kim Klement – USA TODAY Sports
