Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, every week, I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out.
To join a daily league remember to visit DraftDay.com by clicking on the link to their site.
One other source for those of you on Twitter. @MLBDailyLineups – lists all the lineups in one spot so you can make sure you don't have someone in your lineup that is sitting on the bench that day.
NOTE: There are only four night games tonight, so I'm going to change up the format a bit since there just isn't the volume of players we're used to seeing most days.
ORIOLES vs. BLUE JAYS
Adam Jones has killed Morrow hitting .387 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 31 ABs.Nick Markakis is hitting .280 in 25 at-bats.Chris Davis is hitting .143 with 8 Ks in 14 at-bats.Matt Wieters is awful at 2-for-18 (.111).Manny Machado is 1-for-7.
TWINS vs. TIGERS
Miguel Cabrera murders Diamond: .500 in 16 at-bats. Everyone else struggles against Diamond:Jhonny Peralta (.200 in 15 at-bats)Torii Hunter (.167 in 6 at-bats)Prince Fielder (.091 in 11 at-bats)Victor Martinez (.125 in 8 at-bats)
Josh Willingham clubs Porcello hitting .600-1-4 in 10 at-bats.Ryan Doumit also has success (4-for-10).Justin Morneau is at .231 with one HR in 26 at-bats.Joe Mauer is hitting .259 with a .333 OBP (27 at-bats).
INDIANS vs. RED SOX
No Red Sox player has 10 at-bats against McAllister making matchup talk difficult.Mike Carp and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are the only two with a homer. Carp and Dustin Pedroia are the only two with two RBIs.
Michael Bourn has stolen two bases while hitting .313 against Dempster (32 ABs).Mark Reynolds has three hits in 14 at-bats.Drew Stubbs is a mess going 4-for-21 with 7 Ks.
ANGELS vs. ROYALS
Billy Butler is 3-for-3 against Blanton.Jeff Francoeur has six hits and four RBIs leading to a .429 average.Alberto Callaspo has gone 4-for-9 against Santana.Josh Hamilton has seen Santana 37 times hitting .270-2-8.Albert Pujols is 0-for-2 in his career.
STARTING PITCHERS(First pitcher listed is on the road, second is at home)
Scott Diamond vs. DETRick Porcello vs. MIN
Diamond (.208 and .557 in 106 ABs) has had success against the Tigers, and that really doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense, in his six starts. He's allowed 12 runs and four homers in his last two starts and is sporting a 1.44 WHIP and just 16 Ks in 39.2 innings this season. Terrible.
Porcello (.318 and .917 in 132 ABs) has a 5.92 ERA this season, but he's dropped that mark three runs in his last three starts as he's allowed a total of six runs. That 3.35 ERA in 91.1 innings agianst Minnesota is solid, but that 1.46 WHIP and just 46 strikeouts certainly leads to some trepidation.
Kevin Gausman vs. TORBrandon Morrow vs. BAL
For more on Gausman and my thoughts on what he brings to the table check out The Future Is Now.
Morrow (.259 and .861 in 166 ABs) has posted a 1.19 WHIP vs. the Orioles despite some less than scintillating career work against the club. On the year he continues to scuffle along with a 5.16 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, though at least that ERA number is a bit better at home this year at 4.07.
Zach McAllister vs. BOSRyan Dempster vs. CLE
McAllister (.254 and .847 in 59 ABs) has impressively struck out batters in 20 of those 59 at-bats versus the Red Sox. In eight starts this year he's yet to allow more than three runs in an outing though he's allowed six homers in his last six starts and hasn't exactly love pitching on the road (3.57 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in three starts).
Dempster (.255 and .765 in 102 ABs) started hot this year before being obliterated for 11 runs, three homers and seven walks in his last two starts. He's been solid at home this year with a 1.05 WHIP and 49 Ks in 37 IP.
Joe Blanton vs KCErvin Santana vs LAA
Blanton (.406 and 1.016 in 64 ABs) is pitching for his spot in the rotation with Jered Weaver close to returning. Despite the numbers he's posted against current Royals he has had some success against the organization over the years (2.96 ERA, 1.20 WHIP over seven starts). Still, 11 ER's and 23 hits over his last nine innings tell you all you really need to know.
Santana (.242 and .726 in 62 ABs) has been nails all season long allowing 0, 1 or 2 ER in five of eight starts. He's got a 1.84 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in four starts at home and the Angels are the middle of the pack at 8th in runs scored.
By Ray Flowers