Hitters ----

Play of the Day: Nolan Arenado-- Even with the ballpark shift from Coors to Petco, Arenado facing a lefty is always an elite play. Tonight, it is vs. Clayton Richard, who is 1-for-2, with a 9.98 ERA vs. the Rockies this year. The Rockies have lost three-straight, and watched their wild card lead slip to just 1.5 games. Nolan went 0-for-8 vs. the Giants, but should be excited to face Richard tonight, as he is 8-for-14, with a home run against.

Value Play: Chris Davis-- Davis is batting only .152 over his last 10 games, but similar to others tonight, Davis will be excited to face a new team and pitcher. Tonight it is vs. Andriese, who hasn’t pitched over six innings since returning from the DL on August 28th. Andriese is 1-for-3, with a 7.50 ERA vs. the O’s, who currently have one of the highest projected run totals tonight.  Davis is 4-for-9, with two home runs vs. the right handed pitcher.  

Value Play: Jayson Werth -- With his consistently cheap price tag, Werth remains a top value play while batting in the second spot for the Nationals. Tonight, he faces Dickey, where BvP is even more important. Werth is 13-for-27, with two home runs off of Dickey. R.A. has allowed batters to bat .333 vs. him over his last six starts.

GPP Play: Yadier Molina-- While Homer Bailey has pitched slightly better lately, the last time he faced the Cardinals at home, Bailey allowed 10 runs in 3.1 innings. The Cards are still in the playoff hunt, and their offense has started to heat up. You’ll have to pay up at catcher if you want Molina tonight due to his higher price tag, but he works great in a Cardinals stack. Molina has three-straight games with an XBH, and is 15-for-39, with three home runs off of Bailey.

Pitchers ----

Play of the Day: Dallas Keuchel-- Only $3 separates the top-four priced pitchers tonight, but Keuchel checks in as the top priced pitcher as he faces the White Sox tonight, who check in with the lowest projected run total of the slate. Keuchel was hit hard by the White Sox the last time he faced them, allowing eight runs over four innings. Keuchel should fare better at home tonight, where he has allowed two runs or less in three of his last four home starts. The concern about Keuchel tonight is his strikeout ability, as he has yet to have a double-digit strikeout game, averaging 7.41 K/9 this year.

Top Play: Carlos Martinez-- While Carlos has five double-digit strikeout games this season and 205 Ks over 194 innings, he has struggled vs. the Reds. Martinez is 0-2, with a 7.15 ERA over two starts vs. the Reds this season, allowing nine earned runs over 11.1 innings. He’s coming off an illness in which he was sent home to recover over the weekend, but states he is good to go today. Carlos Martinez is your narrative play, as he celebrates his 26th birthday today.

Pivot Play: Tanner Roark-- Roark is one of the hotter pitchers taking the mound tonight. After a 8.31 June ERA, Roark has gone 7-3, with a 3.18 in the second half. He’s 2-1, with a 2.84 ERA this month, striking out 23 over those 19 innings. He is not a large favorite tonight, but has one of the better matchup of tonight’s slate.

GPP Play: Carson Fulmer-- Anderson will be the more popular value play tonight vs. the Padres, making Fulmer the low-owned GPP target tonight. He faces the Astros, who should end up with the highest projected total of the slate. Fulmer has allowed just one run in each of his last two starts while striking out 14 over those 12 innings. He takes a step up in class tonight after starts vs. the Tigers and Giants, but if looking to load up on bats, Fulmer can at least be counted on for 90 plus pitches tonight.