With just three games on the early slate, today’s Playbook, Rankings, and Optimal Lineups will be fully devoted to tonight’s 12 game slate that’s set for a roster lock of 7:05 PM ET/4:05 PM PT. 

For those playing the early slate, I can tell you that the chalk pitcher of the day will more than likely be Rick Porcello of the Red Sox. It definitely makes sense considering the caliber of pitchers available, but I’d consider Jake Odorizzi who has a good history against the Blue Jays and Marco Estrada who had a good history against the Rays (almost threw a no-no last season at the Trop). 

As for the other three pitchers, I think they are weak enough where it’s a situation where you might want to put together your lineups with predominately Red Sox, Indians, and Royals bats. Jason Vargas has surprised this season, but he is the left-handed version of Jered Weaver considering his fastball is in the mid-80’s, and relies a lot on his offspeed pitches. I can see Royals bats being underowned, simply because of how bad they’ve been to start the season. But Josh Tomlin tends to get hit hard, and he has a history of allowing a lot of flyballs, which isn’t a good combination for a guy who has been allowing a lot of contact. 

As for the main slate, it’s a Clayton Kershaw night combined with a Coors Field night where the two big run producing teams are the only team’s scheduled to play with an expected run total over 5.5. Something’s gotta give, but hopefully, I’ll be able to go over everything you need to know to put together some winning lineups. 

Rain wise, we’re going to have to keep an eye on Pittsburgh, New York, and Atlanta, which is a shame because we’re going to need as many options we can get if we’re going to optimally find room for Clayton (Kershaw, not Richard…. or maybe…)

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach me via Twitter @kle18. It’s the best way to reach me immediately. Good luck!

Stacks

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