Daniel Murphy- 2B- NYN- Idea- Murphy took a slash line of .283/.336/.433 against RHP. The Mets are facing Jerome Williams, who has a slash line of .307/.366/.43 against LH hitting. Murphy is a good bet to extend his 5-game hitting streak. Value play- FanDuel salary $2800
John Axford- RP- COL- Hot- Axford picked up his 7th save of the season allowing a walk in a scoreless 9th inning. Most importantly he continued his streak of homerless IP to start this season and is up to 11. Having Axford pitch in Coors Field was a scary thought but eh has risen to the challenge. It's looking like his homer happy pitching on 2012 and 2013 might have been the aberration. Axford gave up 6 homers in 54.2 IP last year. He has enjoyed some good luck so far this year, with an FIP of 3.51 and xFIP of 4.51 well above his 0.82 ERA. If he can keep his homers allowed down a the rates he had before the 2-year spike he should keep a solid hold on the Colorado closer spot.
Mark Melancon- RP- PIT- Caution- Melancon converted his 11th save yesterday. However he didn't strike out a batter for the third straight appearance. His K/9 is down to 4.71. That's nearly half of the 9.00 he posted in 2014. Melancon's ERA is down to 3.00, but that's well below his FIP of 4.05. He isn't performing at the same level as last year.
Giancarlo Stanton- OF- MIA- Great Player- Stanton may have kicked off some regression to the mean yesterday. He went 2-for-4 with a homer. It was Stanton's first multihit game since May 15. His BABIP is still sitting at .267 so there is plenty of room for positive movement in his .234 average.
Radhames Liz- P- PIT- Drop value- Liz was designated for assignment yesterday. The Pirates say that they don't expect him to clear waivers and be able to get sent to the minors. They have used him for 17.1 IP and he has posted a 3.63 ERA, which aren't bad numbers. However, he is still beset by the wildness that has plagued him throughout his career. Teams might be tempted by his 9.35 K/9 but his 5.19 BB/9 will come with it. He is unlikely to make significant contribution with a change of venue.
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