Mike Freeman- 2B- CLE- Idea- Freeman has a .294/.413/.471 slash line against RH pitching. Gabriel Ynoa owns a .286/.335/.513 career slash line against LH hitting. This makes Freeman the better bet for a solid performance. He is also eligible at SS. Value Play- Draft Kings salary $3700
Mashairo Tanaka- P- NYY- Caution- Tanaka threw a complete game shutout in June 17 in which he tossed 111 pitches. In his next outing he did get a quality start, allowing 2 runs in 6 IP, but was lifted after 88 pitches, 55 of which were strikes. Yesterday in London Tanaka imploded very quickly, only retiring 2 batters and getting charged with 6 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. Last season he never threw above 110 pitches. In 2017 Tanaka did it 4 times and followed each of those outings with a poor start. There might have been a delay in the aftereffects here, but high pitch counts look like an issue with him when he takes the mound again.
Zach Plesac- P- CLE- Cold- Plesac got hammered yesterday, allowing 7 runs in 3.2 IP on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4. He threw 90 pitches, 55 of which were strikes. This was likely some regression to the mean for Plesac. His ERA went up from 2.33 to 3.61 and his FIP from 4.94 only to 5.56. Plesac has a K/9 of 6.80 and his BB/9 is now at 2.98. Opposing hitters still have a .218 BABIP against him so his early success looks like it was not sustainable for him at his current level of development. In the minors Plesac had gained a good level of control. He needs to exhibit that in the majors.
Eric Sogard- 2B- TOR- Hot- Sogard collected multiple hits for the second consecutive game, going 2-for-3 in the leadoff spot and drawing a walk. He has experienced some very good luck, with a BABIP of .327 well above his career mark of .277. Sogard has exhibited previously unseen power, slugging 9 homers so far. That is triple the amount he had hit in any previous major league season and only 2 homers shy of his career total prior to 2019. Sogard has increased his FB% to 45.2%, a good deal above his career 36.8% mark. His 0.72 Batting EYE is solid. Sogard has 6 steals. His career has been marked by inconsistency but when he is having a good year, as this one has been so far, he has value. If he keeps his newfound power and stays in the leadoff spot, that will keep him worthwhile.
Brendan McKay- P- TB- Rookie- McKay exceeded expectations in his major league debut, throwing 6 shutout IP. He allowed just 1 hit and walked 1 while striking out 3. McKay threw 81 pitches, 55 for strikes. In 5 games at AAA Durham after a promotion, he posted an ERA of 1.08, FIP of 2,88, K/9 of 9.36, and BB/9 of 2.16. McKay will get at least one more start for the Rays and if he performs like this again, it will be tough to send him down. McKay also saw noted improvement at the plate in his other role. In 60 PAs at AAA Durham he slashed .265/.400/.551 with 4 homers. If McKay gets into the lineup it'll be the Shohei Ohtani conundrum all over again, but he could have some impact. It shouldn't be as much as his pitching but could be something.
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