Good morning everyone! Another beautiful weekend is upon us and there is plenty of baseball to be played and plenty of cash to be made! There is no better way to spend your weekend!

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Weather

While we have had to deal with some ominous weather over the last couple days, it looks to be a safe day in terms of rain today. The only game showing precipitation chances is the game in Coors Field, which normally isn’t a place where games get rained out.

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Positional Breakdown

Starting Pitchers

I love when Clayton Kershaw pitches, because he makes all of my analysis over starting pitchers that much easier. Kershaw is undoubtedly the best pitcher in baseball and is too good to ignore, especially against a depleted Arizona Diamondbacks team. His last start was “ruined” by one swing of the bat, but overall has been dominant in his return from the disabled list. I could tell you that his K/9 is close to 11 and his earned run average is less than two, but that doesn’t really matter, it’s Clayton Kershaw; use him.

Should you not want to roster Kershaw, look to another veteran left-handed pitcher today. Cole Hamels was electric in his last start against the hapless New York Mets. He struck out ten batters and picked around an all-right handed New York Mets lineup that day, only to have his victory destroyed by a terrible Phillies bullpen. Today he gets to face another depleted offensive unit in the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds are without their best hitter Joey Votto and simply aren’t running out a very good lineup these days. His strikeout rate is up and his price is down, two very encouraging signs today.

Look for it to be a duel with Homer Bailey today in Philadelphia, and also consider Gio Gonzalez, Roenis Elias and Scott Kazmir.

Catchers

I was really disappointed to see the Pirates and Yankees postponed yesterday, but they are back on the schedule for tonight and I’m going to be targeting the game quite heavily. Brian McCann has actually been healthy for a while now this year and you might as well play him while you have the chance. McCann is a career .282 hitter against right-handed pitching and has that sweet short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium today. Edinson Volquez has found his way in some starts this year, but I don’t think today is one of those days.

Another powerful left-handed bat I like today is Jason Castro. Castro gets the luxury of facing Hector Noesi today and Noesi just doesn’t seem to ever get anyone out. Both sides of the plate are having great success against him this year and I love Castro’s numbers against right-handed pitchers. His price is going to fit just perfectly to allow you to reach up and grab the top pitching arms today.

First Basemen

Don’t look too much further than Edwin Encarnacion today. Edwin has really heated up and turned his entire season around in the last few weeks. Today he gets to see left-hander Robbie Ross, who sadly, isn’t cut out to be a starter. Ross is surrendering a homerun per game and Edwin sure has that potential.

Should you look elsewhere, Brandon Moss seems to just be on auto-play against right-handed pitchers once again this year. Moss looked good last night against Zach McAllister as the A’s torched the Indians and I expect him to play well today. Josh Tomlin is a bit of a journeyman who has pitched well this year, but I still like Moss’ matchup.

Others to consider: Albert Pujols, CJ Cron and Anthony Rizzo. 

Second Basemen

Second base always seems to be such an ugly position and that trend continues today. Robinson Cano found a couple hits last night but is still lacking the power I need to see before I begin to roster him accordingly. Should you be looking elsewhere, test your hand with Neil Walker. Walker gets the favorable park boost to Yankee Stadium today and gets to swing from the left-side against right-hander David Phelps today. Walker has been much better for average from the right-handed batters’ box this year, but he’s hit seven of his eight homeruns from the left. He makes for a solid GPP option today.

Others to consider: Howie Kendrick and Derek Dietrich.

Third Basemen

It’s scary to think that I have come this far and have not mentioned any players from the Colorado game, but I’ll buck that trend right now. Nolan Arenado didn’t do much of anything against a similar starter in Eric Stults last night, but will face Robbie Erlin, another soft-tossing left-hander tonight. Arenado did show some passion as he got tossed from the game after getting rung up on a questionable strike three call, so hopefully that fuels him for today. While his hit streak has been broken, keep in mind Arenado is hitting .302 with a pair of homeruns against left-handers this year.

PEDRO! I love Pedro Alvarez in this series at Yankee Stadium this weekend. He has unlimited power potential and gets such a huge park boost in the Bronx. Add in the fact that he’ll be getting the platoon advantage all series long and I’m ready for some homeruns. Granted, Pedro will need to put the ball in play first, but there aren’t many places that can keep him in the yard. I don’t think Yankee Stadium does that. Look for homerun number nine from him today!

Shortstop

Back to Colorado we go! Troy Tulowitzki is far and away the number one shortstop option again tonight. Tulo put together a quiet but effective night last night maneuvering his way around an infield single and stolen base to help pay off that lofty price. He sees another left-handed pitcher today and is still right at home in Coors Field, should you pay up for him you won’t be making a mistake.

This just feels like a good day for Ian Desmond. Believe it or not, Desmond doesn’t carry any extreme platoon splits, but has been way better against right-handed pitching this year. I love to pick on Bartolo Colon, despite the Nationals lineup not having many guys to use against him. You could point to Desmond’s .222 batting average and only two stolen bases as a reason not to use him today, but I just have this feeling. Colon throws nothing but fastballs and hitters are going to be gearing up for it. Someone in this Nationals lineup needs to be doing the damage, today it’s Ian’s turn.

Others to consider: Starlin Castro and Jed Lowrie.

Outfield

I’ve had a propensity for hitting my outfield plays on the head in recent days and I don’t want to ruin anything now, so I’m going to stick with the familiar format of just naming the top three plays. Jose Bautista, Seth Smith and Jacoby Ellsbury all will be salivating in their great matchups today. Bautista gets the worn down Robbie Ross Jr. in Globe Life Park in Arlington today where his power potential becomes untapped. Seth Smith has the loftiness of Coors Field to help bolster his power and help him add to his under-the-radar season. We’ve seen Jordan Lyles maneuver Coors Field fairly well in the past, but I love Smith tonight. Finally, Jacoby Ellsbury gets that nice right-field porch at Yankee Stadium and he’s about due for a homerun. Now, “being due” is not a reason to pick someone, but the fact that Ellsbury is facing Edinson Volquez and Volquez is allowing a .370 wOBA to left-handed hitters, is a perfectly acceptable reason to like Ellsbury a lot.

Others to consider: Nelson Cruz, Adam Jones, Will Venable, Drew Stubbs and Andrew McCutchen.

Top Stacks

Blue Jays – Bautista, Encarnacion, Cabrera, Reyes

Yankee Stadium – Walker, Alvarez, McCann, Ellsbury

Coors Field- Tulowitzki, Smith, Stubbs, Arenado, Venable

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