Welcome back folks! I’d like to apologize for the apparent lack of contribution to this piece over the last few weeks. I’ve experienced major schedule changes and busy streaks as I’ve moved back to Pittsburgh for the start of my third year at the University of Pittsburgh (H2P!). You’re more concerned about the MLB DFS, so I’ll get to it!

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Weather

Isolated thunderstorms are making their way through the “Midwest” tonight, so check back closer to game time on the games in Colorado, Detroit and Cleveland. The chances of delays and postponements don’t look great right now, but the situation should be monitored.

[am4show have=’p3;p4;p7;p11;’ guest_error=’Front Office’ user_error=’Front Office’ ]Positional Breakdown

Starting Pitchers

It’s super easy to recommend Chris Sale tonight against a fairly left-handed hitting Cleveland Indians bunch, but I’m not about the easy stuff, unless it’s homework we’re talking about. Instead, I’m going to direct you another route, to Jeff Samardzija. “Shark” has been awesome in his last two starts and the A’s are going to need to put it together as playoff baseball approaches. He gets to square away with the divisional “rival” Houston Astros. The ‘Stros no longer lead the league in offensive K%, but they’ve barely fallen to third, striking out at a 23.3% clip. I like his prospects for strikeouts and a win tonight.

So you don’t want to pay for Sale or Samardzija? Why are you so frugal? I dare you to try Bartolo Colon. I know, I know. Go ahead, laugh, mock me, but did you see the Reds lineup last night? Sure, they scored a bunch of runs with it, hooray, but not today. The Reds have essentially thrown in the towel on the year and their lineup surely reflects that. If you’re looking for a GPP play that’s mega-contrarian, you’ll find it in Bartolo, hey, you can’t miss him (fat joke).

Catcher

Can I skip this position? Catcher is so hard and it’s getting even more difficult as the season wanes on. If you’re not looking to punt this spot, take a shot with Johnny Lucroy. No one calls him Johnny, but I thought it might give him youthful legs for tonight against John Lackey. The Brewers need to win, and Lucroy has had a quasi-MVP type year for them. He’s going to have to come through in the clutch.

First Baseman

Have you ever seen Big Papi get hot? Yes, of course you have, you watched playoff baseball a last year. Well, Big Papi hit two homeruns last night, and I feel one of those tears coming on. Although the Red Sox won’t be getting to take advantage of his veteran play in the postseason, he can help us out in DFS. He gets to face young right-hander, Drew Hutchison tonight in Fenway Park. In case you were wondering, Papi has a career .305 ISO against right-handed guys. No sweat boys, roster him.

Second Baseman

I’d normally wish to also pass this position, but I gotta feelin’, Black Eyed Peas style. Robinson Cano is awesome. He’s really good and it’s unfortunate we don’t hear as much about him because he’s now playing in Seattle. If you can’t stay awake long enough to see his games, you should just know, he’s awesome. He’s hitting .322 to lead the Mariners to hopefully an eventual playoff berth and tonight, he’ll help them destroy Scott Baker. Yeah, Scott Baker is still in the league, and he actually hasn’t been half bad recently, but he’s not ready for the onslaught of left-handed bats tonight.

Third Baseman

I’m going to stick with the Mariners here. Kyle Seager will also be good tonight. Sure, you’ve fallen asleep before he got a chance to play, but let me share some numbers with you. How does 22 homers, 81 RBI’s sound? Sound like a player that should be able to mash up a mediocre right-handed arm? Not enough you say. How about the .234 ISO against righties this season? Yeah, thought so.

PS. I also love Evan Longoria.

Shortstop

Cuban Missile Crisis? Not quite, but I do like Alexei Ramirez, and the slew of Cuban imports that have essentially begun a small takeover of a certain sector of the Major Leagues. Alexei has quietly had a brilliant season for a subpar Chicago White Sox team. He’s chugged along to a .281 average, a number that he holds true to against left-handed hurlers, like the one he’ll face tonight. No other shortstop comes with a much better matchup tonight, I think he’ll greet TJ House with a few hits.

Outfield 

Christian Yelich is a stud. Please remember that. Do not ever forget that Christian Yelich is a stud. Yes, Giancarlo Stanton owns the team, and the entire league, but Christian Yelich should not go undetected. He comes at a discounted price, but does a great job setting the table for Stanton. Yelich has made huge strides against left-handed pitchers this year and as a result has made his overall line much better. He’s hit his way to a .293 average in his age 22 season, and has a bright future ahead of him. Tonight he gets to face seasoned vet, Aaron Harang. Thank me later when he gets a few hits, scores a run and swipes a bag.

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