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After a light Monday schedule there is a full slate of games Tuesday in Major League Baseball and Monkey Knife Fight is there with contests to make the games even more exciting with lots of chances to play and win.
There are 15 games which means that there are a wide variety of pitchers going, from aces to bottom-of-the-rotation guys.
- Cleveland’s Shane Bieber, Baltimore’s John Means, and the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler are among the top starters on the mound.
- San Diego’s Dinelson Lamet might be one of the top starters but has also gone just two innings in each of his two starts this season as he tries to work around some elbow trouble.
- The most interesting pitching matchups of the day might be the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani at Houston’s Lance McCullers.
Here are some options to consider when playing Tuesday’s MLB schedule on Monkey Knife Fight.
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STAR SHOOTOUT - MAIN GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Freddy Peralta MORE THAN 7.5 STRIKEOUTS
While the Brewers starting pitcher has emerged as a premier strikeout pitcher, with 14.9 K/9, this is also a big number. He does have at least eight strikeouts in three of six starts. In the three that he fell short, he finished with seven strikeouts. Peralta is matched up against a St. Louis Cardinals lineup that has a higher than average road strikeout rate (24.8%).
John Means MORE THAN 6.5 STRIKEOUTS
While Means’ overall strikeout rate has increased this season, it has really spiked in recent performances, as he has 36 strikeouts in his past four starts which includes last week’s no-hitter at Seattle. He faces a Mets lineup that has an above-average home strikeout rate (24.2%).
Lance McCullers MORE THAN 5.5 STRIKEOUTS
The Astros starter can miss bats though he does face a Los Angeles Angels lineup that tends to make contact. Their 20.8% road strikeout rate is fourth lowest in MLB and McCullers had five strikeouts in six innings in a start against the Angels earlier this season. Since that start, he has 17 strikeouts in two games.
Juan Soto LESS THAN 1.5 RUNS + RBI
In 11 home games this season, the Nationals slugger has managed just seven runs plus RBI. Even if the matchup against Chase Anderson and Phillies is a favorable one, it’s asking a lot for Soto to have multiple runs and RBI when that has happened in just four of 20 games overall.
STAR SHOOTOUT - LATE GAMES
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Madison Bumgarner MORE THAN 6.5 STRIKEOUTS
After a miserable 2020 season, Bumgarner got rocked in his first three starts this season, too, and it looked like he was in trouble. In four starts since, he has allowed a total of three runs while striking out 25. He goes against a Marlins lineup that has the third highest road strikeout rate (27.9%) and has a higher-than-average strikeout rate (25.1%) against left-handed pitchers.
Pablo Lopez LESS THAN 5.5 STRIKEOUTS
The Marlins ace has 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings this season, his second straight season with more than a strikeout per inning and he whiffed six Arizona Diamondbacks when they played last week. The advantage for the Diamondbacks is that they have the second lowest home strikeout rate (19.8%) in MLB.
Miguel Rojas LESS THAN 1.5 TOTAL BASES
Going up against Madison Bumgarner, the relevant splits for Rojas tell conflicting stories. Against lefties, he is mashing, putting up a .568 slugging percentage. On the road, Rojas is inept, with a .241 slugging percentage. It’s hard to get on board with that road slugging percentage as Rojas has multiple total bases in just four of 16 road games.
Josh Donaldson LESS THAN 1.5 HITS + WALKS
While the Bringer of Rain does have a .465 on-base percentage on the road this season, it is .345 against right-handers and Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease has been stellar in his most recent starts, so probably better than the average right-handed pitcher.
STAR SHOOTOUT - NIGHT GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Walker Buehler MORE THAN 7.5 STRIKEOUTS
After recording four strikeouts in each of his first three starts of the season, the Dodgers right-hander delivered 27 strikeouts in his next three starts. He faces a Seattle Mariners lineup that is a little better than average in terms of road strikeout rate (23.5%) but not by enough to side with them against an ace who is in a groove.
Mookie Betts LESS THAN 1.5 HITS + WALKS
This has not been a typical Betts season, at least so far, and he is slugging .350 at home and .357 against left-handed pitchers, neither of which is very encouraging for his chances against Seattle’s Yusei Kikuchi.
Yusei Kikuchi MORE THAN 16.5 PITCHING OUTS
The Mariners southpaw has gone at least six innings (18 outs) in five of his six starts so even against a difficult Dodgers lineup, he should have an opportunity to get at least 17 outs.
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