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Baseball starts early Thursday but Monkey Knife Fight has contests running all day, offering many chances to play and win!
- After getting rained out yesterday, Toronto Blue Jays top pitching prospect Alek Manoah is making his major league debut at the Yankees. Manoah, a 2019 first-round pick, had a 0.50 ERA and 0.56 WHIP in his first three starts at AAA Buffalo.
- There are some intriguing pitching matchups Thursday, including Cincinnati’s Sonny Gray at Washington and Stephen Strasburg.
- Both pitching matchups in the Yankees-Blue Jays double-header are interesting. Manoah goes against Domingo German in Game One while left-handers Robbie Ray and Jordan Montgomery tangle in the late game.
- The Angels send Shohei Ohtani to the mound at Oakland and Chris Bassitt in another quality pitching matchup. Those might be some games to avoid when looking for offensive production.
Here are some angles to keep in mind when playing Thursday’s MLB schedule on Monkey Knife Fight.
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BALTIMORE-CHICAGO WHITE SOX
MORE OR LESS
Dylan Cease MORE THAN 5.5 STRIKEOUTS
Even coming off his roughest start of the season, the White Sox right-hander still struck out six, a threshold he has met in six of nine starts this season. Going against a Baltimore Orioles lineup with a slightly above-average road strikeout rate (24.5%) should be a favorable situation for Cease to keep missing bats.
Anthony Santander MORE THAN 1.5 TOTAL BASES
The Orioles right fielder has missed some time with injuries but is slugging .481 against right-handed pitching and .491 on the road. If he is going to get at least four at-bats, that should lead him to multiple total bases.
Jose Abreu MORE THAN 1.5 RUNS + RBI
The reigning American League MVP has only been okay at home, combining for 28 runs plus RBI in 23 games, but he crushes left-handed pitching (.657 SLG) and is facing Baltimore’s Bruce Zimmermann, who has a 5.59 ERA, so there should be opportunities to score.
Trey Mancini LESS THAN 1.5 TOTAL BASES
Even though Mancini is the RBI leader with 42 in 49 games, he is slugging .407 against right-handed pitching and .368 on the road, which doesn’t make it terribly appealing to pick him for at least two total bases in Thursday’s game at the White Sox.
L.A. ANGELS-OAKLAND
MORE OR LESS
Chris Bassitt MORE THAN 5.5 STRIKEOUTS
The A’s ace has been quietly effective this season, if not as dominant as he was in 2020, and has been particularly efficient when it comes to strikeouts, with at least seven in six of his past seven starts. The Angels have a low road strikeout rate (22.0%) but in a lineup sans Mike Trout there should still be opportunities for Bassitt to get to at least six strikeouts.
Anthony Rendon LESS THAN 1.5 HITS + WALKS
This has not been a vintage Rendon season by any means and that includes a .333 on-base percentage against right-handed pitching and a .321 OBP on the road. Counting on him to reach base multiple times in a game against a quality pitcher is a reach at his current level of production.
Jared Walsh MORE THAN 1.5 TOTAL BASES
On the other hand, Walsh has been consistently dangerous this season, slugging .670 against right-handed pitching and .597 on the road. Those numbers make it much more likely that Walsh can pick up at least two total bases against Bassitt and the A’s.
Matt Olson MORE THAN 1.5 TOTAL BASES
Even though the Angels are sending Shohei Ohtani to the mound, don’t sleep on Olson, who is slugging .557 against right-handed pitchers and .573 at home. That’s enough to expect a couple of total bases from the A’s first baseman.
ST. LOUIS-ARIZONA
MORE OR LESS
Matt Peacock MORE THAN 3.5 STRIKEOUTS
The Diamondbacks starter has only started two games this season, striking out three in one and four in the other, so the 3.5 is a good dividing line. He did get four in his last outing, against a solid Los Angeles Dodgers lineup, so maybe lean towards the better outcome for Peacock against a St. Louis Cardinals team with an average road strikeout rate (24.4%).
Carlos Martinez LESS THAN 3.5 STRIKEOUTS
Even as Martinez has been more effective recently, with a 2.51 ERA in his past five starts, he also has three or fewer strikeouts in four of those five starts. The Diamondbacks also have a lower-than-average home strikeout rate (22.4%).
Nolan Arenado LESS THAN 1.5 RUNS + RBI
As well as Arenado has been hitting for the Cardinals, he also has 28 runs plus RBI in the past 23 games and given that Peacock has been competent, it might be asking a lot for Arenado to put up multiple runs + RBI.
Pavin Smith LESS THAN 1.5 HITS + WALKS
While Smith has shown some promise, he is still not a great on-base threat. His .317 on-base percentage against right-handed pitching and .314 OBP at home are his more favorable splits and still not good enough to expect him to reach base multiple times.
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