Tonight, I’m looking to keep the my run of success going with my Star Fantasy Leagues daily lineups. My latest team on Wednesday, again won the daily freeroll, beating 72 others. That is my fourth top-three freeroll finish in my last six entries and my second win. Things are going well right now, so my formula isn’t changing. I’m sticking with high-strikeout pitchers and hot hitters, and this is what I’ve come up with. Join me at SFL and build a team for yourself. Use the promo code “SJN” for a 40% deposit bonus.
(C) Salvador Perez $6,148 – Perez has been one of the best hitters in all of baseball recently, not just at the catcher position. He is 12-for-23 during his current six-game hitting streak with four homers and 13 RBI. He still managed a hit in his only at bat yesterday while pinch-hitting.
(1B) Brandon Moss $6,404 – To say Moss is on a power surge is a bit of an understatement. He hit four home runs in Oakland’s three-game series in Detroit, and he has seven in his last 10 games. While he is only a .252 hitter this season, his 25 homers and current run make him a good play tonight.
(2B) Dustin Ackley $4,358 – Ackley went hitless last night for the first time in seven games. Prior to his 0-for, he had gone 11-for-20 with five extra-base hits. He’ll face the Astros yet again today, and, in 10 career games against them, he is a .371 hitter.
(3B) Aramis Ramirez $6,469 – The Brewers third baseman has hit safely in eight of his last nine games and has four home runs in that time. He also had four hits on Tuesday alone. Milwaukee returns home tonight and Ramirez is hitting .309 at Miller Park this season.
(SS) Jed Lowrie $6,558 – Lowrie started the season hot, but cooled off throughout much of the middle portion. Now, though, he’s found his swing again. Lowrie is riding an 11-game hitting streak and has six hits and four runs in his last two games. He’s now gotten his season batting average back up to .294.
(OF) Shane Victorino $8,254 – Victorino has been destroying the baseball over the last few days. In four games, Victorino has eight hits, seven runs, four homers, and 10 RBI. He’s now hitting .294 on the season, and has a .325 average at Fenway, where he and his Red Sox will host the White Sox tonight.
(OF) Will Venable $6,223 – Venable continues to be a mainstay in my daily lineups. He’s been a .400 hitter in August and has seven hits in his last three games. Last night alone, he had a home run, double, two runs, and three RBI. Even a matchup against the Dodgers shouldn’t slow him down.
(OF) Avisail Garcia $4,715 – In his first 19 games with the White Sox, Garcia is hitting .352/.387/.465. In his last three games, he had seven hits in 13 at bats. Finding a streaking rookie is a good way to find value.
(U) Jay Bruce $6,756 – Bruce is coming through as his Reds fight to stay in the division race. In Cincinnati’s three-game series in St. Louis, he went 5-for-11 with two home runs, four runs, and six RBI. Now, he heads to Colorado. On the road this season, Bruce is a .304/.347/.524 hitter. I expect his run of production to continue.
(SP) Yu Darvish $20,268 – Darvish has a great matchup tonight, as he gets to face a Twins team that is on a five-game losing streak. The major league strikeout leader has notched double-digit K’s in four of his last six outings and has gone at least six innings in each while allowing no more than three earned runs. I am more than willing to spend more than a fifth of my budget on him tonight.
(SP) Jose Fernandez $17,110 – Even on a bad Marlins team, Fernandez hasn’t lost since July 7th. He just doesn’t allow offense. He has a 2.30 ERA and has given up more than six hits in an outing just once in his career, which spans 25 starts. He’s also picked up eight or more strikeouts 10 times. There’s plenty to like here.
(RP) Koji Uehara $2,149 – The Red Sox should beat the White Sox tonight, but, basically, it’s been two days since this happened, so they’re due for another round of whatever that is.
(P) Taijuan Walker $4,500 – Like with Garcia, there is value to be had in starting a high-upside rookie. Tonight, Walker will make his MLB debut for the Mariners. In 25 games between AA and AAA, Walker is just 9-10, but owns a 2.93 ERA and a 10.2 K/9 rate. With a fastball that can reach into the mid-to-high 90s, and a matchup against the Astros tonight, Walker could pick up some good points. At the very least, though, he should be fun to watch.
