If you look closely enough, you can find some players tonight for your Star Fantasy Leagues daily lineup who have some great matchups against the teams and pitchers they are facing. That’s what I’ve done here. After carefully combing through the stats, I’ve selected some guys with histories that should bode well for them tonight. To try a team for yourself, head to SFL and use the promo code “SJN” for a 40% deposit bonus.
(C) A.J. Pierzynski $5,855 – The Texas catcher has hits in five of six games and his last three hits have all been doubles. He also has a good track record against Dan Straily, whom he’ll face tonight. In seven at bats, he has three hits, including a double and home run.
(1B) Mark Trumbo $6,963 – Trumbo remains one of the hottest bats in the L.A. lineup. He is working on an eight-game hitting streak that includes four home runs, nine RBI, 10 runs, and a five-hit game. Tonight, he’ll face Houston’s Dallas Keuchel, against whom he is 3-for-5, with a double, triple, and homer.
(2B) Jose Altuve $6,476 – Altuve went hitless for just the second time this month last night, but it’s hard to ignore what he has done overall in September. He’s hitting .412 with six doubles, seven RBI, five steals, and 10 runs. He’s also 3-for-6 against tonight’s opposing starter, Jason Vargas.
(3B) Ryan Zimmerman $7,297 – Zimmerman has been on a monster power surge. He already has eight homers this month and has six in his last six games. He also has four hits in his last nine at bats. He has been a big part of why the Nationals have won eight of nine and are fighting to get back into the wild card race.
(SS) Jonathan Villar $5,390 – Villar has hit safely in six in a row and nine of 10, and even in the Astros lineup he is still able to score, with eight runs in six games. His batting average has gone up by 26 points in the last 10 days. On top of it all, he is stealing bases, with four in the last three days.
(OF) Yoenis Cespedes $6,602 – It hasn’t been quite the MVP-caliber year many were expecting from Cespedes, but he is turning it on at just the right time for Oakland. He has hits in seven straight games and 10 of 11. He also has at least one RBI in six games in a row.
(OF) Desmond Jennings $6,210 – I have a hunch that Jennings is really going to get going. He has just three hits in his last 12 at bats, but is coming off yesterday’s game against Boston in which he had a big homer in a much-needed Tampa win. Now, he’ll get to face a Minnesota team against which he hits .342/.395/.605.
(OF) Josh Hamilton $6,038 – Hamilton just came off a very nice three-game stretch during which he had eight hits, including four extra-base hits. He did go 0-for-4 against Toronto yesterday, but tonight will face Keuchel, against whom he is 2-for-6.
(U) Mike Napoli $6,958 – Napoli has cooled off a little since his scorching start to September, but he’s still a good play right now. He’s still hitting .387 this month and he gets to go back home to face Hiroki Kuroda. He is 2-for-4 against the Yankees’ righty.
(SP) Clayton Kershaw $19,144 – There is no reason to think the L.A. ace won’t be great tonight when the Dodgers host the Giants. He has a 1.92 ERA on the season, but he is even better in his career against San Francisco. In 21 games, he is 11-4 with a 1.32 ERA and averages a strikeout an inning. And this Giants team isn’t as good as some of the others he’s faced.
(SP) Adam Wainwright $16,096 – I’ve got a pair of aces on my pitching staff tonight. After two rough starts, Wainwright turned in a beauty against Pittsburgh on Saturday, giving up just two hits over seven scoreless innings, while striking out eight. He should be able to do it again against a weaker Seattle team.
(RP) Grant Balfour $2,400 – This is the biggest series of the year for the Rangers and A’s with 3.5 games separating the two. Oakland has a chance to put away the division this weekend and Texas could be forced to fight for a wild card. Unfortunately for the Rangers, they don’t look much like a playoff team now, so Balfour has a prime opportunity for some work tonight.
(P) David Hale $4,500 – Hale will make his first major league start tonight for the Braves and he has a nice matchup against the Padres. He’s put up decent numbers in AAA with a 3.22 ERA, but isn’t a big strikeout pitcher. I like the matchup enough and I don’t mind taking a chance on a major league debut. There could be decent points here for cheap money.
