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Major League Baseball starts early on Wednesday and Monkey Knife Fight has contests running throughout the day, offering loads of opportunities to play and win!
- Pittsburgh’s Chad Kuhl (6.52 ERA), the Yankees’ Jameson Taillon (5.74 ERA), St. Louis’ Carlos Martinez (5.54 ERA), Texas’ Mike Foltynewicz (5.48 ERA), the Mets’ Joey Lucchesi (5.18 ERA), Detroit’s Jose Urena (5.16 ERA), and the Angels’ Alex Cobb (4.98 ERA) are some Friday starters that have had a difficult time this season.
- There are still some quality pitchers taking the mound, though. That list includes: the White Sox’s Carlos Rodon (1.89 ERA), Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes (2.27 ERA), Houston’s Luis Garcia (2.98 ERA), Miami’s Pablo Lopez (3.12 ERA), and Toronto’s Robbie Ray (3.45 ERA).
- The best pitching matchup of the day looks to be Carlos Rodon and the Chicago White Sox visiting Luis Garcia and the Houston Astros.
Here are some options to keep in mind when playing Friday’s MLB schedule on Monkey Knife Fight.
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STAR SHOOTOUT - MAIN GAMES
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Robbie Ray MORE THAN 7.5 STRIKEOUTS
It looks like the Blue Jays have fixed the southpaw who was walking more than seven batters per nine innings last season and Ray has landed in a groove in which he has recorded at least nine strikeouts in six of his past eight starts. He is facing a Baltimore Orioles lineup that does make contact, with the fourth lowest home strikeout rate (20.9%) in MLB, but it’s hard to ignore Ray’s recent dominance.
Corbin Burnes MORE THAN 7.5 STRIKEOUTS
In 11 starts this season, Burnes has recorded eight or more strikeouts nine times, and the two games in which he finished with less than eight, he had seven strikeouts. The question is whether he can do it in Colorado, where it is obviously a hitter-friendly park and the Rockies have the lowest home strikeout rate (20.2%) in the National League.
Carlos Rodon LESS THAN 6.5 STRIKEOUTS
In a similar context to Burnes, Rodon has recorded at least seven strikeouts in 10 of his 11 starts this season, but he is facing a Houston Astros lineup with the lowest home strikeout rate (17.8%) in MLB.
Luis Garcia LESS THAN 6.5 STRIKEOUTS
The Astros right-hander has recorded seven or more strikeouts in five of his 11 starts and is going against a Chicago White Sox lineup that has a lower-than-average road strikeout rate (23.4%) so it might be a tough ask for at least seven strikeouts in this particular game.
STAR SHOOTOUT - LATE GAMES
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Trevor Bauer LESS THAN 7.5 STRIKEOUTS
The Dodgers’ agitator will be one of the more interesting pitchers to watch in the coming weeks, as MLB attempts to crack down on pitchers using sticky substances on the ball. Bauer has eight or more strikeouts in eight of his 14 starts but only once in his past four starts. He matches up with an Arizona Diamondbacks lineup that has a lower-than-average home strikeout rate (22.0%).
Alex Cobb MORE THAN 5.5 STRIKEOUTS
The Angels right-hander has seen a spike in his strikeout rate this season, up to 10.8 K/9 and has at least six strikeouts in five of his nine starts. The real benefit for Cobb is that he goes against a Detroit Tigers lineup that has the highest road strikeout rate (28.5%) in MLB.
Mookie Betts MORE THAN 1.5 HITS + WALKS
Even if this has not been a vintage Mookie Betts season, he can still get on base, to the tune of .363 against left-handed pitchers and .388 on the road heading into Friday’s game at Arizona, where the Diamondbacks send Caleb Smith to the mound.
STAR SHOOTOUT - NIGHT GAMES
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Yusei Kikuchi LESS THAN 6.5 STRIKEOUTS
This is a substantial number to cover, especially when facing a team as strong as the Tampa Bay Rays, but the Rays do have a higher-than-average road strikeout rate (26.0%) so it’s possible that Kikuchi could get there. He has at least seven strikeouts in six of his 12 starts.
Johnny Cueto LESS THAN 4.5 STRIKEOUTS
San Francisco’s crafty veteran has recorded five or more strikeouts in four of 10 starts, including twice in his past eight starts, so even if the Philadelphia Phillies tend to strikeout more (26.0% on the road), Cueto is not a consistent strikeout threat at this stage of his career.
Tony Santillan MORE THAN 4.5 STRIKEOUTS
The Reds prospect had five strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings in his major league debut and had 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings in six starts at AAA before getting called up. He goes up against a San Diego Padres lineup that has a lower-than-average home strikeout rate (22.1%).
Randy Arozarena MORE THAN 1.5 TOTAL BASES
The splits work in favor of the Rays outfielder, who has a .458 slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers and .468 on the road heading into Friday’s game at Seattle, with Yusei Kikuchi on the mound for the Mariners.
Jesse Winker MORE THAN 1.5 HITS + WALKS
One of the big breakout performers in baseball this season, the Reds outfielder has a .429 on-base percentage against right-handed pitching and a .403 OBP on the road, going into Friday’s matchup with Chris Paddack and the San Diego Padres.
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