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All the MLB action is in the evening today, so you've got plenty of time to investigate injuries and weather situations before your daily league lineups lock. We are going to pick on Jordan Lyles in Minute Maid tonight, as well as Tom Koehler in Miami - so get the oppossing sluggers active, and watch the points roll in against these mediocre-at-best starters!
MLB Daily Leagues Lineup Picks for August 23, 2013
SP - Homer Bailey (CIN): Bailey is getting another shot at the lowly Brewers, whom he dominated last time out, going eight innings with eight strikeouts and just one earned run. He only allowed four base runners in that start, and you can expect a similar performance this time around as the punchless Milwaukee club rolls over for the ace from Cincinnati.
C - Yadier Molina (STL): Molina was benched for Wednesday night's game vs. Atlanta. I expect him to be fully rested and ready to go for Friday night's game. He has been on a tear all week, having 2 hits or more in 4 of the past 5 games. He's hitting 10-for-22 (.455) Avg. since August 17th. Molina has had some success vs. Medlen in his career 3-for-7 (.429) Avg.. Medlen has struggled vs. Right-Handed Batters all season, giving up a (.291) Avg.. With Molina hitting (.329) vs. RHP, this should be a matchup made in heaven, and it will be.
1B - Edwin Encarnacion (TOR): Jordan Lyles just isn't a very good pitcher. He's given up 128 hits in just 109IP this season. He also really struggles vs. Right-Handed Batters, giving up a (.298) Avg. this season. Lyles can't get his act together at home either, with a 6.58ERA. The ball can really carry in Minute Maid Park. The Blue Jays are really gonna rely heavily on Edwin with the other power hitter (Bautista) recently landing on the DL. Edwin is 1-for-2 with a double in his small sample size vs. Lyles.
2B - Aaron Hill (ARI): Hill goes into Friday night arguably the hottest hitter in August. With a (.392) Avg. this month, Aaron has only gone hitless twice out of 18 games in August. He is 3-for-11 (2B, HR) career against Cole Hamels. Hill has been killing left-handed pitching all season with a (.327) Avg.. Even though this is the 8th game of the D-backs long road-trip, Hill is to hot to be cooled off, especially with a (.314) Avg. on the road this season.
SS - Troy Tulowitzki (COL): Tulowitzki has swung a really hot bat since Carlos Gonzalez hit the DL. He's going into Friday night on fire, riding a 9-game hitting streak. Has also had at least 2 hit's in 5 of his past 8 games. He's 2-for-3
(2B) career against Tom Koehler. He has been a nightmare for right-handed pitchers all season hitting a (.320) Avg. vs. them. He also see's the ball very well at night, hitting a (.326) Avg. when the moon is a spectator.
3B - Brett Lawrie (TOR): As I said earlier, I expect the Jays to put the hurt on Jordan Lyles. Lawrie is another hot right-handed hitting batter I expect to flourish vs. the struggling right-hander. Lawrie has seen big success in a small sample size vs. Jordan. Lawrie is 2-for-3 (2B, HR) career against him. But then again, when your'e hitting a (.395) Avg. in August, you are hitting all types of pitching thrown your way. Lawrie has hit safely in 22 of his past 24 games.
OF - Michael Cuddyer (COL): Cuddyer is having an amazing season. He has a great matchup vs. Tom Koehler. Michael is 2-for-3 (2B) career vs. the struggling right-hander. Koehler has been off his game his last 2 starts, giving up 16 hits in just 10.1IP. Cuddyer has really been seeing the ball well lately, hitting 10-for-23 (.435) Avg. over his past 6 games. Not to mention he has a 6-game hitting streak to go along with it. He's also been killing right-handed pitchers all year, with a (.344) Avg. against them. I expect the Rockies to put up a good amount of runs tomorrow, expect Cuddyer to be in the thick of it.
OF - Carl Crawford (LAD): Even though he hasn't put up big numbers this season, Crawford has shown signs that he can still be considered a solid leadoff hitter. Crawford has a well-known matchup vs. John Lackey tomorrow. He's faced Lackey 45 times in his career, getting a hit in 21 at-bats. That's good for a (.467) Avg. He's had some extra-base hits vs. Lackey as well, hitting 3 doubles, 2 homerun's and a triple. Crawford loves him some home-cooking (.324) Avg., that's 33 points higher than his average on the season (291). Crawford is also bringing in a 6-game hitting streak into Friday night. He's also had 6RBI in his past 5 games.
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As always, remember to check your MLB daily lineups before they lock and make sure you are doing your own research, too, for optimal performance! The most successful daily leaguers are grinders who are constantly tweaking their lineups as the day goes on and fantasy news gets released. Good luck today, RotoBallers!
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