Daily Dime: Chris Davis, Denard Span, and a dirt-cheap Friday starter
We have potential weather issues in the Midwest today, gamers, so please remember to check the pregame forecasts. And as always, scan the MLB lineups as they're released. Let's get into it...
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Chris Davis, 1B, vs. TB (Karns), $3300 at FanDuel: Davis is binging, you guys, so I'm on board. He's 4-for-10 over his last three games with a double, three homers and six RBIs. On Friday, the O's face a right-hander who hasn't given Davis much trouble in limited looks (2-for-5, HR, BB).
Lance McCullers, P, vs. CWS (Rodon), $5400: Oh, man, this pitching matchup. Good times. McCullers is available at a ridiculously friendly price considering his performance thus far — 10.2 IP, 3 R, 11 Ks — and the fact that his team is a heavy favorite (-150). The early numbers from McCullers aren't a total surprise, just so you know. This is a former first-rounder with a career minor league K/9 of 10.7.
Brett Lawrie, 3B, vs. NYY (Capuano), $2200: No way anyone is afraid of Capuano, right? Good. Lawrie homered off a lefty on Thursday, and he carries the lowest possible price tag in this one. If you're trying to squeeze Matt Harvey and/or a luxury hitter into your Friday lineup, you'll need to take a low-dollar flier elsewhere.
Marcus Semien, SS, vs. NYY (Capuano), $2900: Another dirt-cheap bat, facing Capuano. Let's not overthink it, friends. Semien is batting .282 against LHPs thus far in his career (.247 vs. RHPs), and Capuano is obviously something less than an upper-tier lefty.
James Shields, P, vs. Pit (Liriano), $9300: Shields gets a home start, looking to push his record to 7-0. He's struck out seven or more batters in nine of his ten starts so far this season. Bucs hitters have seen little of him, for obvious reasons, and none have had success (1-for-17 combined).
Albert Pujols, 1B, vs. Det (Sanchez), $2700: Not such a bad price for an all-time hitter, set to face a struggling pitcher. Sanchez has been hammered in recent appearances, yielding 29 hits, 20 earned runs and six homers over his last four starts. You're not buying a vintage Pujols here, obviously, but he's still on pace to hit 30 bombs this year. He went 1-for-2 with a homer and two walks on Thursday. Perhaps Sanchez will get right against the Angels, but I'm betting against it in daily.
Seth Smith, OF, vs. Cle (Bauer), $2300: Bauer is of course off to a terrific start (1.16 WHIP, 4-1), but I can't resist Smith at this price, facing a non-dominant righty. Sixteen of the 22 walks issued by Bauer this season have gone to LHBs. Smith has hit safely in five straight, with three doubles, three walks and three runs-scored during that stretch.
Denard Span, OF, at Cin (DeSclafani), $3500 : Left-handed hitters have slashed ..276/.384/.457 against DeSclafani so far this year with 10 doubles, three homers and 19 walks. Last season it was .333/.362/.530. Right-handers haven't been able to touch him, but LHBs are definitely in play. Span and Harper, come on down.
Daniel Murphy, 2B, vs. Mia (Haren), $3000: Murphy has put together a seven game hitting streak, with four multi-hit efforts along the way. He's slashing .352/.398/.440 in May. Haren has certainly pitched well, but Murphy has taken him deep in the past.
Dustin Pedroia, 2B, at Tex (Gallardo), $3200: Pedroia has been feasting lately, going 13-for-29 with two bombs over his past seven games. He's also 4-for-9 in his career against Gallardo with a pair of extra-base hits. Honestly, it feels like everyone should be 4-for-9 against him.
