A real sneaky option in Bud Norris today. He has bounced back and forth between being a starter and a reliever this season. He’s also been traded from the Braves to the Dodgers, but something is clicking for him right now. Since returning to a starters role, he has been awesome. He’s posting a 1.78 ERA over his last six starts while striking out 37 batters over 35.1 innings. That includes his last two outings where he’s posted 13 shutout innings and racked up 16 strikeouts. Now, he has to face the Orioles today who are one of the league’s best offenses. Even with that being said, this might be a chance to take advantage. The last week for Baltimore has been a struggling, where they rank 17th in wOBA. For all the upside the Orioles offense has, they can strikeout in a big way. They are striking out at the 10th highest rate in the last month. Another small boost for Norris as the Orioles lose their DH in this National League park.
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How good was Michael Pineda in June? Well, here are the K/9 leaders for the month of June: Jose Fernandez (14.0), Max Scherzer (12.63) and Michael Pineda (12.25). That is some elite company for Pineda to be in and it’s not just the strikeouts that have been impressive. He earned a 2.75 ERA in June while his opponents are only hitting .201. Now he gets to face the White Sox who are striking out at the 7th highest rate in the last 30 days. Pineda should benefit from the change in venue as U.S. Cellular is much more pitcher friendly than Yankee Stadium.
We’ve been picking on the Rangers starters recently, but for good reason. Tonight’s target is going to be Martin Perez. He owns the second worst xFIP on this slate in the month of June which is signifcantly worse than his ERA, which would indicate he’s actually running above expectation. He has basically no ability to strikeout hitters, striking out a dismal 2.08 batters per nine in the same span. His ERA is nearly two full runs higher on the road, which is where he will have to face the Red Sox which is possibly the most potent offense in the league.
That’s all folks! Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more player analysis and news as starting lineups are released! Commentary based on DraftKings & Fanduel strategy and scoring.