Tuesday brings a day full of Major League Baseball, with a lot of quality pitchers taking the mound, and Monkey Knife Fight has contests for all of them, meaning lots of opportunities to play and win.
A look at some of the notable starting pitchers for Tuesday’s games:
- The starting pitchers with the best ERA going into Tuesday’s action: San Diego’s Ryan Weathers (1.31 ERA), St. Louis’ John Gant (1.81 ERA), San Francisco’s Alex Wood (2.44 ERA), the Mets’ Marcus Stroman (2.45 ERA), Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow (2.57 ERA), and Minnesota’s Michael Pineda (2.62 ERA).
- And that’s just the start. There are other proven quality pitchers in the schedule Tuesday and that list includes: Cleveland’s Shane Bieber, Cincinnati’s Sonny Gray, Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola, and Washington’s Stephen Strasburg.
- Add in guys who are pitching well recently including Oakland’s Chris Bassitt, Houston’s Luis Garcia, the Yankees’ Domingo German, the White Sox’s Dylean Cease, and Toronto’s improved Robbie Ray and this day looks like one for the pitchers.
- Seattle is getting Marco Gonzales back in the rotation today, and Caleb Smith is making his second start of the season after spending most of the year in the Arizona bullpen.
- The probable starting pitchers with the highest ERAs going into Tuesday’s action include the Angels’ Andrew Heaney (5.24 ERA), Baltimore’s Bruce Zimmermann (5.15 ERA), Kansas City’s Brady Singer (4.91 ERA), and Texas’ Dane Dunning (4.75 ERA).
Here are some angles to consider when playing Tuesday’s MLB schedule on Monkey Knife Fight.
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STAR SHOOTOUT - MAIN GAMES
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Shane Bieber MORE THAN 8.5 STRIKEOUTS
Even though there has been a hint of inconsistency from Bieber this season, at least compared to last year, he has put up at least nine strikeouts in eight of his 11 starts in 2021. He is facing a Chicago White Sox lineup that has a road strikeout rate of 24.3%, which is MLB average, and Bieber has 11 strikeouts in both of his previous starts against the White Sox this season.
Tyler Glasnow MORE THAN 8.5 STRIKEOUTS
Tampa Bay’s staff ace has recorded at least nine strikeouts in seven of his 11 starts this season. He struck out seven Yankees in a mid-April start but the Yankees also have the eighth highest home strikeout rate (26.0%) in MLB.
Stephen Strasburg LESS THAN 6.5 STRIKEOUTS
Washington’s star right-hander has missed time due to injury this year, so he has started just four games and has nine strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings in two starts since returning from the injured list. He does get the benefit of facing an Atlanta Braves lineup with a higher-than-average (25.3%) home strikeout rate but he isn’t looking like vintage Strasburg right now.
Matthew Boyd LESS THAN 6.5 STRIKEOUTS
While Boyd has been much more effective this season, compared to 2020, his strikeout rate is still relatively modest and he has managed more than six strikeouts in two of his 10 starts. Even going against a Milwaukee Brewers lineup with a relatively high home strikeout rate (26.1%) it’s a reach to expect at least seven strikeouts for Boyd.
STAR SHOOTOUT - LATE GAMES
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Brady Singer LESS THAN 5.5 STRIKEOUTS
The Royals starter does have at least six strikeouts in five of his 10 starts this season but only twice in the past six starts. He goes against a weak Pittsburgh Pirates lineup but the Pirates do make contact, with a 22.3% road strikeout rate ranking sixth-lowest in MLB.
Luis Garcia MORE THAN 5.5 STRIKEOUTS
Houston’s sturdy 24-year-old right-hander has been emerging as a valuable piece in the rotation and has accumulated at least six strikeouts in six of his past seven starts. He is matched up against a quality Boston Red Sox lineup but one that has a higher-than-average road strikeout rate (25.6%).
Carlos Santana MORE THAN 1.5 HITS + WALKS
Throughout his career, even as his batting average fluctuates, the Royals first baseman has been able to get on base. He has a .382 on-base percentage at home and a .363 OBP against right-handed pitching going into Tuesday’s game against Pittsburgh. The Pirates have Wil Crowe on the mound and he has a 1.67 WHIP so there should be opportunities for Santana to reach base multiple times.
Fernando Tatis Jr. MORE THAN 1.5 RUNS + RBI
As ridiculous as Tatis Jr. has been this season for the Padres, he is at his best on the road (1.180 OPS) and against right-handed pitching (1.165 OPS) which counts in his favor for Tuesday’s game at the Cubs with Kyle Hendricks starting. Not only that but Tatis Jr. has 42 runs plus RBI in 17 road games this season, an average of 2.47 per game and has recorded multiple runs plus RBI in eight of 12 games since returning from the injured list.
STAR SHOOTOUT - NIGHT GAMES
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Chris Bassitt MORE THAN 5.5 STRIKEOUTS
Oakland’s ace has really been on a good run recently and is consistently missing more bats. Bassitt has at least six strikeouts in seven of his past eight starts and goes up against a Seattle Mariners lineup with the third highest home strikeout rate (27.7%) in MLB.
Will Smith MORE THAN 1.5 HITS + WALKS
One of the best hitting catchers in the game, the young Dodgers backstop has great splits for Tuesday’s home game against St. Louis with right-handed John Gant on the mound. Smith has a .438 on-base percentage at Chavez Ravine and a .426 OBP against right-handers, both of which make him a good choice to reach base multiple times against the Cardinals.
Andrew Heaney LESS THAN 5.5 STRIKEOUTS
The Angels southpaw has high highs and low lows. The highs include three starts with nine or more strikeouts. The lows include five of fewer strikeouts in five of his nine starts, including each of the last three. Heaney also had five strikeouts the last time he faced the Seattle Mariners, at the end of April.
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