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We’re almost at the weekend, which means the league is turning over and giving us some fresh matchups to look forward to in the coming days. I’ve got plays on two exciting matchups below.
Houston Astros (-136) vs. Kansas City Royals (+115) Total: 8.5
I don’t know if I’ve bet on the Royals all season, but that will change here on Friday. That’s because Jose Urquidy is pitching for Houston, and Kansas City rolls into this home game as a formidable opponent.
The Royals stand 13th over the last two weeks with a 107 wRC+ and have posted an incredibly respectable 21.6% strikeout rate with a good 8% walk rate. They’re also fourth in hard-hit rate over that period of time!
Hard-hit balls are the name of the game with Urquidy. He allows them at a 46.9% clip, and has given up a .467 xwOBA on contact. To that point, he has a 4.80 ERA with a 6.22 xERA.
Brady Singer may not be the best pitcher, but he at least can strike out a high number of players and isn’t a lefty, so he has a shot here against Houston.
Edge: Royals +115
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New York Mets (+135) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (-160) Total: 8
Tyler Anderson has been unhittable lately, and he’s managed to figure out how to miss bats in addition to get soft ground ball outs. He’s struck out at least five in his last five outings with at least seven in four of the five, and if you can miss bats against the Mets you can certainly win games.
New York managed to strike out nine times against Tony Gonsolin in a 2-0 loss to the Dodgers on Thursday, so it’s not unfathomable to think it could happen again with the way Anderson is pitching. He’s only allowed more than two runs in one start this year, and with that I love the Dodgers.
Chris Bassitt has turned back into Chris Bassitt of late, seeing his ERA rise to 3.66. That was always going to happen with the peripherals he had, and against the Dodgers his inability to limit barrels is certainly going to come into play.
I think L.A.'s offense is going to absolutely eat here, and with Anderson going for the Dodgers this should be a win.
Edge: Dodgers -160
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