With just two weeks left in the regular season we’re coming down the homestretch. We don’t have much time left to make some money on baseball, so we’ve got some hitters to target to help you end the season on a high note!
Matchups to Target
Bryce Harper
I think my track record predicting Phillies hitters is still no bueno, but I’m going to get back on the horse here and try again. And being a Braves fan this is a win-win: if Harper goes off then great, I look smart; if not, hopefully that means the Braves have a better shot at winning the game. Anyway, Harper got hot in August and found his power stroke, however, he’s gone quite cold thus far in September (9-for-53, .170). Monday night though he’ll face the Braves’ Kyle Wright who was recently activated from the IL. In his last start on 9/11, Wright went just 3 innings against these same Philadelphia Phillies, allowing 6 ER on 6 hits, 2 BB, and 3 K. The Braves need Wright to step up and right the ship before postseason play, but it may not happen Monday night as he wasn’t that effective in his limited action even before the IL stint. Wright carries a 7.48 ERA and 1.89 WHIP into the contest. Being in the same division, Harper has seen Wright before. He’s 4-for-12 (.333) with 2 2B, a HR, 4 BB, and just 1 K. The Phils are favored in this one and the game has a pretty high O/U at 9.5.
Michael Harris II
On the opposite side of the Phils tonight are the Braves, and of course there’s plenty of offensive firepower to choose from despite facing hard-throwing Zack Wheeler. Wheeler has a respectable 3.70 ERA on the year (3.47 xFIP) and a sterling 1.07 WHIP, but the Braves have seen him a bunch, even from his time with the Mets. If Wheeler has a weakness, it’s lefties. Left-handed hitters slash .257/.410/.716 while righties slash .199/.320/.559 against him. Harris is a lefty and has the highest average for a Braves hitter over the last 7 days (.367), is batting .328 in September (21-for-64), and is experiencing a power surge lately with 4 HR in his last 7 games. His numbers against Wheeler don’t jump off the page, but he’s seen him 9 times before with 2 singles and 3 K against the RHP. If you’re looking for a left-handed power hitter there’s no more obvious choice than Matt Olson, but you can get a piece of the action at a lower price point with Harris.
Corey Seager
Seager is one of those guys you can pretty much pencil in every night since he hits for high average and power regardless of handedness of the opposing pitcher. He’s batting .337 on the season (2nd in MLB), he’s got 31 HR (17th), and a 1.050 OPS (2nd). On Monday night in Texas, the Rangers will take on Kutter Crawford and the Red Sox. Crawford was OK his last time out giving up just 1 ER on 3 hits, but he lasted just 4.2 innings; prior to that he allowed 5 ER in 3.2 IP and 6 ER in 2.2 IP over two starts. The Rangers are heavy favorites in this one (-165) and somewhat juiced to the over of 8.5.Â
Julio Rodriguez
Rodriguez has arguably been the hottest hitter in the league over the last couple months and Monday night he’ll face J.P. Sears and the A’s. Sears has actually been pretty good in September with just a 1.59 ERA across the 3 starts, but that comes after a dreadful August in which his ERA was at 8.25 over 5 starts. Rodriguez is just 3-for-11 against Sears in his career, but he generally hits LHP well. His slashline against lefties is .331/.515/.887 while it is .274/.496/.830 against righties. If the Mariners can chase Sears they’ll have some chances against one of the worst bullpens in the MLB as well. This one has a low O/U of 7.5 but the M’s are favored pretty heavily (-170).Â
Value Plays
Robbie Grossman
Grossman has been swinging a hot bat since filling in for the injured Adolis Garcia. He’s collected at least 1 hit in 7 of the last 8 games he’s played, going 10-for-26 (.385) over that stretch with a double, 2 HR, 8 RBI, and 5 R. Garcia has a chance to be activated Monday night so double check before gametime to make sure Grossman is playing, but if he is the switch hitter should be a cheap option.
Tyrone Taylor
The hottest hitter on the Brewers over the last week? Not Tyrone Taylor, it’s Mark Canha (8-for-19, .421). But Taylor’s past week wasn’t too shabby either. He’s 9-for-23 (.391) over the past week, including 4 2B, a HR, 5 RBI, and 5 R. Monday night he’ll face veteran Adam Wainwright. Waino’s final season hasn’t been a good one, but he has been effective on occasion including his last time out against the O’s, going 5 innings while allowing just 2 ER on 7 hits. This will be the second-to-last time the vet will pitch in front of the home crowd in St. Louis, so he could reach deep down and try to give it his best shot, but maybe he’ll save that for next week in his final home start in front of the Cardinal faithful (he’s also playing a postgame concert!). Taylor is here because he’s swinging a hot bat and he’s got good numbers against Wainwright. In his career, Taylor is 6-for-14 (.429) against Waino and two of those hits were HR.Â
