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          Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Tuesday's MLB games

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          Stat Stories: Monday's standout fantasy MLB performers (0:54)

          Check out the top performers in fantasy MLB on Monday, including Hunter Brown, William Contreras and Brenton Doyle. (0:54)

          • Eric Karabell, ESPN Senior WriterJul 2, 2024, 02:52 PM
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            • ESPN contributor on TV, radio, podcasts, blogs, Magazine
            • Charter member of FSWA Hall of Fame
            • Author of "The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments"
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          Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by ESPN BET, and fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

          Note: This file will be updated with any overnight pitching changes and weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

          Feeling a little Gil-ty

          When New York Yankees RHP Luis Gil beat the Boston Red Sox with five solid innings on June 14, his surprising ERA stood at 2.03, his WHIP at 0.98 and he had won nine consecutive decisions over 11 starts. Fantasy managers could not get enough. Gil, 26, had opened the season as a fill-in for injured ace RHP Gerrit Cole, and pitched so incredibly for two-plus months that he looked not only like a sure-fire AL All-Star, but also the leading contender for the AL Rookie of the Year award and a potential Cy Young award candidate.

          So, how does everyone from Yankees fans to fantasy baseball investors feel today as Gil enters his Tuesday outing versus the Cincinnati Reds having permitted 12 earned runs over his last two outings, covering only 5 2/3 innings? It does not take much for a once-heralded pitcher to suddenly concern fantasy managers. Gil remains among the strikeout leaders for the season, but he has whiffed only three of the 37 batters he's faced over those last two starts, hitting three batters and issuing six walks. His ERA is up to 3.15.

          Not surprisingly, Gil is now one of the most dropped pitchers in ESPN standard leagues, down to 82.4% rostered, and facing a Reds lineup that has been all-or-nothing lately may not inspire hope. The Reds scored 11 and nine runs in weekend wins over the St. Louis Cardinals. They were also shut out in the other two games. The inconsistent Reds, led by the tantalizing speedster SS Elly De La Cruz, strike out quite a bit and lead the league in stolen bases, while the Yankees struggle to control the running game.

          We know Gil can be great, having seen it for most of the season, but now that Cole is back and with the trade deadline approaching later this month, he may be pitching for his rotation spot soon. Gil must avoid issuing free passes. There is no right answer for whether fantasy managers should trust him on Tuesday.

          What you may have missed on Monday

          By Todd Zola

          • The Toronto Blue Jays played shorthanded yesterday with 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and 3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa both late scratches for matinee with the Houston Astros. Guerrero was still unable to grip the bat after being hit in the hand by a pitch on Sunday. Kiner-Falefa felt a twinge in his knee during warmups. He underwent an MRI, with the results likely reported today. Both are questionable for today.

          • New York Mets OF Brandon Nimmo missed yesterday's contest against the Washington Nationals after a scary incident in his hotel room. Nimmo wasn't feeling well and fainted. He hit his head and was bleeding when he awoke. Nimmo was accompanied to the hospital by members of the Mets training staff. He underwent a CT scan among other tests, with everything checking out fine. Even so, Nimmo sat out yesterday afternoon affair and is questionable for today.

          • Texas Rangers SS Corey Seager had an MRI on his right wrist yesterday. He initially hurt it on Saturday after being hit by a pitch. Seager then missed Sunday's tilt. The initial X-ray and then the MRI both showed no damage. Seager is considered day-to-day, though more should be known before the Rangers begin a home set with the San Diego Padres tonight.

          • The Cincinnati Reds transferred C Tyler Stephenson from the paternity list to the family medical emergency list. The former only allows for three days away from the team, while the latter permits players to be absent for up to a week. Last night, Stephenson posted a picture of him holding his newborn on Instagram. An update on his return will likely be reported today.

          Everything else you need to know for Tuesday

          • The highlight series is Baltimore Orioles-Seattle Mariners, offering the day's featured pitching matchup of RHPs Grayson Rodriguez and George Kirby. Rodriguez won four out of five June outings for the Orioles, and he has permitted more than two earned runs in only two of his last nine appearances. Only four pitchers boast more wins this season. Kirby, meanwhile, went 3-0 in June and permitted just six earned runs over five starts. He ranks seventh among qualified starting pitchers this season with a 0.96 WHIP. This may be a playoff preview. The big difference between the teams? The Orioles, despite a blowout loss on Sunday, generally do not struggle to score runs.

          • Those looking for streaming options may wish to rely on Los Angeles Angels RHP Jose Soriano, scheduled to come off the IL to face the lowly Oakland Athletics. Soriano missed two weeks with an abdomen infection -- nothing related to his pitching arm -- and brings a hopeful 3.48 ERA and 1.18 WHIP into play, albeit with a below-average 20.3% strikeout rate. He may be on a pitch count having missed several turns in the rotation, but Soriano has performed efficiently in winning three of his past five appearances. Oh, and it is the A's.

          • Any Coors Field game offers the hope for myriad runs to cross the plate, and anything is truly possible with the Milwaukee Brewers sending soft-tossing veteran LHP Dallas Keuchel to the mound against RHP Ryan Feltner. Keuchel permitted eight hits and five runs in his first start last week, escaping with a no-decision against the Texas Rangers. He has pitched at Coors Field twice over the course of his long career, allowing 11 runs (10 earned) over 7 2/3 total innings. Keuchel does not throw hard -- and never has -- but this is a nightmare matchup, likely to be a short one. Feltner has started seven times in Denver this season, posting a 7.43 ERA. Activate just about any Brewers and Rockies hitter for this one.

          • Betting tip of the day: Carlos Carrasco won 15 games with a strikeout per inning in 2022. Chris Flexen won 14 games in 2021. These RHPs used to have value in fantasy leagues. Those days are long past. Each currently drags an ERA on the wrong side of 5 into Tuesday's Guardians-White Sox matchup. Take the over on 9.5 runs (+105) and since we do not expect either hurler to be around past five innings, a hearty no for each to record a win (-190 on Carrasco, -450 on Flexen). Jose Ramirez seems likely to surpass 2.5 total bases (+140) and Andrew Vaughn, hitting .319 with a .882 OPS over the past three weeks, should top 1.5 total bases (+110).

          It's never too late to start a free fantasy baseball league. Leagues drafted this week will start scoring fresh the following Monday. Come and join the fun!

          Starting pitcher rankings for Tuesday

          Reliever report

          To get the latest information on each team's bullpen hierarchy, as well as which pitchers might be facing a bit of fatigue and who might be the most likely suspects to vulture a save or pick up a surprise hold in their stead, check out the latest Closer Chart, which will be updated every morning.

          Hitting report

          Plan ahead in fantasy baseball with help from our Forecaster projections. Each day, we will provide an updated preview of the next 10 days for every team, projecting the matchup quality for hitters (overall and by handedness) as well as for base stealers.

          Best Sub-50% rostered hitters for Tuesday

          Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more.

          Worst Over-50% rostered hitters for Tuesday

          THE BAT X's Best Stacks for Tuesday