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          Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Saturday

          River Ryan faces the Pirates and looks to keep his hot streak going. Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
          • Tristan H. Cockcroft
          Aug 10, 2024, 03:55 PM

          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 has been updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication

          Bonus ball in the Bronx

          On Friday, the New York Yankees made an early call to postpone their evening affair with the Texas Rangers due to heavy rain courtesy of Tropical Depression Debby. The game will me made up Saturday as part of a single admission doubleheader, kicking the slate off at 1:05 p.m. ET.

          Two games mean twice the fun for batters appearing in both ends, but it also avails an opportunity for the respective managers to get some action for their bench. Switch hitters and those embedded in a platoon are most likely to play in each game, but only if the club is expected to face two starters of the same handedness.

          Friday night was ticketed to be a matchup of southpaws with the Yankees' Carlos Rodon facing the Rangers' Cody Bradford. With the Yankees listing RHP Gerrit Cole for the openerto be opposed by Rangers RHP Nathan Eovaldi, it's likely that few, if any, non-regulars pick up two starts.

          This doesn't mean to avoid available Yankees and Rangers hitters, since they may come into the game they don't start to gain the platoon edge on a reliever. Examples are Yankees LHB Alex Verdugo (42.7% rostered in ESPN leagues) and LHB Ben Rice (12.4% rostered). For the Rangers, RHB Josh Jung (37.9%) and Josh Smith LHB Josh Smith are the chief options.

          Another area to target is the bullpen, especially in leagues scoring holds. Many leagues have a weekly game started limit, but just a few have weekly overall innings limit. Stacking relievers from the same bullpen avails two opportunities to collect a save and hold from the same game, along with the possibility the main closer doesn't appear in both games, so a setup man may vulture a hold.

          Yankees relievers Luke Weaver (4.7%) and recently-acquired Mark Leiter Jr. are the primary targets. For the Rangers, focus on David Robertson (13.1%) and Andrew Chafin (0.4%).

          What you may have missed on Friday

          By Todd Zola

          • Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that when Mookie Betts returns on Monday, he'll be the regular right fielder. With seven weeks of the season remaining, Betts will easily make 20 appearances in the outfield, garnering shortstop and outfield eligibility for 2025 drafts. If he musters four more appearances at the keystone, Betts will add second base eligibility.

          • Across town, the Los Angeles Angels announced that OF Mike Trout underwent successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He's expected to be healthy for spring training. If Trout is 100%, his draft stock will be an intriguing talking point. On one hand, he has averaged only 66.5 games per season since 2021, and that included 118 in 2022. However, he posted a solid .276/.376/.575 line when taking the field.

          • The Boston Red Sox reported that 1B Triston Casas' return date is up to him. Casas is on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester, where he has recorded a .286/.375 /.464 line in seven games. He's yet to hit a home run, but he has slugged five doubles. Casas has been on the 60-day IL since April for a rib issue. The injury is not expected to fully heal this season, so it's a matter of how much pain Casas can tolerate. He hasn't indicated when he'll ask to be activated, but it could be sooner than later.

          • Washington Nationals SS CJ Abrams missed Friday's contest with back spasms. He was in the initial lineup but was scratched for Nasim Nunez. The club is hopeful that the injury isn't serious.

          • The San Francisco Giants demoted closer Camilo Doval to Triple-A Sacramento. His 22 saves were tied for ninth-most in MLB, but Doval failed to convert five times while sporting a bloated 4.70 ERA and 1.61 WHIP. Ryan Walker is expected to garner most of the save chances while Doval attempts to recapture his form on the farm. Last year, Doval logged 39 saves, tied for the second-most in MLB while registering a solid 2.93 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.

          Everything else you need to know for Saturday

          • Saturday's top streamer has been a staple in this space. San Diego Padres starter Matt Waldon (28.3%) enjoys a juicy matchup with the Miami Marlins. Waldron doesn't have the luxury of pitching at home in Petco Park, but a road date in the cavernous loanDepot Park is almost as favorable. Facing the lineup with the third-lowest wOBA versus right-handers is certainly a boon.

          • Next up is New York Mets LHP Sean Manaea (50.2%) for his road date with the Seattle Mariners. Manaea is coming off consecutive outings with seven scoreless stanzas. He fanned 21 with just one free pass over those 14 frames. The Mariners sport the third-highest strikeout rate with a lefty on the hill.

          • The spotlight will be on Pittsburgh Pirates SP Paul Skenes when he takes the hill in Chavez Ravine for the first time (he faced the Los Angeles Dodgers at home in June). However, it is Dodgers SP River Ryan (17.8% rostered) getting the nod as a Saturday fantasy spot starter. Skenes, of course, is almost universally rostered. Ryan has helped the Dodgers with three effective outings since the break, registering a 1.72 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 15 2/3 innings. He has fanned a palatable 14, though nine walks is flirting with trouble. However, the Pirates aren't especially patient, and they fan at the seventh-highest clip facing right-handers.

          • Betting tip of the day: Zach Neto leads the Los Angeles Angels in runs (52) and RBIs (60). Today, the Angels host the Washington Nationals with LHP Patrick Corbin and his 5.88 ERA getting the nod. Neto has been batting second and has posted a 1.052 OPS facing southpaws this season. This portends a productive effort for Neto, so I'm taking the over on 2.5 Total Hits + Runs + RBI (+120).

          Starting pitcher rankings for Saturday

          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 Saturday

          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 Saturday

          THE BAT X's best stacks for today