We’re now just 11 days away from $50,000 All Star Break Grand Slam contest. You have to win a ticket in one of our daily qualifier contests to gain entry into this event.
Now, let’s see if we can help you win a qualifier on Monday, July 6.
St. Louis rookie CF Tommy Pham ($9,405) has wasted no time having an impact on the Cardinals. With Matt Holliday out, Pham was recalled on Friday, and while he failed to record a hit in his season debut, he’s gone 3-for-8 with three runs, three RBI, two doubles, a homer and a steal since. “He’s sparking us, that’s exactly what we were hoping for,” manager Mike Matheny said after the rookie drove in all three runs as the Cards beat the Padres Sunday. Give Pham a look while he’s on fire — we love his power-speed combo.
It’s time to give Toronto RF Jose Bautista ($11,528) another look. He was struggling down the stretch in late-June, going seven straight games without a hit, but his All-Star-worthy campaign is back on track now. Joey Bats has hit safely in four of the past five games, with two multi-hit efforts, two homers (see video below for his latest blast — a line drive that just flew out of the park), two doubles, seven RBI and seven walks (bringing his league-leading total to 65 free passes). He’s got a tough matchup against Chris Sale on Monday, but Bautista doubled in his only career at-bat vs. the southpaw.
We like KC SP Edinson Volquez ($17,417) against Tampa Bay on Monday. Although he didn’t exactly look sharp in his last outing against the Astros, his teammates picked him up, so his five-game winning streak remained intact. Volquez, who has lowered his WHIP to a fine 1.20 this season, has done very well against the Rays over the years, going 2-0 with a sparkling 2.66 ERA in three career starts. Start him tonight with relative confidence.
DFS Notes
- The Milwaukee Brewers have started to swing the bats well, averaging a whopping 7.25 runs per game on a eight-game winning streak. It’s probably a good idea to avoid any hurlers facing them right now.
- Baltimore 2B Jonathan Schoop ($7,807), out almost three months because of a knee injury, went yard in his first at-bat back on Sunday to help spark what had been an extremely cold Oriole offense lately.
- Speaking of players returning from prolonged absences, Seattle SP Hisashi Iwakuma will start Monday for the first time since April 20. Can his return help pre-season playoff favorite Seattle recover from an ugly first half?