For a minute it looked like the Yankees would open the 2018 season with a rare four-game sweep in Toronto. Blink your eyes and our boys are limping home 2-2 after a gut-wrenching loss on Easter Sunday. Then a blessing from above appears with a nice little snowstorm that knocked yesterday’s home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays back a day.
While some would argue it’s a little over the top to say we need a stopper after back to back managerial (and bullpen) stumbles, I would argue games blown in March and April are the ones you can’t get back in September — when you’re, say, a game or two out of something or other. Don’t get me started.
And what even constitutes a ‘stopper’ in today’s day and age? A personal favorite is one that only works in National League parks — where after a team loss, a starting pitcher throws a shutout and hits a home run. Now that’s a stopper, baby! But you get the point.
TODAY’S HOT TAKE : Tampa ace Chris Archer will rack up 8 or more strikeouts — so be careful stacking Yankees, especially those who are currently striking out like it’s going out of style.
Archer usually has one bad frame, and it could be enough to bury him. Yanks will have to plate at least 3 or 4 runs in that inning. It’ll be up to Jordan Montgomery to match goose eggs and keep pace with Archer.
Then let the vaunted but ’till now questionable bullpen do it’s thing. This is how we beat the Chris Archer’s of MLB.
Welcome to New York as skipper, Aaron Boone. We are rootin’ for you! Never forget that.
Yankees Daily Fantasy Picks
Tuesday, April 3, 2018 vs Tampa Bay Rays
Today’s lineup for the New York Yankees:
- Brett Gardner, CF
- Aaron Judge, RF
- Giancarlo Stanton, LF
- Didi Gregorius, SS
- Gary Sanchez, C
- Neil Walker, 1B
- Brandon Drury, 3B
- Tyler Wade, 2B
- Tyler Austin, DH
- SP: Jordan Montgomery, LHP
Key Stats At-A-Glance
Money Line : Rays +123, Yankees -133
Over/Under : 8
Line Moves : Late scratch coming in on NY
Park Factors : Yankee Stadium is considered a hitter’s park.
Weather : 42°, Light Rain, Wind E 10MPH, 65% chance of rain.
Quick Notes
- The Yankees are not hitting. Maybe, just maybe, the home crowd will wake them up.
- But that’s a tall order against Chris Archer. Oh, he’ll give up 3 to 5 runs while striking out 10, just depends if Jordan Montgomery can hold down the Tampa offense.
- Tampa is 2-10 straight up against the Yankees in their last 12 games at Yankees Stadium.
- The Rays are 5-0 against the spread in their last 5 games.
Chris Archer ($8,100) vs The Yankees
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The only Yankee who would literally send a limo to Tampa’s hotel to make sure Archer got to The Stadium today is Jacoby Ellsbury — who unfortunately is on the disabled list. No small sample, the Yankees centerfielder is 22-45 (.512) with 3 doubles, 2 HRs, 6 walks and 6 RBI. The club does indeed miss Ellsbury — said no one this spring until just now.
Here’s who to consider drafting (or not) in the Yankees lineup against Chris Archer:
- Gary Sanchez ($4,800) : The Kracken is 4-15 (.267) with a double and 2 HRs against Archer.
- Didi Gregorius ($4,100) : Didi is clipping Archer at a rate of .308, going 8-26 with 2 doubles and 2 walks. Look for a big game from Gregorius in front of the home crowd.
- Brandon Drury ($3,400) : Look for Drury to keep swinging a hot bat. The versatile player is a definite value at $3,400.
Jordan Montgomery ($9,100) vs The Tampa Bay Rays
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The second-year lefty’s bread and butter pitch is an 81 MPH 12-6 curve ball that is among the best in the league. He mixes in a hard sinker and a four-seam fastball, both in the low 90 MPH range. The last time Montgomery faced Tampa was September 26, 2017 in The Bronx, when he tossed 6 strong innings, striking out 5 and improving to 9-7 in a 6-1 New York victory.
A minute sample of past performance by current Rays against Jordan Montgomery, but here goes:
- Kevin Kiermaier ($3,100) : The Gary Maddox of the 2010s, Kiermaier is raking against Gumby at a .400 clip, until you realize that constitutes 2 hits in 5 ABs, and the other 3 ABs resulted in strikeouts.
- Wilson Ramos ($2,600) : The Rays catcher is 2-4 against the Yankees #5 starter, with 2 RBI.
THE FINE PRINT : The fantasy lineup suggestions are purely speculation and should not be taken as gospel. Anything can and will happen in a baseball game, but this content is designed to provide a starting point for your lineup research. Best of luck, and let’s go Yankees!
