Brazil has a better soccer team than Belgium. However, Belgium still bested Brazil in their recent World Cup matchup. Why mention this during a fantasy baseball article? Because it's a nice reminder that anything can happen in one game. Or 15 games, as is the case for Sunday's MLB lineup. You never know what's going to occur, but you can look at the numbers and make the best predictions you can. The first game Sunday begins at 1:07 PM ET. Here are my recommendations.
STARTING PITCHER
Rick Porcello, BOS at KAN ($45): Porcello's personal numbers look decent, with a 3.57 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Although his 10-3 record reflects the offensive support he receives playing for the Red Sox, who lead the league in runs scored. The Royals, meanwhile, are last. The odds seem good for Porcello to pick up his 11th win.
Jake Odorizzi, MIN vs. BAL ($34): The Orioles are really bad. They have a league-low 24 wins and are 1-9 in their last 10 and sport a woeful .290 OBP as a team. Odorizzi won't bowl you over with a 4.57 ERA, although his career mark is 3.91. This is the kind of matchup to take advantage of, almost regardless of the pitcher.
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CATCHER
Chris Herrmann, SEA vs. COL ($12): With Mike Zunino out, Chris Hermann is getting some starts – particularly against righties since he's a left-handed batter. He struggled to begin his career with Minnesota, but his numbers have improved since leaving the Twins prior to the 2016 season. Righty Antonio Senzatela is starting for the Rockies, and he comes in with a career 4.64 ERA.
FIRST BASE
Anthony Rizzo, CHC vs. CIN ($17): Rizzo's numbers are still a little down, thanks in part to a .251 BABIP, well below his career number of .284. Most of his issues have been against lefties, while he boasts a .808 OPS against righties. Not only is Luis Castillo right-handed but he has struggled to a 5.53 ERA, which is partially due to the fact he's allowed 1.72 homers per nine innings.
SECOND BASE
Asdrubal Cabrera, NYM vs. TAM ($16): Cabrera has a career-best OPS of .814, thanks largely to a .483 slugging percentage. He's already smacked 15 homers, but he's hit as many as 25 in a year before so that number is not totally out of reach. Nathan Eovaldi has always used a big fastball but never had the results to match, as his career 3.95 FIP and 2018 4.85 FIP will show.
THIRD BASE
Eduardo Escobar, MIN vs. BAL ($20): Escobar has always hit righties better than lefties, but this year he's absolutely been crushing right-handed pitchers with a .930 OPS against them. Alex Cobb is indeed right-handed, but he also sports a 5.08 FIP. This number isn't an anomaly, as he underperformed with a 5.65 FIP only two years ago.
SHORT STOP
Xander Bogaerts, BOS at KAN ($19): Bogaerts' power has come back this season, with a .513 slugging percentage and 14 home runs through 70 games. This could come in handy against Jakob Junis, who has posted a career FIP of 4.84 and has given up 1.75 home runs per nine innings over his career.
OUTFIELD
Juan Soto, WAS vs. MIA ($20): Soto has slowed down a bit after his torrid start to his MLB career, but his overall numbers are still impressive. He's slashing .308/.420/.548 through 43 games and has eight home runs. Trevor Richards' rookie season with the Marlins hasn't gone quite as well as Soto's, as he has struggled with a 5.26 ERA and 1.51 WHIP through 11 starts.
Gregory Polanco, PIT vs. PHI ($19): Oddly, Polanco has hit better against lefties and on the road this season. Although throughout his career, he's fared better against righties and at home – representing a bigger sample size. Zach Eflin has a 3.00 FIP this season, but his career mark is only 4.79. Plus, he's dealing with blisters, which could impact his performance Sunday.
Teoscar Hernandez, TOR vs. NYY ($17): Hernandez has power, if nothing else. His career slugging percentage is .511, and he's mashed 13 homers in 70 games this season. In his first season as a starter, Domingo German enters this matchup with a 5.37 ERA while allowing 1.70 homers per nine innings. And on the road, the ERA balloons to 6.26.
