Glasnow, Gausman & Villar: Who To Watch 7-23-2016

Glasnow, Gausman & Villar: Who To Watch 7-23-2016

Tyler Glasnow, SP Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies

** Daily Fantasy Baseball Alert **

Batters have an extremely difficult time squaring up Glasnow and with his sweeping breaking ball and mid-90's fastball he can generate a lot of strike outs. The Phillies rank 29th in runs scored and 14th in strikeouts in slightly fewer than eight per game. Glasnow is inexperienced and could be on some kind of pitch count, but the "stuff" is filthy and he should be an affordable price in a deep slate of pitching options.

As far as the National League playoff race goes, the Pirates need Glasnow to step in and do what Francisco Liriano, Jon Niese and Jeff Locke aren't and the Phillies are the kind of opponent he can perform well against. Glasnow could be an important piece to the Pirates playoff hopes going forward.

Kevin Gausman, SP Baltimore Orioles vs. Cleveland Indians

A matchup of two potential playoff teams is always worth a few minutes in front of the tube, but for Baltimore fans Kevin Gausman is even more reason. Expectations have always been high and he has had a pretty good 2016 season (93.1 Innings Pitched - 88 Strike outs - 4.05 ERA - 1.29 Whip) in spite of his 1-7 record. If the O's hope to stave off the surging Red Sox in the AL East, Gausman and fellow starter Chris Tillman will have to continue to pitch at least as well as they have in the first half the rest of the way.

Justin Turner, 3B Los Angeles Dodgers vs Cincinnati Reds (Mike Leake)

The Dodgers/Cardinals series has significant playoff implications and Turner is who the Dodgers are looking to to keep it going. He is batting .361 while slugging .833 with five home runs and 12 runs batted in in his last 36 at bats. He couldn't be hot at a better time and tonight he faces Mike Leake ** Daily Fantasy Baseball Alert ** who Turner is 7 for 15 with an OPS of .996 against.

Jonathan Villar, SS Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs (John Lackey)

The Brewers are in full rebuild mode and Villar is not part of their future beyond 2016-2017 when prospect shortstop Orlando Arcia will be fully entrenched in the middle of their infield. The better Villar performs the more appealing he becomes to teams looking for a shortstop that can bat leadoff (.301 Batting Average - .384 On-Base Percentage) and steal a few bases when needed. Villar happens to also be 2-4  with two walks against John Lackey.

New York Mets (Jacob deGrom) vs. Miami Marlins (Jose Fernandez)

If two teams fighting tooth and nail in the rough and tough NL East isn't enough then deGrom v Fernandez has to bring you to the ballpark or the television set. The teams are separated by only a 1/2 game in the standings, making this is a huge series that could set the tone for the remainder of the season for both clubs.