Check out all of our starting pitcher rankings and other lineup selection tools here to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions. MLB betting tips for each day’s slate of games will also be added in the morning. MLB game odds are provided by ESPN BET, and all fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.
Note: All information is accurate as of the time of publication. For updates, including what you might have missed from last night, as well as any breaking news that might impact today’s MLB slate, be sure to check out the latest fantasy baseball news.
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Pitchers to stream on Thursday
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Sean Manaea tied his season high with seven strikeouts in his last outing. However, he also surrendered two homers and four runs in five frames. The long ball has been an issue for the lefty since he made his 2025 debut in mid-July, having given up six home runs in only 32 frames. On Thursday, however, the New York Mets visit a Washington Nationals squad that sport the fourth-lowest home run rate in the league.
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Luis Gil struggled in his first start back after missing the first four months, but he rebounded with a pair of effective outings, yielding just three runs over 10 2/3 combined innings while fanning 11. Next up is a home date with a Boston Red Sox. Away from Fenway Park, the Red Sox offense is below average, fueled by a 26% strikeout rate facing right-handers, the third-highest mark in the league.
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Michael Lorenzen carries more appeal in points leagues as opposed to category scoring since his main asset is pitching deep into games, and innings are key to points league scoring. He lines up for another lengthy outing when the Kansas City Royals host the Texas Rangers. The visitors tote one of the less potent lineups with a righty on the hill, and Lorenzen should enjoy some run support with Patrick Corbin taking the hill for the Rangers.
Hitters to stream on Thursday
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Any time the Colorado Rockies are at home, Coors Field is an obvious target for hitters to stream. In the name of avoiding the low-hanging fruit, the assumption is fantasy managers know to look at Rockies and their opposition, so alternate choices are provided. However, with only nine games on the ledger, let’s emphasize the candidates from the Los Angeles Dodgers when they face Chase Dollander, namely Andy Pages, Michael Conforto and Alex Freeland.
Hitters to avoid on Thursday
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It’s another abbreviated Thursday slate where looking for stolen bases is a common play. One of the strategies has been to avoid teams playing the Royals, and that is still the case. Opposing teams have stolen just three bases against the Royals over the past month, the lowest number in the league. Be wary of the Rangers’ Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford running on Thursday.
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The Baltimore Orioles have also done a solid job defending the running game over the past month, with six caught stealing in 11 attempts. The Houston Astros don’t run much, but Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve and Jesus Sanchez have a tad less allure since they aren’t as likely to be given the green light.
Betting tips
Best/worst pitcher/hitter matchups and betting projections are generated by THE BAT X, a 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. Betting projections for every player, team, and game can be found at EV Analytics.
Note: Expected Value is a measure of how good a bet is, factoring the probability that it will win versus the odds the book is providing. If you were to wager $1.00 100 times on a bet with an Expected Value of $25, you would win some and you would lose some, but in the end you would expect to come away with $25 in profit on your $100 investment.
Because odds typically do not get set until the previous day’s games are completed, betting tips will be added in the morning.
