Just two weeks of regular-season baseball remain. It’s been a very challenging one to analyze as plenty of star players continue to struggle. Tonight’s schedule is filled to the brim with 11 contests starting after 6:40 eastern. Let’s see if we can dissect the slate to find the best players to build winning lineups. Here is Diamond Picks for Wednesday, September 16th.
PITCHER
Luis Castillo Reds
Depending on what site you use, two games start at 6:40 eastern that should be on your radar. The Cincinnati Reds will be home to the light-hitting Pittsburgh Pirates. Since September 1st the Pirates have scored a measly 44 runs and have hit to just a .236 average(not including last night). Luis Castillo has been ultra-solid over his last seven starts, fanning 49 batters in his last 40.1 innings with a 3.12 ERA. Castillio pitched six innings and struck out eight while allowing two runs in a September 4th meeting vs. the Bucs.
Lance McCullers Astros
McCullers of the Astros at home to the Texas Rangers has good sp2 potential. The Rangers strike out at a spiked rate of 27.7 percent this season. Active Rangers are just 5-for-36 lifetime vs. McCullers. Joey Gallo is 0-for-11 with an incredible eight strikeouts.
INFIELD
Tim Anderson SS White Sox
The White Sox are scorching hot right now. The time is now to pay up for the top of the order star Tim Anderson. Chicago has scored 72 runs while hitting a robust .285 this month which ranks amongst the best in baseball. They will draw a good starting pitcher in Jake Odorizzi, but he is coming off of an injury. He has pitched just 10 innings this season giving up nine earned runs. His last outing was August 21st, he lasted just three frames and gave up five runs to the Kansas City Royals. Anderson, not including last night, is hitting .451 while slugging .569 in his last 12 games.
Jesus Aguilar 1B Marlins
The other game at 6:40 is the Boston Red Sox and Miami Marlins. Both teams will roll out sub-par starting pitchers so the prospect for runs is fully in play. Aguilar has been a steady force for the Fish all season long, the matchup here looks very favorable. Miami has surprisingly seen an uptick in runs scored for the month of September. They will look to keep it going against left-hander Mike Kickham who has allowed five runs in just nine innings. In Aguilar’s last 13 games, heading into yesterday, he is slugging .565 with a .326 average and just a 14.3 K rate.
OUTFIELD
Marcell Ozuna Braves / Ronald Acuna Jr. Braves
Borderline impossible to ignore Atlanta lately. Tonight you will want a piece of them again. With the 29 run barrage a few games back it’s no surprise that the Braves have scored a league-best 105 runs this month(not including yesterday). They have also cranked 35 homers this month which is bar far the most. Baltimore will send left-hander Keegan Akin to the mound. Akin lasted only 0.2 innings in his last start versus the Yankees. He gave up four earned runs. Literally, the whole Braves lineup is in play at homer-friendly Camden Yards. Ronald Acuna has slugged .725 with six homers over his last 12 games. He is hitting .250 during the span but the .211 BABIP suggests more knocks are in his future.
Marcell Ozuna is making a case for NL MVP this season. Heading to last night’s tilt, Ozuna has been on a heater. He is hitting .390 with six bombs, 20 RBI, and a .763 SLG in his last 14 games.
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