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Tout Wars Daily Per. 4 Wk. 3 Previews: The Touts Picks

Todd Zola is in the lead by 15 points over Andrea LaMont and Howard Bender, who are just barely ahead of Mike Gianella and Steve Moyer. And there are many right behind them. This week will be make or break for some of those teams. Especially if Zola continues to score big.

The whole leaderboard is here.

In an unusual turn, we’re playing this week’s contest including the 2:20 ET matinee at Wrigley Field. Those who missed that starting time will be allowed to submit legal rosters (no Rangers or Cubs) up until 7pm ET tonight. The salary list is here: RTDaily-Baseball-Salaries-2.

Who do the Touts pick tonight? Look for the results here at ToutWars.com on Saturday morning.

BRIAN WALTON:

Though Carlos Carrasco ($8600 @ Minnesota) allowed five runs in his last pre-break start, four were unearned due to shaky defense behind him. Over the last month, seven starts and 32 innings, the lndians’ ace has an ERA of 1.97 and takes on the toothless Twins Friday night.

Despite Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph ($3300 vs. NY Mets) being best known as a lefty-masher, more than half of his hits in his current 10-for-18 hot stretch were against righties, such as Friday’s opponent, 43-year-old Mets All-Star Bartolo Colon. Joseph’s price cannot be beaten, freeing money to use elsewhere.

PHIL HERTZ

I’m recommending Carlos Carrasco ($8600 @ Minnesota) as a pitcher and betting that Giancarlo Stanton ($5,700 @ St. Lous) didn’t leave all his home run swings in San Diego.

LAWR MICHAELS

Still, I am guessing that by going with Madison Bumgarner ($9400 @ San Diego) pitching in friendly PetCo. I also suspect that just as a gaggle of us thought Sale would manhandle the Braves that MadBum will have his way with the Friars. Still, it is a logical choice to me, offset by my crapshoot of Ervin Santana ($6,500 vs. Cleveland), twirling against the dangerous Indians. Big Erv is coming off a monster two-hit game against the lesser Athletics, but Santana actually has four solid starts in a row.

The pricey Bumgarner did force me to quiet my outfield down, but I still grabbed the fine troika of Marcell Ozuna ($4800 @ St. Louis), Denard Span ($4400 @ San Diego), and Stephen Piscotty ($4300 vs. Miami) all of whom can simply hit.

JEFF BOGGIS

My top Starting Pitcher is Madison Bumgarner ($9,400 @ San Diego). Bumgarner was the second-best pitcher behind Clayton Kershaw in fantasy baseball for the first half of the 2016 season. In his last outing against Arizona last week, he stuck out 14 on a one-hit gem. Bumgarner has never pitched a no hitter in his career, so maybe this will be his night to accomplish this feat.

My top Starting Hitter is Josh Donaldson ($6,800 @ Oakland). My top DFS strategy for tonight is to not start any players that participated in the home run derby, so I’m going with Josh Donaldson as my top starting hitter. Josh Donaldson is the second best hitter behind Jose Altuve in fantasy baseball for the first half of the 2016 season. Donaldson is the best hitter over the last 30 days before the all-star break. Donaldson is facing right-handed starting pitcher Daniel Mengden of the Oakland A’s tonight. Donaldson is batting .290 with 19 home runs and 51 RBIs against right-handed pitching this season. Last week, Daniel Mengden gave up 6 earned runs in only 4 inning pitched at Houston. He owns a 4.54 ERA and 1.37 WHIP on the season.

TIM HEANEY

SP James Paxton ($6,900 vs Houston) He’s typically better at pitcher-leaning Safeco Field, and the Astros’ OPS vs. southpaws is one of the league’s worst.

OF Stephen Piscotty ($4,300 vs Miami) .351/.468/.597 against lefties this year. Always a nice DFS bargain when he faces one. Wei-Yin Chen carries a .507 slugging percentage vs. RHB on the road.

CHARLIE WIEGERT

Going Cheap on Pitchers again. Jorge De La Rosa ($4,900 @ Atlanta) and Anthony DeSclafani ($6,500 vs. Milwaukee). Both have pitched well lately, have strike out potential and a good chance to get a win.

Hitters, with the dollars saving on the cheap pitchers, taking Mike Trout ($6,800 vs Chicago White Sox) and Kole Calhoun ($4,900 @ Chicago White Sox) at home tonight against Miguel Gonzalez. Nolan Arenado ($6,800 @ Atlanta) and Charlie Blackmon ($6,500 @ Atlanta) against Atlanta rookie (Harrell) and sleeper picks Jedd Gyorko ($2,800 vs. Miami) (if in line up at home against MIA — Chen) and Kennys Vargas ($2,600 vs. Cleveland).

MIKE GIANELLA

Top hitter: Giancarlo Stanton ($5,700 @ St. Louis) Even the bad Stanton has mashed against southpaws this season. His ISO is sixth among qualified hitters. Jaime Garcia isn’t a gimmie, but I’m betting on a resurgent Stanton to go yard tonight.

Top pitcher: Madison Bumgarner ($9400 @ San Diego). A well rested Bumgarner Post All Star against a Padres lineup that is thin after their top two or three hitters is a pretty safe place to put my money.

Adam Ronis Pulls Out Tout Daily Period 4 Week 2. UPDATE BELOW.

Mike Gianella and Todd Zola tied for second. Todd’s was the highest finishing team that rostered Chris Sale, who scored only two points on the night.

The standings:

Adam’s team:

UPDATE: After two weeks in Period 4, Todd Zola has opened a 15-point lead over Andrea LaMont and Howard Bender. None of the Top 10 teams at this point have previously this year won tickets to the August 26th finals, but among those who have (and could win a second ticket this period), Brian Walton is 12th, Rob Leibowitz is 14th, Jason Collette is 15th, and Jeff Erickson is 17th.

You can see the entire leaderboard here.

Another Friday Full of Tout Daily Picks!

We’re heading into the second week of the four-week Period Four of Tout Daily by RTSports.com. You can read the rules here.

After Week 1 Stephania Bell has the lead, with Scott Engel, Todd Zola, Ray Murphy and Tom Kessenich right behind her. You can see the leaderboard here.

Each week the touts send us their top picks for the week. You can follow tonight’s action at RTSports.com/tout-wars, and sign up there to play for prizes or fun.

LAWR MICHAELS

I like Chris Sale ($9,400 vs Atlanta) and Collin McHugh ($7,200 vs Oakland) as pitchers, and Giancarlo Stanton ($5,700 vs Cincinnati) and Odubel Herrera ($4,000 @ Colorado) as hitters!

PHIL HERTZ

Pitcher is Matt Shoemaker ($5,900 @ Baltimore), the hitter is Nolan Arenado ($6,800 vs Philadelphia).

HOWARD BENDER

Chris Sale ($9,400 vs Atlanta) I mean…come on. How do you not use a guy like Sale with this kind of match-up? Sure, it limits your Coors exposure with the bats but the Braves have a .256 wOBA with a 22-percent strikeout rate over the last week and a .273 wOBA with a 21-percent K-rate against southpaws this season. If he doesn’t hit double digit Ks and limit them to one run or fewer, it means the Touts and the baseball gods have conspired against me!

Adrian Gonzalez ($5,300 vs San Diego) He’s got five hits in his last three games and has hit safely in seven of his last 10 with five multi-hit games in that span. He also loves feasting on Andrew Cashner. Over 37 plate appearances against the Padres righty, he’s batting .344 (1.182 OPS) with four home runs, six RBI, eight runs scored and five walks. Giddy up!

CHARLIE WIEGERT

Sometimes you need to zig when everyone else zags. That’s my approach today, with a slate of top pitchers going demanding big salary commitment, I’m taking low priced pitchers and saving $ for hitters.

Top Pitchers…J.A. Happ ($6,300 vs Detroit) and Dan Straily ($3,100 @ Miami). Neither are impressive, but both are in situations where they should get 6-7 innings, 4-5 k’s and a win…I’m hoping for 12-15 points from each.

Top Hitters…yes I need some production. Josh Donaldson ($6,800 vs. Detroit) and Troy Tulowitzki ($4,900 vs. Detroit), Jose Altuve ($6,100 vs Oakland) and George Springer ($6,100 vs Oakland), and Rajai Davis ($4,700 vs New York) and Mike Napoli ($4,500 vs NY Yankees), all playing at home. My sleeper pick is Randall Grichuk ($3,700 @ Milwaukee) vs lefty Nelson. He’s looked sharp since his return from the minors, and went deep yesterday. I’m hoping for lightning to strike again!

JEFF BOGGIS

Jose Fernandez ($9,600 vs Cincinnati) Despite losing 3 out of his last 4 outings, Fernandez is my top pitcher for tonight’s contest. He is a much better pitcher at home and his home stats for this season back this up. At home, Fernandez is 7-1 with an ERA of 1.72 and and a K/BB ratio of 89/17.

Josh Donaldson ($6,800 vs Detroit) I love stacking Toronto players when they are at home for our Friday night contests and Donaldson is the best hitter on his team. Over the past 14 days, Donaldson has the best stats of any hitter with 18 runs, 5 home runs, 14 runs batted in, 1 stolen base, and a .429 batting average.

RAY MURPHY

Jonathan Gray ($6,000 vs Philadelphia) has been strong at Coors this year. Against a weak Phillies lineup, I’m willing to start him in thin air

Michael Saunders ($5,200 vs Detroit) faces the always-hittable Mike Pelfrey tonight, in Rogers Centre. Yes please!

MIKE GIANELLA

Top Pitcher Jose Fernandez ($9,600 vs Cincinnati) Fernandez has the highest whiff rate in the majors, and matches up well at home against a Cincinnati offense that has struggled on the road (fourth lowest wOBA in baseball).

Top Hitter – D.J. LeMahieu ($4,900 vs Philadelphia) Two weeks ago, I won the scoring period in Tout Daily by aggressively using lower profile hitters at Coors. With the Phillies in town, I thought I would repeat the strategy, allowing me to roster two high-end pitchers while taking advantage of the Coors factor. LeMahieu isn’t likely to knock the ball out of the park, but will hopefully put up a solid night anyway.

TIM HEANEY

Chris Sale ($9,400 vs Atlanta) MLB wins leader vs. league’s second-worst offense (.619 OPS) vs. LHP.

Carlos Gonzalez ($6,700 vs Philadelphia) High price is worth it. Among hitters, T-2nd-most HR (13), 3rd-highest OPS (1.112).

BRIAN WALTON

For $1000 less than top-dollared Jake Arrieta, I will go with Cole Hamels ($8,800 vs Minnesota), who draws the whiff-tastic Twins at home. His last outing was rocky, but Texas’ ace has been solid all season long.

Jake Lamb ($4800 @ San Francisco) is on a roll. During his active eight-game hitting streak, the Arizona third baseman has five home runs and 10 RBI. Against Friday’s night opponent Jeff Samardzija, Lamb is 3-for-6 including two doubles in his career.

Who Is Winning Tout Wars? Halfway Home Edition

With about half the major league season played, it’s time for the winners to bring home winners, and for those trailing to make a move.

TOUT WARS AL

When last we looked Larry Schechter had a big lead.

Larry still has a big lead, but there is a shimmer of hope for Seth Trachtman and Ron Shandler. The two finished one-two in the June-only standings, edging Schechter, who finished third.

TOUT WARS NL

When last we looked, this was a three-way fight between Derek Carty, Todd Zola and Phil Hertz. Carty won the June-only battle and has a slim lead over Zola overall. Zola finished third in June. Hertz struggled with injuries to his ace pitchers, Strasburg and Syndergaard, and finished eighth for the month, dropping out of contention.

Out of contention for the time being. This is a close race with any of the top teams capable of making a move.

TOUT WARS MIXED AUCTION

What a difference a month can make. At the end of May Bret Sayre had a 15+ point lead over challengers Joe Pisapia, Fred Zinkie and Corey Schwartz. The June-only standings have Schwartz, Zinkie and Pisapia on top, in that order, with Sayre falling to 11th for the month. Bye bye lead.

Schwartz’s winning month has elevated him into the lead, a lap ahead of three challengers and the recent evidence of what a difference a month can make on his mind.

TOUT WARS MIXED DRAFT

Last month, Rudy Gamble had a small lead over Anthony Perri, but Perri had a strong June and used it to climb into the lead. Charlie Wiegert had the second-best June, and moved ahead of Gamble, whose team stumbled to an eighth place June finish.

Ray Murphy’s strong June jumped him from tenth place to fourth, deadlocked with Rick Wilton, Craig Mish and Tim McLeod. Any of those four could easily challenge for the lead with a strong July, but for the time being Perri, Wiegert and Gamble have to be favored.

TOUT WARS HEAD 2 HEAD

Was written up on Tuesday. It’s all Brent Hershey and Jeff Zimmerman, for now.

You can follow the Tout Wars leaders everyday by following these links: AL, NL, Mixed, Draft and Head 2 Head.

Tout Wars Head 2 Head Halfway Report! It’s all Hershey and Zimmerman!

Tout Wars Head 2 Head is different than the other Tout leagues.

In those other leagues, scored Rotisserie style, you look at the standings and you see who is winning and losing.

In Tout Head 2 Head, you have to look at the Head to Head records, in which Brent Hershey is tied with Jeff Zimmerman.

Then, since we’ve reached the halfway point in the season, you need to look at the first half roto standings, which determine the outcome of 12 additional games. (You can see the complete first-half standings here.)

Hershey finished ahead of Zimmerman in the roto standings, so he earns a first-half record of 12-0, while Zimmerman adds an 11-1 mark to his head to head score. Do this for all 12 teams and you have the combined first-half records.

Hershey has a slim lead over Zimmerman, with Peter Kreutzer and Jake Ciely close enough to challenge. Then Michael Beller and Jeff Boggis have room enough to dream.

How many second-division teams will be able to move up? That’s why they’ll play the second half, while Brent Hershey and Jeff Zimmerman battle to win. All teams will be affected by 12 games awarded based on second half stats and another 12 games awarded based on the overall season roto standings.

How do our Tout Wars teams’ records compare to their major league counterparts? In other words, how are they doing?

Brent Hershey equals the Chicago Cubs, and then some.

Jeff Zimmerman is a supercharged San Francisco Giants.

Peter Kreutzer is the Cleveland Indians.

Jake Ciely is the Washington Nationals.

Michael Beller is the Boston Red Sox.

Jeff Boggis is the Houston Astros.

Stephania Bell is the New York Yankees.

Jeff Mans is the New York Mets.

Howard Bender is the Oakland As.

Paul Sporer is the Tampa Bay Rays.

Doug Anderson is the Atlanta Braves.

Andrea LaMont is the Minnesota Twins.

Good luck in the second half everyone!

Want to Win Tout Daily? A Breather Helps Ring the Bell.

Stephania Bell didn’t play Tout Daily by RTSports any of the four weeks of Period 3. She was busy, work and life got in the way, one has to prioritize. But when she was ready to play, in Week 1 of Period 4, her team exploded, popping into first place late in the evening on Johnny Cueto’s win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Cueto wasn’t Bell’s best pitcher. Reserve that spot for Michael Fulmer, whose 10 strikeout winning performance against Tampa Bay was the biggest scoring game on the night.

And some of her hitters contributed, too, mainly James Loney, owned by one percent of RTSports owners last night, had a homer and a double on his way to 12 much-needed points. Having Mike Trout didn’t hurt.

Bell finished just two points ahead of Scott Engel, who had also taken a leave of absence in Period 3. Engel got a fine night from Jaime Garcia, who won his game versus the Brewers, and strong hitting performances from Kendrys Morales (playing right field!), Chase d’Arnaud (who cost only $1.6K), and Mookie Betts. Brett Lawrie, Carlos Correa and George Springer contributed four points apiece.

Speaking of Springer, his name is on the roster of six of the top seven finishing teams on the night, though his four points (at a cost of $5.7K) was not particularly efficient. Perhaps it is telling that he was also the night’s last-place finisher’s roster.

Three teams missed the unusual 6:05pm early start of the week’s contest. They were not allowed to play for the night’s championship, but were allowed to submit rosters before the 7:05pm regular start so they could compete in Period 4 overall.

Top 10 pitching performances (pitchers on teams that finished in the Top 10): Johnny Cueto (16), Michael Fulmer (21), Jaime Garcia (17), Ian Kennedy (10), Bud Norris (18!), Julio Teheran (7.66), Steven Wright (8), Jacob deGrom (15).

One final note: It looked like a good night to stack hitters from the Texas teams, but it was not.

One extra final note: Eno Sarris finished 10th and got no, zero, nada, nunca points from his outfielders, Ryan Braun, Adam Jones and Angel Pagan.

See the whole Leaderboard here.

You can play RTSports.com’s daily fantasy games for prizes or fun every day of the week. Click here to start!

Tout Daily Picks, Canada Day Edition

We start Period 4 of Tout Daily by RTSports.com tonight. Everybody has a fresh beginning, we’re all equal, at least until tonight’s games start. For the game’s rules, check here.

But nine touts have golden tickets into the finals already. All honor to Brian Walton, Rob Leibowitz, Patrick Mayo, Jason Collette, Jeff Erickson, Patrick Davitt, Tristan Cockcroft, Rick Wolf and Tim Heaney.

Each week we ask who the touts are picking tonight. Their answers follow, and you can follow the night’s action (or play tonight’s game for prizes or for free) at RTSports.com/tout-wars.

Who are they picking?

Phil Hertz

I like Jacob DeGrom ($8,700 vs Cubs) at home. I rostered Danny Espinosa ($3,200 vs Cincinnati) BEFORE last night’s explosion; I’m sticking with him.

Gene McCaffrey

Tough night – risky pitchers abound. I’m going with Steven Wright ($6,800 vs Angels) at home vs. the Angels. If he can contain Trout he should post a good start. Hitter: Daniel Murphy ($4,900 vs Cincinnati) is still way too cheap.

Tim Heaney

1B Victor Martinez ($4,700 @ Tampa Bay): Coming off a six-homer June, he’ll face gopher-ball-plagued Drew Smyly. V-Mart boasts .931 OPS against southpaws.

SP Steven Wright ($6,800 vs. Angels): Sad Angels lineup a perfect target for the knuckleballer.

Jeff Boggis

Top Starting Pitchers Tanner Roark ($6,600 vs Cincinnati) and Ian Kennedy ($5,300 @ Philadelphia) I typically pay top dollar for starting pitching, but in tonight’s contest, I am taking a contrarian approach. I don’t see the value in paying top dollar to roster Johnny Cueto (SP-SF) at $9,000, especially after his latest outing where he gave up 6 earned runs and has a difficult opponent tonight at Arizona. The same also applies to rostering Jacob DeGrom (SP-NYM) at $8,700. His matchup tonight is a tough one at home against Jason Hammel of the Chicago Cubs. Plus there is a 75% chance of rain tonight in New York. Tanner Roark is at home versus Cincinnati and can be rostered for only $6,600. He’s won 3 out of his last 4 outings and has averaged 6 strikeouts per game over this time period. Ian Kennedy has a favorable matchup at Philadelphia and is coming of a great outing on June 26th versus Houston where he struck out 11 hitters.

Top Hitter Charlie Blackmon ($6,300 @ Dodgers) Charlie Blackmon is facing right-handed pitcher Bud Norris tonight in Los Angeles. Against right-handed starting pitchers, Charlie Blackmon is batting .310 with 9 nine home runs and 30 RBIs. Over the past week, Blackmon owns an OPS of 1.072.

Charlie Wiegert

A fresh start is what I need, along with some of that magic I had last year!
Top Pitcher, and the guy who won it for me last year was Clayton Kershaw, who is now on the DL. Maybe that is a sign I should take the pitcher who is taking his spot!?! Bud Norris ($4,400 vs Colorado) had been pitching well in ATL and getting some Ks, which when healthy he always has. Hoping for 8 tonight with 7 innings and a win, get me 20 Bud!

Top hitters..stacking Houston vs CWS and Marwin Gonzalez ($3,500), Jose Altuve ($5,900), Colby Rasmus ($4,200), Evan Gattis ($4,700) and Luis Valbuena ($3,100). Hoping Stro’s score in double digits and this group is productive.

Lawr Michaels

I like Jacob DeGrom ($8,700 vs Cubs) and Steven Wright ($6,800 vs. Angels) as pitchers, and Ian Desmond ($4,900 @ Minnesota) on the hitting end.

Mike Gianella

Top pitcher: Julio Teheran ($7,100 vs Miami) The Marlins offense has been good this year – and there are certainly softer match-ups tonight – but Teheran has pitched like an ace the last few weeks and is priced like a second-tier pitcher. He is one of the 10 best pitchers in baseball by Baseball Prospectus’ WARP. Even if he doesn’t throw another gem, I’ll take the bargain.

Top Hitter: David Ortiz ($6,700 vs Angels) Jhoulys Chacin has struggled away from Anaheim. A Red Sox stack with Ortiz front and center is just what the DFS doctor ordered this evening.

Stephania Bell

My fave picks:

Johnny Cueto ($9,000 @ Arizona) Last outing was an aberration

Michael Fulmer ($6,900 @ Tampa Bay) He’s been a great find this last month (June) and last outing was explained by his dehydration

Mike Trout ($6,700 @ Boston) Captain Obvious, I know. But he’s been on a hot streak even by the standards he sets.

I need a solid outing tonight. Counting on my band of misfits here.

Scott Swanay

Pitcher: Nathan Eovaldi ($6,600 @ San Diego) On a night devoid of appealing high-end options I’ll cast my lot with Eovaldi. He won’t be pitching at the All-Star game later this month in San Diego, but maybe the mystique and aura of Petco Park will inspire him to pitch like an All-Star for just one night.

Hitter: Mark Trumbo ($5,600 @ Seattle) I’m streaming A’s and O’s tonight, banking on some early holiday weekend fireworks, and hoping my luck will be better than Matt Davidson’s (and Jason Pierre Paul’s).

Mike Gianella Romps, Doesn’t Quite Make Finals in Tout Daily!

Week 4 of each Tout Daily by RTSports.com period is all about the finals. Who made it? Who fell short?

Mike Gianella made a run for it, with an 84.66 point week, finishing solidly ahead of Ray Murphy and Chris Liss, but wasn’t quite able to close the gap. He finished fourth overall for the period.

Golden Tickets to the August 26th Tout Daily Finals go to Tristan Cockcroft, the three week leader, Rick Wolf, who finished first in Week 1, and Tim Heaney, who held on after tying Wolf in Week 1 and winning Week 2 all on his own. Wolf and Heaney were Top 10 finishers in Week 4, and they needed it.

Screenshot 2016-06-25 08.43.49 — Click for a larger version.

Gianella rostered two of the game’s best pitchers, Max Scherzer and Danny Salazar, but it was outsized hitting from Jean Segura, Cheslor Cuthbert, Wil Myers, and Yasmany Tomas that carried him to victory.

Scherzer got the strikeouts against a Milwaukee team that produces strong winds by the lake, but wasn’t able to produce a victory.

Salazar was staked a nice lead against Detroit, but his command issues ran up his pitch count and cut his stint short. He took home a Win but struck out only three.

Other Top 10 pitchers on the week: Jake Peavy (13), Aaron Sanchez (8), Zach Davies (11), Jameson Taillon (2), Scherzer (11), Masahiro Tanaka (14), David Price (-2.67), Steven Matz (-1.67).

Scherzer was rostered by 80 percent of RTSports.com’s teams last night.

While the pitchers struggled, the hitters feasted. Other 10+ point earners were Willson Contreras (10), Melvin Upton (15), Jacob Lamb (10), James Loney (13), and Matt Joycer (11).

Yasmany Thomas’s 18 points was the big score of the night. The Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was rostered on 25 percent of teams and scored 10 points. The Diamondbacks Phillip Gosselin was rostered by 36 percent of teams and scored no points, going 0-5.

The Touts will gather next Friday for the start of Period 4 of Tout Daily by RTSports.com, the fourth of five four-week contests to distribute 15 tickets to the finals.

In addition to Cockcroft, Wolf, and Heaney, tickets have already gone to Jason Collette, Jeff Erickson, Brian Walton, Patrick Davitt, Rob Leibowitz, and Patrick Mayo.

You can follow all the action on Friday nights at RTSports.com. Use the same link all week long to play for prizes or fun.

The complete leaderboard is here. Next week we start over.

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