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Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Monday's MLB games

Everything you need to know to place your MLB bets and set fantasy baseball lineups for Monday, May 13.

Weekend review: Leverkusen on brink of history, Man United's woes worsen

Who can stop Bayer Leverkusen? Meanwhile, Man United hit a new low after defeat vs. Arsenal. Here's a review of what happened in Europe this weekend.

Toulouse spoil Mbappé sendoff, PSG title party

Paris St Germain were stunned in a 3-1 home defeat by Toulouse on Sunday, as the newly-crowned champions suffered only their second loss in Ligue 1 this season.

Cardinals rally after ejections of Marmol and Descalso to snap 7-game skid by beating Brewers 4-3

— Michael Siani doubled home the go-ahead run, Paul Goldschmidt homered to break out of his slump and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 and snap a seven-game skid on Sunday.

Diamondbacks avoid a sweep with a 9-2 victory on an unusually sloppy day for the Orioles

— Zac Gallen pitched six solid innings, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat an unusually sloppy Baltimore team 9-2 on Sunday for their first victory at Camden Yards since 2007.

Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by ESPN BET, and fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

Note: This file will be updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

What are the odds?

That didn't take long. With just 25% of the season in the books, there is already a huge shift in the betting odds for National League Rookie of the Year. Heading into the season, Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the overwhelming choice. Just six weeks later, his countryman Shota Imanaga has taken over as the betting favorite. Given that the odds are set in part to generate the most action, Imanaga's ascent and overtaking of Yamamoto is remarkable.

The current NL Rookie of the Year odds on ESPNBet are Imanaga +175 and Yamamoto +375. Imanaga (+700) has the third-highest odds for NL Cy Young and Yamamoto checks in seventh (+1300).

Turning the discussion to fantasy baseball, who do you prefer for the rest of the season, Imanaga or Yamamoto? Yamamoto has made one more start than Imanaga, but they've logged nearly the same number of innings with Yamamoto at 42 and Imanaga at 41 2/3. Yamamoto's ERA is 2.79, supported with a 2.94 xFIP and 2.98 SIERA. Imanaga's ERA is 1.08, but with a 3.28 xFIP and 3.08 SIERA. It's close, but Yamamoto's ERA estimators are a smidge better.

Imanaga has benefited from a .239 BABIP and 90.6% left on base mark. Meanwhile, Yamamoto has also been a bit fortunate with a .269 BABIP and 80.6% left on base. Yamamoto has recorded a 27.8% strikeout rate and a 4.7% walk rate, for a 23.1% K-BB%. Imanaga's strikeout rate is 26.9% with a 3.1% walk rate, resulting in a 23.8% K-BB%. To date, Imanaga has the slight edge. However, he'll be hard-pressed to maintain such a low walk rate.

Heading into the season, home runs were a big concern for Imanaga. So far, he's yielded only three long balls, compared to five for Yamamoto. This accounts for some of the discrepancies in actual ERA.

Both hurlers are benefiting from the league being unfamiliar with them as they traverse lineups for the first time. Imanaga has stated it's too early to credit his success; the real test will come when teams face him for a second and third time.

The Cubs worked with Imanaga in the spring. They set up an apparatus to train him to throw more four-seamers up in the zone. So far, the results are positive, though the dead ball is helping matters. Not to mention, Wrigley Field plays bigger in the spring with cooler temperatures. It tends to shrink over the summer when the mercury rises and the wind blows towards the ivy.

While my expectations for Imanaga have improved from draft season, I still expect Yamamoto to post the superior season. To be honest, I'm a bit shocked at the odds paradigm.

Both hurlers are in action on Monday, with Yamamoto on the road against the San Francisco Giants and Imanaga with his biggest challenge so far with a date in Truist Park against the Atlanta Braves. Imanaga is ranked in the lower half of the Starting pitcher rankings. This indicates Imanaga is a risky start. I'm generally aggressive, and Atlanta hasn't faced Imanaga yet, so my lean is having him active. That said, with Monday being just the first day of the head-to-head scoring period, playing it safe is a defensible approach.

Fantasy managers have almost all day to ponder lineups with all 14 games played under the lights, beginning at 6:35 p.m. ET with the Toronto Blue Jays visiting the Baltimore Orioles.

Everything else you need to know for Monday

It's rare that the top streamer is also the top overall pitcher, but that's the case with Cristopher Sanchez (9.9% rostered in ESPN leagues) getting the nod for the Philadelphia Phillies on the road against the New York Mets. There was some speculation that Sanchez would be used in piggyback fashion with Spencer Turnbull, but in the first opportunity to do so last Tuesday, Sanchez hurled seven frames, so at least for now, Sanchez's innings won't be tempered. Sanchez has fanned a palatable 34 in 36 1/3 innings, though 15 walks is high. Sanchez has benefited from surrendering just one homer. That'll clearly rise, but not likely in Citi Field facing a lineup devoid of worrisome power, save Pete Alonso. Monday is not the ideal slate for streaming pitchers, though Matt Manning's promotion avails another option. The Detroit Tigers placed Kenta Maeda on the 15-day IL with a viral illness, with Manning taking the open spot in the rotation. The righty draws a Miami Marlins lineup with the second-lowest wOBA in the league, though they got to Zack Wheeler on Sunday. Even so, on a ledger with limited options, Manning is worth a look. The Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees are the only teams with an off day, but there are several fantasy assets in those lineups, leaving holes on some fantasy squads. A surprising place to look is on the Oakland Athletics, as they visit Minute Maid Park with Spencer Arrighetti on the hill for the Houston Astros. Arrighetti has a bloated 8.02 ERA and 2.02 WHIP over five outings. He has fanned 25 in 21 1/3 innings but has also issued 13 walks while surrendering four homers. Brent Rooker (36.3%), Abraham Toro (14.9%), JJ Bleday (2.8%), Seth Brown (.8%) and Brett Harris (.5%) are the primary targets. Harris is especially intriguing in points leagues with a 19.4% walk rate.

It's not too late to start a free fantasy baseball league. Leagues drafted this week will start scoring fresh the following Monday. Come and join the fun!

Starting pitcher rankings for Monday

Reliever report

To get the latest information on each team's bullpen hierarchy, as well as which pitchers might be facing a bit of fatigue and who might be the most likely suspects to vulture a save or pick up a surprise hold in their stead, check out the latest Closer Chart, which will be updated every morning. 

Best Sub-50% rostered hitters for Monday

Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection 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. 

Joc Pederson (ARI, LF -- 4%) vs. Graham Ashcraft Gavin Sheets (CHW, RF -- 3%) vs. Trevor Williams Jeremy Pena (HOU, SS -- 45%) vs. Ross Stripling Riley Greene (DET, CF -- 31%) vs. Sixto Sanchez Lars Nootbaar (STL, CF -- 21%) at Jose Soriano Eloy Jimenez (CHW, DH -- 25%) vs. Williams Joey Meneses (WSH, DH -- 4%) at Chris Flexen Jarren Duran (BOS, CF -- 49%) vs. Zach Eflin Tommy Pham (CHW, LF -- 1%) vs. Williams Wenceel Perez (DET, 2B -- 0%) vs. Sanchez Worst Over-50% rostered hitters for Monday Michael Busch (CHC, 3B -- 65%) at Reynaldo Lopez Salvador Perez (KC, C -- 92%) at George Kirby Colton Cowser (BAL, RF -- 65%) vs. Jose Berrios Teoscar Hernandez (LAD, RF -- 83%) at Jordan Hicks Jeff McNeil (NYM, 2B -- 62%) vs. Cristopher Sanchez Bryson Stott (PHI, 2B -- 67%) at Sean Manaea Ian Happ (CHC, LF -- 77%) at Lopez Jordan Westburg (BAL, 2B -- 79%) vs. Berrios Ryan McMahon (COL, 3B -- 52%) at Randy Vasquez Jonah Heim (TEX, C -- 53%) vs. Tanner Bibee