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ESPN's 2026 Draft Guide | Betting notes for Friday
Pitchers to stream Friday
Mitch Keller's 3.17 ERA might be a run shy of its estimators, but Keller is doing two things necessary for streaming consideration: limiting walks and keeping the ball in the yard. He's especially useful at home, where PNC Park suppresses runs by a little and power by a lot. The Pittsburgh Pirates host the Cincinnati Reds in an NL Central showdown. The Reds' offense is below average against right-handers, and hitters will be experiencing a park downgrade.
The Cleveland Guardians catch a break by playing their only series in Sacramento while the temperatures are still relatively cool. Sutter Health Park plays smaller in April and May than it will in June, July and August. Joey Cantillo is on the hill for the visitors, facing an Athletics offense that's playing around league average at home. Cantillo's numbers are a mirror image of last season, and while it was fair to hope for improvements, especially in walk rate, his 16.8% K-BB% is better than league average. If afforded patience, the Guardians' pitching laboratory will figure out how to get Cantillo to throw more strikes.
Colin Rea is the quintessential matchup play. Last time out, the Los Angeles Dodgers hit him with a six-spot over just 3⅓ innings, but the Chicago Cubs righty recorded quality starts in his prior two outings. On Friday, Rea faces the Arizona Diamondbacks in a matinee at Wrigley Field, where the temperature will be in the mid-40s with the wind blowing in from left field. The Diamondbacks have hit right-handers well at home, but they've struggled away from the desert.
Hitters to stream Friday
The Red Sox return home for the first time since their coaching and managerial shakeup. A less-than-warm reception might be directed more at the front office than the players, but the players will be in a good spot to turn the jeers into cheers facing Mike Burrows and the Houston Astros. The right-hander has served up seven homers in only 31⅔ innings, and the wind is forecast to be blowing out to right field. Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida (if he's in the lineup) are the top options, though Willson Contreras, Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela can also take advantage.
Hitters to avoid Friday
A cool evening at Coors Field with a gentle crosswind from first to third is still a better hitting environment than most venues, but relative to how the venue normally plays, scoring could be down a bit when the Atlanta Braves visit the Colorado Rockies. This isn't enough to stream Braves starter Grant Holmes and Rockies southpaw Jose Quintana, but the batters, especially from Atlanta, aren't the clear choices they'd usually be, so fade a Braves DFS stack.