Pitching matchups for Saturday’s MLB games

We’re burrowing through the month of June and once again, Saturday’s MLB slate will be chalk full of intriguing pitching duels across the league. Let’s go into two in particular that stand out.

Best matchup: Lance Lynn (White Sox) vs. Framber Valdez (Astros)

Since returning from a fractured left finger injury in May, Framber Valdez (3-0) has been an ace on the mound for the second-place Astros. The 27-year-old lefty from the Dominican Republic has gone at least seven innings in each of his last three starts, yielding only a combined 15 hits and three earned runs in those outings. He’s also had virtually no pressure in the last two starts with Houston batters backing him up with 21 combined runs. He’ll go toe-to-toe with veteran Lance Lynn (7-2), who suffered a rare loss at the hands of the Rays on Monday. Lynn yielded a season-high six hits and three earned runs in the setback but is still sitting pretty with a dominant 1.51 ERA on the season.

Sleeper matchup: Aaron Nola (Phillies) vs. Alex Wood (Giants)

Alex Wood (6-3) will try to help the Giants maintain their grip on the best record in baseball when he steps onto the mound on Saturday. After going 0-3 in previous four starts, Wood got back into the win column by fanning seven batters and yielding just four hits and two earned runs in San Fran’s 5-2 victory over the absymal Diamondbacks on Monday. He’ll go head-to-head with Aaron Nola, who has gotten back on track with two wins in his last three starts. The LSU product had an impressive performance against the Yankees on Sunday, going 7.2 innings and punching out nine batters in a 7-0 shutout.

Here’s a look at the pitching matchups for Saturday’s 15-game MLB slate on June 19th.

Athletics vs. Yankees: Chris Bassitt vs. Domingo German
Mets vs. Nationals: David Peterson vs. Jon Lester
Marlins vs. Cubs: Pablo Lopez vs. Jake Arrieta
Indians vs. Pirates: Cal Quantrill vs. Wil Crowe
Twins vs. Rangers: TBD vs. Kolby Allard
Phillies vs. Giants: Aaron Nola vs. Alex Wood
Blue Jays vs. Orioles: Alek Manoah vs. Dean Kremer
Red Sox vs. Royals: Martin Perez vs. Kris Bubic
Mets vs. Nationals: Double Header - TBD
White Sox vs. Astros: Lance Lynn vs. Framber Valdez
Reds vs. Padres: Vladimir Gutierrez vs. Dinelson Lamet
Cardinals vs. Braves: Adam Wainwright vs. Drew Smyly
Braves vs. Rockies: Adrian Houser vs. Austin Gomber
Tigers vs. Angels: Wily Peralta vs. Patrick Sandoval
Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks: Walker Buehler vs. Matt Peacock
Rays vs. Mariners: Josh Fleming vs. Logan Gilbert