We have another small 12-game slate in the majors Thursday, beginning at 12:20 p.m. ET. Before first pitch between the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves, we’ll take a look at the best games on the schedule, rookies to keep an eye out for, and spotlight a relevant fantasy option.
Best Games To Watch
Despite it only being 12 games on today’s slate, there are still a few games worth checking out over the course of the day. The best game is an early on as we have the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees wrapping up their four-game series on MLB Network at 1:05 p.m. ET.
The Yankees will try to win the series and extend their winning streak to three games with ace Gerrit Cole (6-2, 1.78) on the mound. He will be opposed by Rays starting pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (2-3, 4.26), who is still looking for his first win in two seasons. If the Yankees can come away with the victory, they will only be 2.5 games behind Tampa Bay for first place in the AL East.
A couple other games to check out later tonight include the red-hot Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants at 9:45 p.m. and at 10:10 p.m., the New York Mets will continue their road trip and open up a series against the San Diego Padres. Taijuan Walker will be on the mound for the Mets, while Yu Darvish will get the start for San Diego.
Fantasy Spotlight
Quietly, Lance Lynn has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball this season. The 34-year-old starter, who spent the last couple of seasons with the Texas Rangers, has a 6-1 record and 1.20 ERA in nine starts with the Sox. Lynn’s ridiculous start also has him as one of the better pitching options in DFS this season, averaging 24.2 DKFP. The veteran starter has had seven starts, where he’s scored at least 17 fantasy points. He’s also on a streak of back-to-back 20-plus fantasy points performances that he will try to continue on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers.
Rookies to Watch
After a slow start to the regular season, St. Louis Cardinals rookie outfielder Dylan Carlson has started to heat up and figure things out at the plate. In his last four games, Carlson has reached base safely in all four contests and slugged 3 HRs. At the same time, he is hitting .438, which is great news for the Cardinals. The rookie outfielder is still a cheap value play in DFS at $3,800 for Thursday’s main slate and is someone you should keep an eye on through this season.
MLB regular season schedule for Thursday, June 3rd
If no streaming option is listed, game is available on MLB.tv pending blackout restrictions.
Nationals vs. Braves, 12:20 p.m. ET
Rays vs. Yankees, 1:05 p.m. ET
Red Sox vs. Astros, 2:10 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Rangers vs. Rockies, 3:10 p.m. ET
Marlins vs. Pirates, 7:05 p.m. ET
Diamondbacks vs. Brewers, 7:40 p.m. ET
Tigers vs. White Sox, 8:10 p.m. ET
Twins vs. Royals, 8:10 p.m. ET
Reds vs. Cardinals, 9:15 p.m. ET
Mariners vs. Angels, 9:38 p.m. ET
Cubs vs. Giants, 9:45 p.m. ET
Mets vs. Padres, 10:00 p.m. ET
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