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Daily Dime: Jose Fernandez, Sonny Gray and an abundance of Billys

Daily Dime: Jose Fernandez, Sonny Gray and an abundance of Billys

And we're back. Everyone refreshed? Great. Yahoo's daily game has a full slate of contests, so let's sweep lineups, looking for bargain buys.

Jose Fernandez, P, at Phi (Morgan), $32: After two starts, Fernandez appears to be the same dominant right-hander we'd grown to trust, pre-TJ surgery. He's given us 13.0 innings, allowing just three runs and no walks while striking out 15 batters. Fernandez's fastball is averaging 95.4 mph, so velocity isn't a worry. I can see no reason not to trust him in this spot, against MLB's only sub-.400 team.

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Neil Walker, 2B, at Mil (Fiers), $15: Walker has hammered Fiers in prior meetings (8-for-16, HR) and he was surging in the weeks before the break, batting .370/.393/.574 in the month of July. Of his 84 career home runs, 78 have been hit against RHPs. Fiers allowed two homers and four walks in his last start and his full-season ratios are nothin' special (3.96 ERA, 1.41 WHIP).

Also worth noting, while we're talking Pirates: Andrew McCutchen has absolutely owned Fiers, going 6-for-16 with four homers, one walk and nine RBIs. At $19, he's a little too pricey to list among Friday's bargains, but that doesn't mean he can't help.

Derek Norris, C, vs. Col (De La Rosa), $11: The break was well-timed for Norris, as he'd been mired in a multi-week slump. He's dirt-cheap on Friday, plus he gets a favorable match-up. Norris is slashing .286/.364/.472 in his career against left-handed pitching (.215/.293/.347 vs. RHPs), and he's 4-for-5 against De La Rosa with a pair of doubles.

Aramis Ramirez, 3B, vs. Pit (Morton), $13: In case you hadn't noticed (and it's understandable if you didn't), Ramirez finally started producing when the calendar flipped to July, stringing together a few multi-hit games. He's had no trouble historically against Morton, going 7-for-20 with a pair of walks. You aren't getting the vintage version of Ramirez, clearly, but he's an acceptable play if you intend to blow your budget on pitching or high-end outfielders.

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Lance Lynn, P, vs. NYM (Syndergaard), $27: The Mets rank next-to-last in the N.L. in run-scoring and dead-last in both team batting average and slugging percentage. So yeah, this is really a pretty decent spot for Lynn, a guy with a 2.90 ERA and 102 Ks in 96.1 innings. He's also pitching at home, where he's 4-1 this season with a 1.90 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Syndergaard is nasty, sure, but Lynn is no bum.

Matt Holliday, OF, vs. NYM (Syndergaard), $13: Holliday is back from injury...

...so I'm happy to roster him at this price, even in a challenging matchup. The man was reaching base at a .417 clip before the quad issues. I'm not sure how long he'll be available this cheap, but I'll take it.

Justin Upton, OF, vs. Col (De La Rosa), $14: J-Up is available at the same price as Adam Eaton, which is kind of appalling. The price also reflects Upton's recent slide, of course (4-for-34 this month). He's been a monster against De La Rosa over the years, with nine hits and five walks over 29 plate appearances

Billy Burns, OF, vs. Min (Santana), $10: Burns is one of today's most heavily dropped players in seasonal leagues, which bothers me to no end. If you're done with him, GIVE BURNS TO ME. He's a top-of-the-order hitter with silly speed and a .303 average, facing a starter who was recently crushed. I can only assume the droppers are judging Burns entirely off those two quiet games before the All-Star break. That's not how it's done, guys.

Billy Butler, 1B, vs. Min (Santana), $14: Yup, I'm going to the rarely used two-Billy formation in a few games. Butler has homered five times against Santana in only 31 career at-bats, plus he's drawn six walks. At this price, he allows you to fit a collection of brand-name stars into your daily lineups.

Sonny Gray, P, vs. Min (Santana), $27: Gray at a below-max price? Um...yes, please. He's coming off a dominant two-hit, one-walk shutout win, a performance that lowered his WHIP to 0.96. I can't fully explain this give-away price, but I'll gladly take it.