Justin Steele

What can we expect from these three players going forward? The post Is It Legit? Justin Steele, Nathan Eovaldi, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. appeared first on Pitcher List.

We have a whopping 15-game slate ahead of us Wednesday. Let's waste no time in getting to our best bets.Rays (-120) @ Orioles (+100)I always enjoy backing the Rays. I especially enjoy it when they're hovering close to even money, which is the case in Baltimore.While the Orioles are a good team, they lag well behind the Rays in pretty much every category.The Rays lead the league in average, on-base percentage, slugging, and homers while also doing a better job than anybody in preventing runs, baserunners, and homers. They're incredible.I think Dean Kremer is going to have a miserable time slowing the Rays down. He owns a 5.80 ERA and 5.40 FIP and is allowing upward of two homers per nine innings of work.Kremer has a high home run per fly ball rate, which should be music to the ears of Rays batters. Nearly 18% of the fly balls they've generated against right-handed pitchers have gone yard, the third-highest rate in the league.That doesn't bode well for Kremer, particularly in a hitter-friendly park like Camden Yards.Kremer's pitching profile doesn't give him a great chance of slowing the Rays down, either. He throws four-seam fastballs more than 50% of the time.Randy Arozarena, Wander Franco, Brandon Lowe, and Yandy Diaz, among others, own .450 wOBAs or higher against that pitch.This seems like a very advantageous matchup for Tampa Bay's offense. If the lineup does what it's capable of, the Orioles will have a tough time keeping up against the Rays, who are better than anybody at preventing runs.Justin Steele under 5.5 strikeouts (-120)Steele has gone under this total in five of seven starts for the Cubs this season. The two exceptions came against the Dodgers and Brewers - two top-15 offenses in terms of run generation.That may seem like a feather in the cap for Steele, who now draws the 13-24 Cardinals. I'm not so sure that's the case.The Dodgers and Brewers have been very strikeout-prone this season, especially against left-handers. No team has a higher K rate versus lefties than the Brewers, while the Dodgers (fourth highest) are not far behind.St. Louis' offense profiles much differently. They rank 11th in wOBA against left-handed arms and are striking out only 22% of the time, slotting them 5% and 8% below the Dodgers and Brewers respectively.I expect a quality start from Steele, who has been one of the better pitchers in the league this season. I'm not so sure it'll come along with a healthy batch of strikeouts.Seth Lugo over 4.5 strikeouts (-125)Lugo is off to a very strong start in San Diego. He has averaged 5.2 strikeouts per game and has gone over this total in five of six. I expect him to keep that streak alive Wednesday against the Twins.The Twins are hitting for good power right now. They can't get on base, though, and are striking out a lot. They own a 26.2% K rate (third highest) against right-handed pitchers over the past two weeks. Only the Mariners and Athletics have fared worse.With the Twins chasing power so heavily and several strikeout-prone players expected to start - Joey Gallo, Michael Taylor, and Byron Buxton among them - there are plenty of strong strikeout targets for Lugo to make his way through.Even if Lugo allows a long ball or two, he should be able to pick up five strikeouts before exiting.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.