MLB Picks for Monday

C- Mike Nickeas NYM- Nickeas has been playing a good bit as of late, and there is no reason to not plug him into your lineup if he is starting today solely because of his price. He is priced at under 3K, and doesn't strikeout much. This makes for a good play.

1B- Bryan LaHair CHC- We aren't sure why LaHair's price has gone down, but we love that he is under 7K. He is a power hitting machine of a first basemen who crushes right handed pitching. Good thing he is facing Jake Westbrook today.

2B- Robinson Cano NYY- Cano is hitting .364 over the last two weeks, and has obviously been seeing the ball very well. He won't be at home, but hitting in Baltimore isn't so bad either. Expect him to continue his hot streak today.

3B- Edwin Encarnacion TOR- Encarnacion is a streaky hitter, and he is coming off a 3 hit game, and has 6 hits in his last 5 games. This is something we like considering how many RBIs and runs scored he has in the last two weeks.

SS- JJ Hardy BAL- There aren't many more shortstops that are as hot as Hardy is right now. He is hitting .295 over the last two weeks with 5 home runs over that time. Hardy is facing Nova, a righty that isn't known to overpower anyone.

OF- Justin Upton ARI- The reason why we are taking Upton today isn't necessarily because we like his matchup. Upton is a great play because of his price of just over 5K. He is facing Kershaw, who hasn't been like himself in the past two weeks, but is still good enough to steer clear of under any other circumstances.

OF- Austin Jackson DET- Jackson is hitting just under .350 in the last two weeks, and if the Tigers want to turn things around it's going to be in part because of him. He had a hit and a stolen base yesterday against the A's, and we like him again tonight against the lefty Danks.

OF- Giancarlo Stanton MIA- Stanton has broken out of his funk that he had in the first couple weeks of the season, and has shown how much power he really has. In the past two weeks, he is hitting .327 with 6 home runs which are some great numbers. We like him tonight against the lefty Bedard.

SP- Christian Friedrich COL- Friedrich threw 6 innings in his first career start and recorded 7 Ks. He is a great value play today as the Rockies face the Giants and he is under 6K.

SP- Jon Lester BOS- Lester has thrown 18 innings in the last two weeks, and he has pitched very well. He has a 2 ERA over that time, and has 12 Ks. Lester is a great play because of his matchup being against the Mariners, a team that won't impress anyone with their bats.

RP- Henry Rodriguez WAS- Rodriquez has been great this season. He has recorded 11 Ks in his last 5.1 innings although his ERA hasn't been that great in the last two weeks. We expect the Nationals and Padres to be a low scoring game with the Nats winning. Hence why we like Rodriguez.

EXTRA: Adam Lind TOR- Lind is amidst a slump right now, but there could not be a better pitcher for him to face today than Niemann. He is a career 13-28 off of him with 3 home runs. This is a great play because he is less than 5K!