The Friday night baseball slate is a mammoth to break down.
The full 15-game slate gives you plenty of options to choose from, and there are a few matchups that stand out immediately.
St. Louis' trip to Washington, D.C. sticks out right away because the Cardinals get a chance to face a struggling veteran pitcher that has had a rough time against their two best hitters.
Then there is the clash between the Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds that could feature plenty of offensive fireworks with two average arms on the mound.
So many players could have been selected for the Baltimore-Cincinnati clash, but one player's recent splits make him the best option.
Friday MLB Plays
Trey Mancini Over 1.5 Total Bases (+100)
Trey Mancini and the Baltimore Orioles have favorable hitting conditions in front of them all weekend at Great American Ball Park.
Mancini and Co. get a juicy matchup against Cincinnati Reds left-hander Mike Minor, who has given up 12 earned runs on 24 hits in 20.1 innings over the last month.
Mancini is one of the Orioles' best hitters against left-handed pitching. He has 30 hits and two homers against southpaws. The right-hander slugger also showed signs of heating up over the last two days, as he had four hits and seven total bases against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Paul Goldschmidt Over 1.5 Total Bases (-110)
Nolan Arenado Over 1.5 Total Bases (-105)
Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are back in the heart of the St. Louis Cardinals order after missing the two midweek games in Toronto.
Goldschmidt and Arenado should feast at the plate against Anibal Sanchez, who produced a 6.30 ERA in his first two starts back this season for the Washington Nationals.
Goldschmidt and Arenado have career batting averages over .300 against Sanchez. Both power hitters faced him over 10 times, so that history is worth noting.
Sanchez allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs in his two starts, both of which lasted five innings. St. Louis should see him at least twice before the Washington bullpen takes over in what should be a lopsided game.
Carlos Santana Over 0.5 Total Bases (-145)
Rarely do you see a batter-versus-pitcher history like the one Carlos Santana has against Justin Verlander.
Santana owns nine home runs, 15 RBIs and a .235 batting average in 81 at-bats against the Houston Astros right-handed pitcher.
Santana just went yard against Verlander last week for the Seattle Mariners. All I'm asking for tonight is one base hit.
Santana has not recorded a hit in his last five games, so what better way to break the cold streak than against a pitcher he has plenty of familiarity against.