RADIO
Plenty of opportunity today for some tinkering of lineups. There is a lack of pitching in the early games that could lead to some unique lineups in most games. Hitting will most likely be cheap and finding the right starter may be a chore. The night games offer more stability as the good starting pitchers should be good and the weak pitchers look to be exploited. Below are my DraftKings picks for Wednesday, June 10th, 2015. As always, remember to check your players to make sure they are in their MLB starting lineups before lineups lock.
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Game Notes
- No weather problems in the day games. The games in Cleveland and Chicago could see some rain this evening.
- Good luck picking the correct pitcher in the early games. The factors present great hitting matchups but pitching could be hard to come by. Plan accordingly.
- The stacking strategy could pay dividends in Cincinnati. Neither Jon Moscot nor Jerome Williams scare any batter as they are yielding 25.0% and 15.8% HR/FB rates, respectively.
- The Pirates against Kyle Lohse also offer intriguing stacking opportunities. Pittsburgh has scored only one run in this series and they are primed to explode over a hittable Lohse in which most batters have career success against.
- Twins starter Kyle Gibson had a strong May, but his advanced numbers suggest that he is due for regression. He’ll face a Royals team that has done well against him and all RHP for that matter.
DFS Pitchers to Consider for DraftKings
Early Slate
Gio Gonzalez, WAS - $8,300
Gross. Just, gross. Where have we gone as a society if Gio Gonzalez is a top option for DFS games? Well, he is. Despite owning a 4.57 ERA and a ridiculously high 1.51 WHIP, he is striking out guys at a 22.1% clip and his .372 BABIP suggest that he is getting a bit unlucky from batted balls. Still, the only reason he gets consideration is because the rest of the starters are so weak.
Carlos Martinez, COL - $7,800
Gio Gonzalez and a right-handed pitcher in a day game at Coors are the top two pitching options. Now, you’re probably thinking your author is crazy, and perhaps he is. But not because of these selections. C-Mart has been on a roll as of late and is striking out hitters on the reg. Fear not in this pick.
Late Games
Matt Harvey, SF - $10,700
There’s really no empirical evidence to suggest that the Mets offense will come off strong after they got no no-ed at home. The Dark Knight is going to bring his A game against the defending World Series Champs. Double digit strikeouts in seven innings is expected.
Tyson Ross, SD - $9,300
The strikeout numbers are really coming around as Ross is sitting down over a quarter (25.2% K rate) of batters. Now, if he can just get those walk numbers down and those innings up.
DFS Catchers to Consider for DraftKings
Early Slate
Brayan Pena, CIN - $2,600
Pena is hitting .390 at home against righties, good enough for a 160 wRC+. His price allows for any variation of aggressive lineup tinkering.
Late Games
Bryan Holaday, DET - $2,400
Consider this a punt option at an extremely thin position. The Rotoballer Streaming Hitter’s tool rates Holaday’s matchup at 115, good enough for ninth on the day, including day games.
DFS Infielders to Consider for DraftKings
FIRST BASE
Early Slate
Joey Votto, CIN - $5,100
Mark Teixeira, NYY - $4,300
Votto is awfully expensive and do not expect another three home run outing, but he is without a doubt the best first baseman available. Big Tex has recorded some big success against Gonzalez in the past with two homeruns in 14 at-bats. He is a big risk play, however, as he has been pretty average at home against lefties.
Late Games
Paul Goldschmidt, ARI - $5,400
It’s not even worth looking for cheap value at first tonight. Goldschmidt has been other-wordly against southpaws and he has seen the ball well against Dodger’s starter Brett Anderson. Unload the wallet.
SECOND BASE
Early Slate
Brandon Phillips, CIN - $4,100
Odubel Herrera, PHI - $3,300
Phillips has been swinging a hot bat of late and will be sure to be a catalyst yet again for the Cincinnati offense. There is risk he may not start due to a knee injury. If that is the case, go with Herrera. Herrera has recorded a hit in at least three straight games, suggesting that he is coming out of his long slump. This is usually a good indicator of an upward trend and he should take advantage of the platoon advantage against a weak young pitcher.
Late Games
Neil Walker, PIT - $4,000
Ryan Flaherty, BAL - $3,200
Expect the 29-year-old to bat out of the cleanup spot in the Pirates lineup, and for good reason. Walker has a .355 wOBA and 114 wRC+ at home against righties. He’s also tagged Lohse up to the tune of a .308 AVG in 39 at-bats. Flaherty offers the cheap option at the position and has some great righty-lefty splits as well as some career success against Boston starter Rick Porcello.
SHORTSTOP
Early Slate
Jose Reyes, TOR - $4,900
Since coming back off the disabled list, Reyes has been like making love in a Kings of Leon song. In other words, he’s been on fire. He’ll be facing off against a pitcher that pitches to contact in Tom Koehler, and pitchers that pitch to contact against the Jays typically get trounced at Rogers Centre.
Late Games
Ruben Tejada, NYM - $2,900
In an otherwise thin position for the night, Tejada offers great value without breaking the banks. He has a good history against Tim Hudson and has been raking- at least, raking for Tejada standards- over the last two weeks.
THIRD BASE
Early Slate
Matt Carpenter, STL - $5,200
Todd Frazier, CIN - $5,000
Neither of these guys is a poor choice for the early games. Carpenter has gone 0-for-7 in the first two games of this series. There’s literally zero chance that continues. Meanwhile, Frazier has been absolutely incredible at home. In 124 plate appearances in The Great American Ballpark this season, Frazier is hitting .361 with 12 HR, 26 RBI, and 13 BB while scoring 26 runs and sneakily swiping four bags. Frazier gets the nod here as he is the safer bet.
Late Games
Will Middlebrooks, SD - $3,500
Not a real sexy pick here. But Middlebrooks does offer great value at a somewhat mid-tier price. He has been a strong reason why the Padres have broken out of their offense woes over the last week and he will be teeing off against a subpar pitcher.
DFS Outfielders to Consider for DraftKings
Early Slate
Bryce Harper, WAS - $5,600
Right-handed pitcher? Check. Career success against said pitcher? Check. Said pitcher has a propensity to give up homeruns when facing the platoon? Check. Hitter’s park for left-handed bats? Check. Weather conditions ideal for the ball to travel? Checkmate. This is what we call “The Perfect Storm.”
Ben Revere, PHI - $4,100
This has more to do with being a lead-off batter against a pitcher that struggles against the top of lineups. Revere should get on base and be able to swipe a few bags as well.
Late Games
Andrew McCutchen, PIT - $5,000
Lohse projects to be tagged against a ready-to-explode Pirates offense and the one guy that can detonate the bomb is McCutchen. He is due to go yard and has had considerable success in his career against Lohse.
A.J. Pollock, ARI - $4,400
Much like his Goldie teammate, Pollock absolutely thrives against left-handed pitching. His price also allows for maximum flexibility in cash games and tournaments. Pollock is nearly a must-own across the board.
Andre Ethier, LAD - $3,200
Now that Yasiel Puig is back and because Joc Pederson took a night off last night, Ethier is fighting for playing time tonight in Los Angeles. Here's hoping that Don Mattingly utilizes the platoon advantage and places Ethier in the starting lineup.
David DeJesus, TB - $3,100
Without having a ton of power, DeJesus has some of the best splits against right-handed pitching at a relatively cheap price. He also has the added bonus of facing a very hittable Jered Weaver.
DFS Q&A with Max Petrie @ 6PM on 6/10
Leave your question and come back at 6pm when Max answers everything. For our regular MLB & Fantasy Baseball Chat, click here.
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