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Saturday’s games gives us intriguing SP options with Bauer, Alfredo Simon, and Anthony DeSclafani. Heading that list is Trevor Bauer with his clever and catchy Twitter handle, @BauerOutage. All three of these SP’s have started 2015 very strong. Today’s match-ups really have me focused on whether they are legit SP’s in DFS, or have they just got off to lucky starts. I’ll continue to say your two SP’s need to be strikeout pitchers. Meaning, don’t play a pitcher that has far less K’s per IP, or has a high WHIP. Go ahead and pay the big bucks for the SP’s. However, you can’t always start two SP’s that are $10,000+ and will eat up a huge portion of your salary. The aforementioned SP’s prices have good value. But my biggest struggle is, do I keep plugging them in or are they going to get destroyed by a good opponent? Of the three, Bauer is the only pitcher that at one point was a top pitching prospect. He was highly touted out of UCLA, and the Diamondbacks drafted him third overall in the 2011 MLB Draft. Bauer also won the Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s top amateur player. The Diamondbacks gave up on him pretty fast and traded him to the Cleveland Indians. He’ll get his biggest test of 2015 today against the Detroit Tigers. Anthony DeSclafani was once a top prospect in the Marlins organization, and was a key piece to the trade involving Mat Latos. He pitched 33 Innings for the Marlins in 2014, and those numbers are not impressive at all. So if you want to rollout a SP whose name you can’t pronounce, don’t look it up. Realize that he isn’t an ultra-talented rookie that has come out of nowhere. The player I can’t help but compare him to the most is Jacob deGrom. Like DeSclafani, deGrom was somewhat of a top prospect in the Mets organization, but no one expected this type of skill at the major league level. It’s still too early to make that comparison, but DeSclafani’s hot start has me thinking in that direction. As for Alfredo Simon, he came on last year with the Cincinnati Reds. His overall numbers in 2014 were good, but he fizzled out a bit at the end. Now with the Tigers in 2015, he’s off to another good start, and although the Indians haven’t looked great so far, it’ll be a good match-up to see if Simon is a legit DFS option every week. Don’t be afraid to start two SP’s that face each other, as Bauer and Simon do today. Although you would only be able to potentially get one win, if the strikeouts pile up, so will your DraftKings score.

New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 10 teamer of Razzball writers and friends to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It’s how we know you care! If you still feel helpless and lonely, be sure to subscribe to the DFSBot for your daily baseball plays.

John Danks, P: $5,200 – Plain and simple: I’m stacking Royals hitters. Why Danks is still in the starting rotation is beyond me. Through 3 starts he only has 8 strikeouts and an ERA over 6.

Matt Harvey, P: $10,300 – Even at this price Matt Harvey is a good DFS play. Elbow surgery hasn’t phased his effectiveness. He still throws hard with great control. He faces the Yankees today but regardless of matchup, I still consider Harvey every time.

Daniel Norris, P: $5,900 – You can’t help but think the young rookie’s confidence is down after his last outing. But today’s matchup vs the Rays is somewhat appealing. I am still looking for a better option for my second SP.

Rubby De La Rosa, P: $6,100 – Yep lucky me, I get to pick on De La Rosa again. I wasn’t too successful last week by stacking Giants against him but I’m still sold on the thought that he’ll get slaughtered every time. So needless to say I’m going to really try and start Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, and Neil Walker.

James Paxton, P: $7,000 – Paxton, a young lefty vs a struggling Twins offense: pay the money! Trevor May, a struggling rookie, on the road in Seattle vs a good lineup: pay the money!

Tim Hudson, P: $5,500 – My bold pick of the day is Tim Hudson. Like the rest of the Giants SPs, Tim Hudson has got off to a sluggish start. However, don’t underestimate the experience of a pitcher like Hudson. I wouldn’t necessarily stack Rockies hitters at their high prices just because they’re playing in Colorado. If you do, it will make or break your lineup especially in 50/50’s. Unlike Bauer, DeSclafani, and Simon, Tim Hudson is a proven vet that you can still feel confident about using as your second SP.

Salvador Perez, C: $4,000 – He’s only 4-17 lifetime vs John Danks but two of those hits have been homers. With the numerous bad options at Catcher, Perez is the one to go with.

Albert Pujols, 1B: $4,100 – Albert Pujols is a career 7-21 with 2 home runs vs Colby Lewis. That’s good enough for me.

Howie Kendrick, 2B: $3,800 – Howie Kendrick continues to be a great play at this position. He continues to bat in the middle of the Dodgers lineup.

David Freese, 3B: $4,200 – His BvP against Lewis is .186 in 16 at-bats. One of his three hits is a homer. But at this price he’s one to consider at the hot corner.

Mike Trout, OF: $5,200 – He also has 7 career hits and 2 home runs vs Colby Lewis. The stack of Angels is getting bigger!

Matt Joyce, OF: $3,200 – Like the other three Angels, Joyce has also had success vs Colby Lewis, but in a small sample size. Check to see if he’s in the starting lineup. At this price you could rejoice! Fun fact of the day: Former Angels’ Scott Spiezio and Tim Salmon are each 4-9 career vs Lewis. Let’s use all the Angels in the Outfield =D

I’m Only Happy When It Rains

Only a few games might get rain. The Cubs/Reds may encounter rain and thunderstorms at 1PM EST. The Royals/White Sox game in Chicago could have rain at the start, but the rain might let up in the late afternoon. Looks like a 50/50 chance of rain at first pitch in Baltimore at 7PM EST.

Doing Lines In Vegas

The Over/Under for the Giants/Rockies is 10 runs. I’m going with the under or I would have to retract my bold pick. I like the Red Sox/Orioles over 8.5 runs, and the Royals/White Sox also at over 8.5 runs. I like James Paxton today and the Over/Under in the Twins/Mariners game is 7.5 runs. I’ll also take the over on that one as I’m expecting a blowout win by the Mariners vs Trevor May.