Hi there. It’s me – the guy who vouched for Tyler Lyons in his last start, because let’s face it; his matchup (on paper) was prettier than Kelly Kapowski on prom night. Sadly, the outcome of said start turned out to be more like Prom Night the movie, which I never saw because it looked awful, but I imagine it was a blood bath with an awful soundtrack. So yeah, anyone with shares in Lyons (there were a lot) had an awful night, and I got trolled a little (which I love). I’m not sorry though. All I can do is present useful data the best I can and let the cards fall where they may. You just gotta keep on keepin’ on, you know? That being said, if you still can’t forgive me for Lyonsgate, there are other awesome tools here at Razzball like Stream-o-Nator, Hitter-Tron, and the new DFSBot. Wait, did I just call myself an awesome tool? Whatever. As always, we’ve got you covered here, so head on over to DraftKings and use our promo link; it could lead you to $100K and probably a foursome at the bare minimum. Now, let’s put this Lyons nonsense behind us and examine some key participants in tonight’s short slate.
Stephen Strasburg, SP: ($11,100) – This will be a play more popular than GoldenEye on the big screen in my buddy’s parents’ basement circa 1998. God, I loved that game. Anyways, Straz is a no-brainer in cash games, and he’ll be a tough GPP fade because he dominates at home. The Reds also have a team OPS of .585 over the last seven days. Weak sauce.
Garrett Richards, SP: ($10,000) – Houston is hitting .218 on the road, where they also average a mere three runs per game. Richards fanned seven Astros in five IP on April 4, and I’d say that’s a safe watermark but more production can be expected. Dude’s in a groove right now, and if he were at a rave, he’d be the guy yelling, “I’m peaking!”
Jason Vargas, SP: ($7,200) – The SI cover jinx strikes again. A week after gracing the cover, Jose Abreu landed on the DL. Be wary Carlos Gomez owners, he’s the latest cover boy. No Abreu means the White Sox lineup is incredibly watered down, and they rank sixth in strikeouts against LHP (107). Vargas is not impervious to implosion, but he’s allowed two ER or fewer in seven of nine starts this year … not too shabby.
Evan Gattis, C/OF: ($3,800) – This is probably a gut call more than anything, but Gattis is a much better hitter at home, and even though he’s on the wrong side of the platoon versus Wily Peralta, seven of his eight HR this season have come against RHP.
C.J. Cron, 1B: ($3,700) – The sample size is small with this one, but the heavy-hitting rookie has a triple-slash of .381/.381/.619 against LHP. He was riding the pine a lot during the Angels’ recent tour of NL parks, but he should return to the heart of the lineup tonight. Gotta love pure power potential on the cheap.
Brandon Phillips, 2B: ($4,000) – There’s not a lot to love at 2B tonight, and Phillips will probably be my guy unless I decide to punt with someone like Jose Ramirez ($1,800). Surprisingly, Phillips’ three-year splits show he favors facing righties, and you can bet Strasburg will be coming after him tonight with the minimal protection in Cincy’s lineup.
Billy Hamilton, SS/OF: ($4,000) – There’s no denying that Hamilton has the ability to turn a walk into double-digit DK points like that (insert finger snap). Hamilton fares way better against RHP, and I’m hoping the prospect of facing Strasburg will scare off a lot of potential owners. Strasburg was in the top-20 for SB allowed in NL last year, and we all know that Hamilton is fast as f*ck. His eligibility at SS is the strong selling point here.
Miguel Cabrera, 1B/3B ($5,900) – Me thinks this guy is pretty good at the baseball, and he has a 1.526 OPS against Corey Kluber. Additionally, Miggy’s three-year OPS at Progressive Field is 1.139. These are good things. It’s all good.
Alex Gordon, 1B/3B: ($3,900) – I just traded Gordon in a dynasty league, and yesterday he only went 4-for-4 with two dongs. Considering I sort of gave up on him and cut ties, he’s guaranteed to catch fire and twist the knife – it’s science. He’s also facing something called Scott Carroll, who has given up 12 ER in his last nine IP. The Royals are looking pretty stack-worthy tonight.
Dayan Viciedo, OF ($3,500) – The White Sox still have a Cuban sans Abreu, and this one is swinging a hot stick. No, he’s not in a kabob fight, but Viciedo is hitting .292 at Kauffman Stadium, and if anyone takes Vargas deep, it’ll probably be him.
Collin Cowgill, OF ($3,400) – His time as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of America of Planet Earth’s leadoff hitter is coming to a close with Kole Calhoun slated to return soon, so Cowgill should be looking to make the most of every opportunity. Dallas Keuchel has been lights out in his last two starts, but Cowgill is 3-for-8 against him lifetime and also holds an OBP of .412 against LHP.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
Rain doesn’t appear to be a threat to any of the five games on tap for tonight. We could see a bit of a delay in KC, but that’s looking like the worst case scenario. The smell of BBQ will also be blowing hard to left field in that one.
Doing Lines In Vegas (3-3 Overall)
I’ll take DET (-105) and the over in MIL/ATL (6.5)
