While the rest of the DFS Grinding world tilts their way through the US Open golf tournament (and the Milly Maker that goes with it) this weekend, I’ll be over here watching baseball and praying the rain goes away. What a nightmare the rain has been for DraftKings players. Knowing what games to play and what games to avoid when over half of the games have a significant chance of rain has been very difficult. Today is a new day. Let’s get to baseball. After a slow start, Chris Sale has really turned it on. His strikeout totals (from most recent to furthest away) over the last 5 games have been 12, 14, 13, 12, and 10. Talk about DFS gold. The Rangers have a tendency to strike out against lefties as it is, and Sale should have plenty of them. His strikeout floor would be 7 or 8, so even if he gives up some runs, he’ll score some points for you. He’s as safe as they come today.
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James Shields, SP: $9,300 – If it weren’t for the home runs he’s given up, Shields may be a Cy Young contender at this point. He continues to strike out batters at an incredible rate. The DBacks are one of the coldest teams offensively right now, as they only have a .115 ISO and are striking out at a rate of 23.3% over the last 14 days.
Carlos Carrasco, SP: $8,800 – Carrasco is as up and down as they come as a pitcher. He can K 11 one day and allow 6 runs the next. The good news is, the Rays have a hard time scoring 6 runs in 2 full games. He is a solid high upside play for your GPPs.
Lance McCullers, SP: $8,000 – McCullers has been a favorite of mine in GPPs with his great K rate. He’s pitching against the Mariners who have just been terrible at the plate recently. He could provide a lot of strikeouts for his cheap price.
Tyler Lyons, SP: $6,800 – Lyons has been striking guys out in his spot starts this year, but he’s allowed too many runs and he hasn’t pitched enough innings to be a solid DFS option. That could change against the Phillies. If you are looking for a dirt cheap option in a GPP, Lyons is your guy.
Yasmani Grandal, C: $4,000 – There has been no-hitter Chris Heston, and there has been no-good Chris Heston. The Dodgers are by far the best offensive team against righties this season. I’ll be surprised if we get good Chris Heston.
Salvador Perez, C: $4,000 – Ever since he hit that upper-decker bomb against the Cardinals, Perez has been hitting the ball extremely well. He has even hit 5th in the order multiple times recently. If he his hitting 5th, he’ll be my favorite play at catcher against the lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.
Joey Votto, 1B: $4,700 – Votto gets a solid matchup against Dan Haren who, though not horrible this year, has struggled with the long ball and also against lefties. Great American Ballpark is as home run friendly as it gets outside of Coors, and Votto is about as solid of a left handed hitter as there is in the league.
Mark Teixera, 1B: $4,700 – Alfredo Simon has been pretty solid this year, but a righty facing the Yankees in Yankee stadium will make even the best pitchers look bad. Teixera is having a monster season and has as good a chance as there is of hitting a home run today.
Jason Kipnis, 2B: $4,800– The American League all-star starting second baseman… Welp. Royals fans ruined that one. This guy has easily been the best second baseman in baseball this year, and gets righty Nathan Karns, who is probably my favorite pitcher to stack against today.
Manny Machado, 3B: $4,900 – Machado is killing the ball right now. He is one of the few players with pronounced reverse splits as he hits righties much better than lefties. If you’re looking for a team to hit some homeruns today, the Orioles are a great candidate against fly-ball dependent Marco Estrada in hitter friendly Rogers Center.
Brock Holt, 3B/OF: $3,300 – Holt has recently hit for the cycle, and tripled again yesterday. He continues to be underpriced and is eligible at 3B and in the outfield. He is a must to have in your lineups today.
Alcides Escobar, SS: $3,900 – Escobar is one of my favorite shortstops in the game to use when they Royals face a lefty. He is always cheap and always manages to score runs. He is a pretty safe play for a low salary.
Giancarlo Stanton, OF: $5,600 – Stanton is just destroying baseballs right now. He hit another home run yesterday and his league lead is not even in question right now. There is almost no price too high to pay for him, especially in a hitter’s park and in a good matchup.
Adam Jones, OF: $4,700 – As you read earlier, I expect the Orioles to hit a home run or 2 against Estrada. Jones has hit the ball very well this month before going down with his injury, and is poised to have a very solid day in his return to the lineup.
Josh Reddick, OF: $4,300 – Josh Reddick is very quietly having a great season. He is hitting .297 with 10 HRs, 9 of which have come against right handed pitching. He is also hitting .357 against righties, and Matt Shoemaker isn’t exactly dominant.
Preston Tucker, OF: $3,300 – Tucker continues to hit in the middle of a power heavy Astros lineup, and continues to be cheap. Any player that hits in the 3 hole for a price this low has to at least be considered. Roenis Elias gave up 7 runs and didn’t even make it through 4 innings in his last start, so Tucker should have some great opportunities to produce.
Coors Field Note: You may notice that I did not include any hitters from Coors field in my plays. This is because just about every player from the Brewers and Rockies are good plays. I would make sure I have a player or 2 in my lineup from that game.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
That’s a lie. No I’m not. I hate the rain. Blah. As much as I want to see Stanton bombs tonight, it could storm in Cincy. Keep a watchful eye. Most everything else seems pretty safe.
Doing Lines In Vegas
Who’d have ever guessed it. Milwaukee and Colorado have a crazy line of 10.5 in Coors. The other line of the day is the 9.5 in Rogers Center. Expect plenty of Baltimore and Toronto runs.
