Another happy FanDuel Friday you filthy animals! We have a lot of good pitchers out there tonight as this is a full 15-game slate and the weather isn’t going to be much of a concern. Rejoice! Picks and more to follow.
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Pitchers
Max Scherzer, WAS, SP: $12,000 – Once again we get Mad Max on the Friday slate. He’s failed to reach 50 FanDuel points only twice in 10 starts, which gives him a nice floor. Scherzer’s had at least 58 FanDuel points in his last three starts and I see no reason why he shouldn’t be able to reach that mark again tonight. The Marlins are dead last in team wOBA (.254) so the matchup couldn’t be juicier for Scherzer. The Nationals are massive favorites at -245 and the game has an over/under of seven.
Corey Kluber, CLE, SP: $11,000 – Kluber struck out 10 on his way to 55 FanDuel points in his last start, which was also against Houston. I’d rather pay up for Scherzer, but you get a bit of a discount if you go with Kluber. The Astros are seventh in the league in team wOBA (.324). The Indians are favored at -150 and the game has an over/under of eight.
Luis Severino, NYY, SP: $10,300 – Severino has failed to reach at least 40 FanDuel points in just two of 10 starts this season and one of those was his 37 point outing against Kansas City his last time out. The Angels are 11th in the league in team wOBA (.319), but don’t have the left-handed power bats that typically give Severino trouble. The Yankees are sizable favorites at -220 and the game has an over/under of eight and a half.
James Paxton, SEA, SP: $9,700 – Paxton has posted at least 46 FanDuel points in four of his last five starts, which includes a no-hitter against Toronto and a 16 strikeout game against Oakland. He’s pitched a complete game in two of his last three outings. The Twins are 17th in the league in team wOBA (.311). The Mariners are favored at -180 and the game has an over/under of seven and a half.
Cheap
Eduardo Rodriguez, BOS, $7,400 – Not a lot of cheap pitchers that I like on this slate, but Rodriguez has the strikeout upside to be worth a shot even in a tough matchup as he has a 28% strikeout percentage on the season. He’s posted at least 33 FanDuel points in three of his last four starts. The Braves are fourth in all of baseball in team wOBA (.330). Boston is favored at -185 and the game has an over/under of 10.
Hitters
Mookie Betts, OF, $5,400 – Betts is hitting .362 on the season and has had at least 22 FanDuel points in four of his last seven games. He has a home matchup with the Braves Julio Teheran, who has a 4.17 ERA in 54 innings this season. Teheran’s last two starts haven’t gone well as he’s allowed 10 earned runs over 11 innings.
J.D. Martinez, OF, $4,900 – Martinez is hitting .326/.393/.701 with 14 home runs in 163 plate appearances against right-handed pitching this season. I like both of the Red Sox big bats against Julio Teheran coming off a couple bad starts.
Nolan Arenado, 3B, $4,700 – I like to play Arenado against left-handed pitcher the most, but he’s still got a good matchup here at home in Coors Field against the Reds Sal Romano, who has a 5.62 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 49.2 innings.
Gleyber Torres, 2B, $4,300 – Torres’ price has soared as he’s been super hot of late as he’s had at least 21 FanDuel points in four of his last five games. He’s hit five home runs over his last five games. You hate to pay a price like this for a hitter who regularly bats ninth, but against a left-handed pitcher with Brett Gardner possibly out of the lineup this might be the time that the Yankees finally move him up.
Midrange
Chris Taylor, SS, $3,800 – Taylor has struggled against left-handed pitching this year as he’s hitting .212 with 2 home runs in 52 at-bats against southpaws. However, last year he crushed lefties to the tune of a .297/.351/.486 line with four home runs in 151 plate appearances. In a home matchup against Clayton Richard, who has a 4.87 ERA in 61 innings this year, Taylor will look to get back on track when he has the platoon advantage.
Aaron Hicks, OF, $3,600 – Hicks hasn’t replicated his production from the first half last year when he hit .290, but he’s been heating up lately as he has hits in seven of his last eight games. In a matchup against the Angels left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney, Hicks has a good chance of occupying the leadoff spot in the Yankees lineup in a game where the over/under is eight and a half.
Nicholas Castellanos, OF, $3,500 – Castellanos is up to .324 with five home runs on the season and has hits in six of his last seven games. The Tigers are returning home for this season and Castellanos hit .300/.348/.523 with 14 home runs in 339 plate appearances at home last year.
Tyler Austin, 1B, $3,200 – There’s at least a chance that this is Austin’s last game with the big club for awhile as Greg Bird is set to join the Yankees on Saturday and it’s anyone’s guess who’ll be sent down. For now, though, Austin in a matchup against a left-handed pitcher is easy money. It’s only 91 plate appearances, but in Austin’s major league career he’s posted a .325/.396/.675 line with eight home runs against left-handed pitching.
Cheap
Delino DeShields Jr., OF, $2,800 – As much as I like to roster hot-hitting players, these guys are cheap for a reason. DeShields has struggled as he’s hitting just .228 on the season after hitting .269 last year. Still, he’s batting at the top of the Rangers order against Erik Skogland, who has a 6.15 ERA in 45.1 innings this season. If DeShields can get on base a few times, he could steal a few bases and score some runs in this one.
Jay Bruce, OF, $2,600 – Bruce has had a rough go of it so far this season as he’s hitting .232 with just three home runs, but he has hits in five of his last six games. He hit 69 home runs (nice) over the previous two seasons so he’s due for a home run barrage soon. Bruce has a matchup against a right-handed pitcher in a good hitters park in Milwaukee here.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
The only games with even a 25% chance of rain are in Miami and Milwaukee and both of those teams have retractable roof stadiums. All systems go it appears.
Doing Lines in Vegas
I like the Nationals tonight, but it’s no fun to bet the big favorite so I’ll go with over nine in the Tigers-White Sox game.
