MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks | May 19
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers
Castillo should be popular tonight with the delightful matchup against the White Sox. The projected Chicago lineup has a despicable 26.5% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching since the start of last year.
While the 32-year-old righty has seen his strikeout rate fall in each of the last four seasons from 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings to 7.1 in his 49.1 innings this season, it is hard to avoid picking on the Southsiders.
Even with the decreased magic at the plate, Castillo has done a solid job of limiting power while also getting an uptick in his ground ball rate over his last couple of campaigns.
The weather is favorable to pitching as well tonight with game-time temperatures in the upper 50s and a 10 to 12 mph breeze in from left field.
Seattle has been installed as a -205 moneyline favorite to garner the win with RHP Davis Martin toeing the rubber for the home team.
Castillo has allowed more than three runs twice this season and two or fewer in six of his nine starts. There is a good chance he can also record his fifth quality start of the season, which is key on FanDuel with the blue site awarding a bonus for that milestone.
Ober is average at best in that department, and while his game is not built on strikeouts, there are five hitters in the Cleveland lineup with a 28.1% or higher strikeout rate against right-handed hurlers over the last season and change. There is a strong chance of precipitation impacting this game, so be vigilant in monitoring the forecast.
In San Francisco, LHP Robbie Ray is going against Kansas City, and the projected lineup is entirely comprised of hitters who strike out below league average against southpaws, though not to the same extremes as the Cleveland example.
Ray can certainly make his own magic at the plate, but he will have to work for it tonight. That pushes his counterpart LHP Kris Bubic into the conversation since he is a budding strikeout artist himself, getting a significant ballpark upgrade over Kauffman Stadium. While the Giants have above average power, there are also five bats in the lineup that strike out 24.6% of the time against lefties, including Tyler Fitzgerald (29.3%, 150 PAs), who is back from the injured list.
Wild cards also include LHP Cristopher Sanchez in Coors Field, where his proclivity for ground balls should be helpful and RHP Sonny Gray, and the Cardinals are hosting the Motor City Kitties in St. Louis. There is some weather concern for that game, along with Gray having served up a trio of taters in his last start in Philadelphia while also being saddled with 11 earned runs in his last 15 innings of work.
MLB DFS Picks: Top Stacks
Main Slate Secondary Target: Arizona Diamondbacks
Knack has already been sent down to Triple-A twice this season, and if not for injuries to Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki, he probably would be back in the Pacific Coast League already. In his four big league starts this season, he had a 6.61 ERA, 4.41 walks per nine and 1.65 home runs per nine. While his 4.86 FIP and 4.07 xFIP indicate that he has been a little unlucky, he wasn’t exactly dominating the PCL with his 3.98 walks per nine innings.
Arizona has been a regularly recommended stack, piling up the runs for a second consecutive season. It is going to be in the low 70s tonight at Chavez Ravine, which helps push Dodger Stadium into more favorable hitting territory. DraftKings has made things interesting tonight, with Corbin Carroll ($6,200) and Ketel Marte ($5,600) rivaling the salaries of the Phillies in Coors Field and the Dodgers’ own MVP trio of Shohei Ohtani ($6,500), Mookie Betts ($5,800) and Freddie Freeman ($6,300).
Fortunately, Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, Pavin Smith and Lourdes Gurriel are not going to break the bank, plus Jordan Lawlar ($2,200) is lurking as a discount dandy.
Main Slate Value Target: Los Angeles Angels
We have seen that while Sutter Health Park has been the lowest-scoring stadium in the Pacific Coast League over the last three years, big leaguers have been enjoying the favorable hitting conditions at the venue, along with the average outfield dimensions. Ginn already is a pedestrian pitcher who is someone to target in normal circumstances due to his underlying walk issues and lack of consistent strikeouts.
The soon-to-be 26-year-old began the season in Triple-A, being called up in early April then shelved with elbow soreness after just three outings. He did make one rehabilitation start, logging 64 pitches last Wednesday.
Having switch-hitter Yoan Moncada healthy has eased some of the sting of missing Mike Trout, plus the Angels have several righties who have shown sustained success in same-handed matchups. Leadoff man Zach Neto, newcomer Jorge Soler and steady Taylor Ward are the trio to target, along with Moncada. On DraftKings and Yahoo, catcher Logan O’Hoppe is interesting after getting Sunday off, which was fortuitous since it was backup backstop Travis d’Arnaud who hit a home run in the eighth inning on Sunday, giving the Angels a series sweep against the Dodgers.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks
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Carpenter should be leading off against RHP Sonny Gray, and he has been outstanding in his last 393 plate appearances against opposite-handed hurlers, with a .411 wOBA and a.293 ISO. Gray ceded three home runs in his last start, and the 35-year-old is slipping from his status as a frontline starter.
