Tuesday, May 31, brings another day loaded with MLB action including a 12-game main slate with a first pitch of 7:05 p.m. ET. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks today for pitchers and stacks for DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups.
DraftKings & FanDuel MLB DFS Picks Today (5/31)
Top MLB DFS Stack: Mets vs. LHP Patrick Corbin — 5.2 implied runs
This will be the third time this season that Patrick Corbin faces the Mets. In an ironic twist, two of his three best performances of the season have been against New York. Corbin has been lucky to allow only six home runs this season, but just over one third of his hits allowed have been of the extra-base variety. Since the beginning of last season, the soon-to-be 33-year-old has allowed a .248 ISO in 726 lefty-righty matchups.
New York is one of the best options today in the Awesemo Stack Tool, and DFS gamers should look to anyone swinging the stick from the right side of the plate. Starling Marte is locked in right now with hits in 11 of his last 12 games, including six multi-hit games. Francisco Lindor is equally scorching coming off a three-hit game last yesterday and with five multi-hit games in his last six appearances. Pete Alonso brings the lumber with an absurd .319 ISO over his last 223 plate appearances against southpaws, while former Oakland A’s stalwart Mark Canha has a long history of strong production when he has the platoon advantage.
Late Slate: Braves at RHP Humberto Castellanos — 5.1 implied runs
Tonight, the Chase Field roof will be open with game-time temperatures in the mid-90s. That means warm and thin air in the desert with home run facilitator Humberto Castellanos on the mound. In his last three starts, Castellanos has struggled, allowing six long balls in 14.2 innings. Even more concerning is that he has ceded an 84.2% contact rate over his last 350 batters faced, which means nearly every ball is in play.
The new Awesemo Top Batters Tool is loaded with Atlanta options rising towards the top at several positions. Ozzie Albies is somehow batting seventh, and top prospect Michael Harris II is batting ninth. That is an embarrassment of riches for the reigning World Champions. Ronald Acuna, Austin Riley and Matt Olson all have a .220 ISO or better across their last 320 plate appearances against right-handed hurlers. Dansby Swanson and Marcell Ozuna are nestled in the top third of the order, and they can be employed in all types of stacks or as one-offs for differentiation. William Contreras or Travis d’Arnaud are in play on any site that requires a catcher.
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Best MLB DFS Pitchers Today
Top Target: LHP Julio Urias vs. Pirates — 3.3 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $9,100 | FanDuel $9,800
Julio Urias will be taking the mound a day after Pittsburgh unexpectedly bested Los Angeles, hanging four runs on Walker Buehler in the first three innings, losing the lead and then coming back to regain it, with a pair of ninth inning runs completing the 6-5 victory. The Pirates are creating runs 5% less efficiently against left-handed hurlers when measured against the rest of the league. They are middle of the pack from both a strikeout and power perspective. Overall, they have scored the second-fewest runs in the league and are averaging 3.42 runs per game.
In six May starts, Urias has a 2.48 ERA, which is a tick better than his 2.50 ERA across four April appearances. He has recorded a quality start in four of his last six games, which helps tremendously on FanDuel. The only knock against him is that his 6.5 K/9 rate is the lowest of the last five seasons. The Dodgers are 2-to-1 favorites to notch the win, and there is a good chance that Urias will be the pitcher of record, which should cushion the decreased strikeouts.
Secondary Target: RHP Cristian Javier at Athletics — 3.4 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $9,600 | FanDuel $8,700
Cristian Javier will be facing the Athletics, who just suffered a near no-hitter at the hands of lefty Framber Valdez last night. The Awesemo MLB DFS projections are bestowing favorable numbers on Javier, who will be quite the departure from the elite left-handed ground ball specialist in Valdez. Oakland has an 82 wRC+ against right-handed hurlers this season, indicating an offense that is underperforming the league-average baseline by 18%, which is the third-lowest efficiency in all of the land. Javier has spent time as both a multi-inning reliever and as a starter this year, and it looks like he is cementing his spot in the rotation, allowing just one run in his last two appearances and spanning 11.2 innings with a healthy 18 strikeouts. The 25-year-old is a steal on FanDuel, where he should flirt with the quality start bonus, and he gets enough strikeouts that he is viable in tournaments on DraftKings as well.
Wild Card Target: RHP George Kirby at Orioles — 3.9 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $6,600 | FanDuel $7,000
The Orioles ended their five-game series in Boston on a high note with a 10-0 victory on Monday. The downside is that offensive outburst accounts for just over 5% of their run total for the season. Rookie George Kirby has 20 strikeouts across 20 innings in his four starts in The Show. Though he did allow three home runs in his last two appearances, that was somewhat offset by a dozen strikeouts. This is truly a wild-card recommendation, but with Kirby’s salary, the inconsistent Baltimore offense and the renovations in Camden Yards this offseason, he is strongly in play on DFS sites that require two starting pitchers.
Additional Opportunities
Kevin Gausman is going against the White Sox tonight, and his 5.5 over/under for his strikeout total is something to consider in the MLB player props market. Currently, the Awesemo projections have him for 6.7 strikeouts against Chicago. While the ChiSox have a loaded lineup, they are dealing with a lot of injured players, including Luis Robert, Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez and Yoan Moncada. Gausman has the eighth-most strikeouts in the league this season, and he has recorded at least eight in six of his last eight games.
Other Pitching Options
- Ranger Suarez vs. San Francisco Giants (Early)
- Kevin Gausman vs. Chicago White Sox (Main)
- Adam Wainwright vs. San Diego Padres (Evening)
One-Off Hitters
- Jose Ramirez vs. LHP Daniel Lynch (Early)
- Kyle Schwarber vs. Jake Junis (Early)
- Anthony Rizzo vs. Noah Syndergaard (Main)
- Jesse Winker at RHP Michael Baumann (Main)
- Rockies vs. RHP Edward Cabrera (If the weather cooperates)
- Mitch Garver vs. LHP Ryan Yarbrough (Evening)
- Edwin Rios vs. RHP Mitch Keller (Late)
Final MLB DFS Thoughts & MLB Weather Notes
There is rain in the Chicago and Denver forecasts, and the California games and Boston look to be seeing cooler temperatures than is typical for late May.
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