MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks | May 3
MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers
There is no credible weather risk in Anaheim tonight, so RHP Jack Flaherty is going to be wildly popular on DraftKings and Yahoo. FanDuel has elected to remove this game from their featured-slate, so hanging out with Mother Nature is the plan on the blue site.
Mike Trout is dealing with a knee issue and may end up on the injured list, joining the never healthy Anthony Rendon and offseason add, Yoan Moncada.
The Los Angeles lineup is loaded with strikeouts, collectively producing a 26.7% rate against right-handed pitching since the start of last year. Logan O’Hoppe, Jo Adell, Niko Kravadas and Kyren Paris all have a 29% or higher rate, which should help Flaherty, who has a 28.1% combined rate himself, in the same period.
Alternative pitchers include RHP Luis Castillo in Texas, with the Rangers missing Corey Seager and Kyle Higashioka. Then for the bold there is LHP Kris Bubic, in Baltimore against the struggling Orioles and for the brave, there is RHP Spencer Schwellenbach in Atlanta, facing the juggernaut Dodgers.
The White Sox have somehow scored 15 runs in the last two games, winning each matchup. That represents nearly 13% of their total runs for this season and just two of the seven games where the team has tallied five-plus scores.
It is hard to keep coming up with new ways to describe how poorly the Pale Hose offense has performed, so let’s try saying something nice. Over the last season-plus, Matt Thaiss (19.5%, 200 PAs), Edgar Quero (13.9%, 36 PAs), Chase Meidroth (15.0%, 20 PAs) and Miguel Vargas (11.3%, 164 PAs) have each posted a double-digit walk rate. Quero and Meidroth are decent prospects, but should not be overly concerning for Brown. Pay the salary and look for differentiation elsewhere.
MLB DFS Picks: Top Stacks
Main Slate Primary Target: Atlanta Braves
In his first two starts, RHP Roki Sasaki handed out a ridiculous nine free passes, in just 4.2 innings of action. April was better, but he still had at least two walks in each of his four starts, leading to a 3.92 walks per nine innings, hardly offset by a 6.53 strikeouts per nine. The 23-year-old is definitely talented, though he is going to have a steep learning curve against the better teams in the league.
Former Dodger, Alex Verdugo has been one heck of a good luck charm, with Atlanta posting an 8-2 record when he has played. The team of course would be better off with Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) or Jurickson Profar (suspension), but nobody is complaining. Verdugo has been putting the ball in play, with only four walks and three strikeouts in his 48 plate appearances. He is going to cool off at some point, but enjoy the discounted salary on FanDuel ($2,900) and DraftKings ($3,600) in the meantime.
Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna are the power trio to target, with either catcher Sean Murphy or outfielders Michael Harris II and Eli White rounding out full stacks. For those seeking differentiation, those three will be in the back half of the order and most gamers are not going to skip over the core four with their stacks. The Dodgers have a rested bullpen, with no pitcher working more than once over the last four days. That means they do not have to leave Sasaki in a tough situation, but manager Dave Roberts may elect to give him a chance to work out of trouble, considering that Los Angeles needs the youngster to “grow up” quickly, with all of the pitching injuries and the lofty postseason expectations.
Early Slate Primary Target: San Francisco Giants
Blalock has a good fastball, but not much else, which leaves him best suited as a reliever, who does not have to face a hitter more than once in a game. The Rockies are desperate for pitching, both in the rotation and in the bullpen, yet Blalock was still in the minors. That indictment is all we need to know and how the Giants are carrying a lofty 5.2 team total, in pitching friendly San Francisco.
Veterans Mike Yastrzemski, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman should have no trouble with Blalock, it is just going to come down to them getting the pitch they want. Jung Hoo Lee is the obvious fourth-option to round out stacks, with Wilmer Flores, Heliot Ramos and LaMonte Wade adequate differentiation options.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks
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Littell does not have much in the way of strikeout stuff, with a 20.5% rate across his last 794 batters faced, with a sub-5% walk rate. He allows a lot of contact, with too many fly balls and not enough grounders. That helps him survive in Tropicana Field, but not somewhere like Yankee Stadium, against the Bronx Bombers.
