We’ve got a robust nine-game main slate on FanDuel tonight, and with the weather warming up the expected run totals are climbing. Five of the nine games have expected totals of nine runs or more, while three of those games are expected to reach ten runs or more. And that’s without a line on WSH @ CWS, a game that will certainly be above nine runs and could be above ten given the quality of starting pitching in that game. There are tons of interesting bats to pick from on a slate like this, so let’s get to it.
Win cash playing in FanDuel’s MLB Squeeze
Starting Pitcher
Chris Sale (BOS): $11,800 vs. TEX
Sale’s rocky April is long behind him, and the lanky lefty has a 2.28 ERA, 1.84 FIP, and 8.7 K/BB ratio in seven starts since May 1. Those numbers are good even by Sale standards, and he’s averaging 53.14 FanDuel points per game during that stretch. He’ll get a chance to build on those numbers against Texas, who have an 86 wRC+ and .310 wOBA against left-handed pitching as a team this year. The Rangers are also known for their free-swinging ways, and have a 26.4% strikeout rate against southpaws. Sale has a 43% strikeout rate over his last seven starts, and a matchup with Texas should keep that K rate nice and healthy. If you’re paying up at pitcher today, it’s worth going all the way to the top for Sale.
We’ve got a robust nine-game main slate on FanDuel tonight, and with the weather warming up the expected run totals are climbing. Five of the nine games have expected totals of nine runs or more, while three of those games are expected to reach ten runs or more. And that’s without a line on WSH @ CWS, a game that will certainly be above nine runs and could be above ten given the quality of starting pitching in that game. There are tons of interesting bats to pick from on a slate like this, so let’s get to it.
Win cash playing in FanDuel’s MLB Squeeze
Starting Pitcher
Chris Sale (BOS): $11,800 vs. TEX
Sale’s rocky April is long behind him, and the lanky lefty has a 2.28 ERA, 1.84 FIP, and 8.7 K/BB ratio in seven starts since May 1. Those numbers are good even by Sale standards, and he’s averaging 53.14 FanDuel points per game during that stretch. He’ll get a chance to build on those numbers against Texas, who have an 86 wRC+ and .310 wOBA against left-handed pitching as a team this year. The Rangers are also known for their free-swinging ways, and have a 26.4% strikeout rate against southpaws. Sale has a 43% strikeout rate over his last seven starts, and a matchup with Texas should keep that K rate nice and healthy. If you’re paying up at pitcher today, it’s worth going all the way to the top for Sale.
Kevin Gausman (ATL): $6,000 vs. PIT
Gausman has reverted back to our old friend Kevin Gas-Can over his last two starts, having coughed up 15 earned runs in six innings, including seven runs to these same Pirates in his last outing. Those two nightmare starts have depressed Gausman’s price all the way to $6,000, and while most might run from a pitcher with a 22.50 ERA in last two games, Gausman actually presents a great value in GPP formats. Before his implosion Gausman had a respectable 24.4% strikeout rate and 3.61 FIP. The Pirates are an average offense against righties, with a 96 wRC+ and .743 OPS collectively. With Coors Field and plenty of other pricey hitters on the slate, Gausman allows plenty of lineup flexibility with decent upside.
Four Player Rockies Stack: $14,800 vs. CHC
Ryan McMahon (2B): $3,3000
Charlie Blackmon (OF): $4,300
David Dahl (OF): $3,900
Ian Desmond (OF): $3,300
It’s no secret that Yu Darvish has struggled with control this season, owning a 5.97 BB/9 in 13 starts thus far. He has walked multiple batters in all but two of those outings, and has a pitiful 41.8% zone rate. Darvish has also served up 1.49 HR/9 and has a career-worst 37.6% hard-hit rate on the year. Home runs and walks are always a fatal combo to a pitcher, and the danger is amplified in Coors Field. Many are hoping Darvish can return to his former levels of glory, but a turnaround seems unlikely in this start.
Drafters should look to load up on lefties against Darvish, as he’s allowed a .353 wOBA and .478 SLG to left-handed hitters this season. That’s why Charlie Blackmon and David Dahl are the expensive bats worth paying for, as opposed to the even more expensive Trevor Story ($4,700) and Nolan Arenado ($4,800). One can never really go wrong with betting on Arenado and Story at home, but they each have two of the top three highest salaries on this slate. They wouldn’t be feasible without making severe sacrifices elsewhere. McMahon provides us with a cheap left-handed bat against Darvish, while Desmond rounds out the lineup as another value bat in Coors Field. It’s easy to hate on Ian Desmond at this point in his career, but he is coming off a hot May. Desmond hit .319 with a 1.027 OPS and .278 ISO last month. Whether that production can continue remains to be seen, but Desmond did improve his hard-hit rate to 46.9% last month and lowered his pull percentage by over ten percent. Altogether, $14,800 isn’t an exorbitant price to pay for a Coors Field stack against a struggling hurler like Darvish.
Four Player Nationals Stack: $13,900 @ CWS
Matt Adams (1B): $2,700
Brian Dozier (2B): $2,700
Anthony Rendon (3B): $4,400
Trea Turner (SS): $3,900
Who is Odrisamer Despaigne? Besides being worth a whole lotta points is Scrabble, there isn’t much to write home about with Despaigne. The 32-year-old right-hander has a career 4.94 ERA, a number that is actually artificially lowered by an outlier rookie season. Cut out Despaigne’s 2014 campaign and you’re looking at a 5.54 ERA and 1.7 K/BB ratio over the last five seasons. The fact that he couldn’t crack the White Sox big league roster until Manny Banuelos, a pitcher with an ERA north of seven, was placed on the injured list, tells you all you need to know about Despaigne.
Anthony Rendon looks to have grown even more in 2019, and is now demolishing righties with the same ferocity as he has lefties. On the year Rendon has a .321 AVG, 1.049 OPS, and .313 ISO versus right-handed pitching, numbers that are practically identical to his performance against lefties. Rendon is a must-have in a Nats stack, and is the top high-priced bat I’m willing to pay for today. With a career .821 OPS and .216 ISO, Matt Adams is always a good option against a weak right-hander, and at $2,700 he’s more than fairly priced in this matchup. Brian Dozier has been on fire as of late, hitting .474 in June with a .798 ISO through seven games. He is a nice, cheap player to pair with Adams in the middle of Washington’s order. Atop the Nats lineup, we can go after Trea Turner, who will be in a prime run-scoring position against Despaigne and the White Sox bullpen. Turner also gets a value bump if Welington Castillo is behind the plate for Chicago, as the weak-armed backstop has only thrown out 23% of base-stealers this season.
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Elliott Baas is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Elliott, check out his archive and follow him @elliottbaasbb.