Fansided

Daily Fantasy Baseball: FanDuel Pitcher Picks For May 12

By Mike Marteny

facebooktwitterreddit

May 5, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) pitches during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

14 of the 15 games on Tuesday are involved in the big tournaments. The only one missing out of the 6:10 eastern first pitch between the Cardinals and Indians. That leaves us plenty of good pitching options out there. Who are the best of the best? Let’s find out!

More from FanDuel

Here are my FanDuel pitcher picks for May 12:

High Priced ($8,000 and up):

Best Bet:

Ian Kennedy, Padres ($8,000): Kennedy has only faced current Mariners 43 times in his career, but he has held them to a .231 batting average. Add to that the fact that he has given up only three earned runs in his last two starts combined, and you have the makings of a good day for Kennedy. I trust him far more than Chris Sale, Chris Archer against the Yankees, Jake Arrieta (the Mets have hit .288 off of him), and A.J. Burnett, who has been clobbered by the Phillies. The high prices are littered with mines today.

Honorable Mention:

Stephen Strasburg, Nationals ($9,100): The only Diamondback that has hit him well is Paul Goldschmidt. The rest have either struggled or don’t have many at bats against him. Strasburg is not without risk. He was supposed to start yesterday, but was pushed back because of soreness in his shoulder. He claims that he is fine, but shoulder issues make me nervous.

Stay Away:

A.J. Burnett, Pirates ($8,200): The current Phillies have only 84 at bats off of Burnett, but they own a .321 average and have hit six homers. That is enough to keep me away. Three of them were hit by Ryan Howard, but the saving grace is that they were all solo shots, and Howard is hitting only .235 off of him.

Next: Who is the best middle range option?

May 7, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (30) pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Mid-Range ($6,900-$7,900):

Best Bet:

Nathan Eovaldi, Yankees ($7,600): Don’t look now, but Eovaldi is 3-0 with a 3.97 ERA with the Bombers. Tonight he gets to take on a Rays team that has had problems on offense for most of the season. They couldn’t even hit the struggling C.C. Sabathia last night. That bodes well for Eovaldi, who has problems going deep into games, but can pile up the strikeouts. He has a great chance at a win considering that the Bombers have hit .288 off of Chris Archer in his career.

Honorable Mention:

Anthony DeSclafani, Reds ($7,200): DeSclafani has slowed down since a good start, and opposing pitcher Mike Foltynewicz has pitched fairly well so far. That said, Foltynewicz struggled some against the Phillies in his last start. DeSclafani looks like a solid bet at home against a below average Braves offense.

Stay Away:

Mark Buehrle, Blue Jays ($7,300): The Orioles have hit Buehrle hard throughout his career. They own a robust .337 batting average off of him in 246 at bats with 12 homers. Now, the Blue Jays are going to get their knocks off of Chris Tillman (he has given up 14 runs in two starts against Toronto this year), so Buehrle may have a shot at the win, but he is still a risk since he doesn’t strike out many batters, and he is going to give up runs too. I would stay away from both starters in this game.

Next: Who Is The Best Cheap Option?

May 6, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Justin Masterson (63) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Bargains ($6,800 and under):

Best Bet:

Justin Masterson, Red Sox ($6,700): Masterson has held the current A’s to a .231 average in 134 at bats. Don’t expect a dominant game since he has given up six homers and has only struck out 26, but if you are looking to go cheap, he is your best bet.

Honorable Mention:

Rubby de la Rosa, Diamondbacks ($6,700): Rubby had a very nice start his last time out against San Diego. Add to that the fact that we should all be at least a little nervous about Strasburg’s shoulder, and you could have a nice low rent option here. Just be aware that if Strasburg is fine, he likely won’t pick up the win.

Stay Away:

Kyle Gibson, Twins ($6,200): Gibson is here because he is the only one that you would consider starting. Chris Tillman, Kyle Kendrick, and Drew Pomeranz likely won’t be owned by anyone. Gibson has not given up a run over 14 innings in his last two starts, but I don’t trust him against the Tigers. Detroit has hit .324 off of Gibson. Don’t look for that to change anytime soon.

Stay tuned for our hitter picks coming up later!

Next: NFL Rookie Mock Draft Version 5.0

More from FanSided