DraftKings Late MLB Picks For May 5

Sep 12, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A general view of the DraftKings sign board during the match with FC Dallas playing against New York City FC at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

DraftKings Late MLB Picks For May 5

There are nine games in the big tournament tonight, so that means a lot of stats to go through, and a lot of tough decisions to make. Who should you spend on? Let’s hit the stats!

More from DraftKings

NOTE: these picks are based solely on statistics. Some players have never faced their opponents, or have very little experience against them. I am not saying that none of those are good picks. The highest scorer of the day could be someone with no experience against his opponent. This is based on statistical analysis only. If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science. The best lineups usually have a mix of proven stats and hot players.

Joe Ross has little history against the Cubs, but with the way he has pitched this year, you may want to take a chance. Then again, the Cubs have won 20 games already, so maybe not. the stats don’t support either side. Henry Owens has never faced the White Sox, so none of them will be mentioned. Youngster Colin Rea has never faced the Mets either. Chris Devenski has never faced Seattle, but may be worth using considering Houston’s history against Miley.

For you first time players, if you would like a free entry into the $1 million baseball contest, use this link for the referral bonus!

Next: Pitcher Picks

Best Bets:

Jacob deGrom ($11,400): Only a cynic would call deGrom’s start underwhelming. After all, he is 3-0 with a 1.02 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. Take a closer look though, and he has not lasted longer than six innings in a start, nor has he had more than six strikeouts in a game. You want more if you are going to blow that much on a pitcher. It may come against the Padres, a team that is only hitting .200 off of deGrom in 35 at bats with no runs scored and ten strikeouts. The potential is here for his best game of the year so far.

Masahiro Tanaka ($9,300): The Orioles are only hitting .222 off of Tanaka in 81 at bats, and have struck out an alarming 23 times. The bad news is that they have hit six home runs off of Tanaka in that short of time. He will likely give up some runs, but the strikeout potential is too great to ignore, especially in the FanDuel scoring format.

Honorable Mention:

Kyle Hendricks ($8,000): Hendricks has absolutely dominated the Nationals. They are a pathetic 4-32(.125) off of him, with only a Bryce Harper solo home run (in six at bats) to show for it. They have also struck out eight times. Those aren’t elite strikeout numbers, but they are plenty good enough to use here, especially this much cheaper than deGrom.

Derek Holland ($8,600): The Blue Jays are only hitting .235 off of Holland in 119 at bats, but they have six home runs and have struck out only 24 times. There is a lot of risk involved here, but Holland has pitched well (3-1, 2.48 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) so far this year.

Dark Horses:

J.A. Happ ($7,500): Happ is pitching well this year, and has a solid history against the Rangers. They are hitting only .221 off of him in 86 at bats with only one homer and 20 strikeouts. The problem is the 12 RBI, but most of that damage was done by guys now on the DL (Robinson Chirinos had the home run; Josh Hamilton had three RBI). Happ could be a nice against the grain pick.

Chase Anderson ($6,000): Anderson has pitched very well against the Reds so far in his career. He has held them to a .207 batting average in 29 at bats while allowing only a solo home run to Devin Mesoraco, who is on the disabled list. He also has nine strikeouts in that span. You can make a strong base for playing Anderson over Derek Holland, especially considering his mound opponent, Alfredo Simon. Anderson is worth a look if you like to gamble a little.

Next: Who Are The Best Stacks?

You have heard our FanDuel experts Matt Rogers and Brian Tulloch talk about “stacking” pieces of a lineup against certain pitchers. Here are the stacks that could work well on DraftKings today, based on past statistics.

Maybe recommending a stack against Masahiro Tanaka is a bit harsh, but he has given up six home runs in only 81 at bats to the Orioles. If you are chasing homers, these are the guys to look for. Jonathan Schoop ($3,100) is only 2-12 off of Tanaka, but both hits are home runs and he has driven in five. Manny Machado ($4,300) is 3-11 with a double and a solo homer against Tanaka. Chris Davis ($4,200) has the exact same stats as Machado except he has also drawn a walk. Chase those homers!

The Blue Jays have hit Derek Holland hard, but maybe not as hard as you expect. Still, it is the usual suspects that have done the damage. Jose Bautista ($3,900) is only 4-20, but he has a walk, a double, a homer, and four driven in. Josh Donaldson ($5,000) is 6-20 with three walks, two doubles, two homers, and three RBI off Holland. Edwin Encarnacion ($3,500) could be a bargain here. He is 5-15 with a double and two solo home runs against Holland.

When a guy like Wade Miley shuts out the Royals, people take notice. Especially when his next start is against the struggling Astros. Use caution with Miley though. The Astros have hit .339 off of him in 56 at bats. I feel more confident stacking a few Astros hitters against him. Jose Altuve ($5,300 is 7-12(.583) with three doubles off Miley. Evan Gattis ($3,500) is 4-8 with two doubles, a walk, and a RBI. Carlos Gomez ($3,600) is 5-15 with a walk, a double, a triple, a home run, and two RBI against Miley.

You can shout this from the rooftop: Stack Rockies against Matt Cain! Not all of the ones you may think though. Nolan Arenado is just 3-19(.158) against Cain. Carlos Gonzalez is even worse, going just 6-49(.122). Charlie Blackmon ($3,700) is 6-17(.353) with two walks, a double, a homer, and two RBI against Cain. DJ LeMahieu ($3,000) is 6-18 with three walks, a double, a home run, and two RBI against Cain. Even Mark Reynolds ($2,900) could be a good play if he starts. He is 7-25(.280) with two walks, four doubles, two homers, and three RBI (yes, only one single). Gerardo Parra ($3,400) is 18-60(.300) with five walks, five doubles, a homer, and five RBI in his career against Cain. This could be another high scoring affair.

Next: More Notes For 5-5

Prince Fielder ($3,300) is an impressive 9-25(.360) with a walk, four doubles, and five RBI against fellow lefty J.A. Happ. He has yet to take him deep, but there are points to be had at a decent price here.

Brett Gardner ($4,100) may be worth using tonight against Kevin Gausman. Gardner is 4-13(.308) with a homer and two RBI off of the Orioles youngster. Alex Rodriguez had taken him deep twice, but with ARod now out of the picture for awhile, Gardner is really the only proven Yankee against Gausman.

Jonathan Lucroy ($4,000) should be well worth the money tonight. He is 6-10 with a walk, two homers, and three RBI against Reds starter Alfredo Simon.

If Jean Segura ($3,800) is able to play, you may want to use him. He is the only Diamondback that Adam Conley has ever faced. Segura likes him though, going 4-6 off of him with a RBI while in Milwaukee.

Want a nice, cheap play? Kelby Tomlinson ($3,200) is 4-8 with a double and a solo home run off of Chris Rusin.

Be sure to check out the FanDuel picks from out experts in that area! Brian Tulloch provides the picks, while Matt Rogers tells you where to save in his FanDuel Economics articles. Don’t play an FanDuel without them!

Next: FanDuel Trends At First Base In April

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for the NBA playoffs and FanDuel baseball!