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DraftKings Early MLB Picks For May 7

By Mike Marteny

May 2, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto walks off the field at the end of the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
May 2, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto walks off the field at the end of the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /
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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
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 Early MLB Picks For May 7

There are seven 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!

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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.

Surprisingly enough, Jon Gray has never faced the Giants. This afternoon will be the first of many starts against them. R.A. Dickey has a limited history against the Dodgers, but Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier have both hit home runs off of him.

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

Apr 26, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher A.J. Griffin (64) celebrates his teams win against the New York Yankees at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers won 10-1. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher A.J. Griffin (64) celebrates his teams win against the New York Yankees at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers won 10-1. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports /

Best Bets:

Johnny Cueto ($9,900): The Rockies have done fairly well against Cueto, but this game is in AT&T Park, the most pitcher-friendly park that Cueto has ever faced them in. The Rockies have hit .262 off of him with five homers and 15 RBi in 130 at bats, but it is Cueto’s 29 strikeouts that put him up here on this list. Use Kershaw if you want, but the Blue Jays are mashers. Cueto is a safer pick and much cheaper.

A.J. Griffin ($8,400): Yes, he is facing the Tigers, but he is also facing Mike Pelfrey. His chances for a win are very good. Also, the Tigers are only hitting .167 against him in 54 at bats with 11 strikeouts. One player has all of the counting stats (two homers, four RBI) against Griffin as well. The stats support using him this afternoon.

Honorable Mention:

Gio Gonzalez ($9,100): Okay, Gio’s stats on the season are great (2-1, 1.15 ERA, 0.99 WHIP) and his stats against the Cubs are good, but he has been downgraded just because the Cubs are on fire right now. They hit Scherzer hard yesterday even. The Cubs are hitting .241 off of Gonzalez in 83 at bats, but they only have one homer and seven driven in against 20 strikeouts. The stats support him, just be careful because the Cubs are hot.

Dark Horse:

Adam Wainwright ($7,200): Okay, this horse is so dark it’s nearly black. The saving grace with Wainwright is that he is facing off against Jeff Locke. None of the cheaper pitchers have good matchups today, but if you want to chase a win, Waino is the best bet. Just be away Pittsburgh is hitting .300 off of him in 120 at bats with only 19 strikeouts.

Next: Who Are The Best Stacks?

May 4, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez (5) singles during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
May 4, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez (5) singles during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

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.

Stacking against an ace like Johnny Cueto can be a risky endeavor, but the stats support it. Nolan Arenado ($4,200) is 3-9 with a solo homer against Cueto. Carlos Gonzalez is a bargain once again at $3,300, but is 5-16(.313) with a walk, a double, a homer, and six RBI against Cueto. DJ LeMahieu ($2,700) could also provide bang for the buck. He is 5-14(.357) with a RBI against Cueto. Even Gerardo Parra ($3,100) has gotten in on the action, going 9-29(.310) with three walks, three doubles, two homers, and three RBI against Cueto.

David Price has struggled this year, and the Yankees aren’t afraid of him. They are hitting .268 off of him in 354 at bats. Jacoby Ellsbury ($3,300) is off to a slow start, but he is 23-66(.348) with three walks, six doubles, two triples, a home run, and five RBI against Price. Chase Headley ($2,700) is 9-22(.409) with a walk, two doubles, a triple, and three RBI against Price. Brian McCann ($3,100) is 10-29(.345) with three home runs and seven driven in against Price. Play him if he is in the lineup. Mark Teixeira ($3,000) is only 14-67(.209) against Price, but he has six walks, three doubles, three homers, and nine driven in against him. He is a good chase candidate today.

Yes, Jason Hammel has had a good year, but this could be a rough start for Hammel. Wilson Ramos ($3,000) is 3-9 with two walks and two solo homers off of Hammel. Daniel Murphy ($4,200) is 6-11(.545) with a walk and two doubles. Ryan Zimmerman ($3,200) is 11-35(.314) with two walks, three doubles, a homer, and five RBI against Hammel. Bryce Harper is a miserable 2-14, but he has taken him deep once.

You knew a Rangers stack was going to be on here against Mike Pelfrey. Ian Desmond ($3,700) is only 6-21(.286), but he has a walk, two doubles, a triple, a home run, and four RBI against Pelfrey. Delino DeShields ($3,400) is 3-6 off of him, and all of the hits are doubles. Adrian Beltre ($3,600) is 3-8 with a homer and three RBI. Prince Fielder ($3,900) has been the one who has really hit Pelfrey. Prince is 11-31(.355) with three walks, two doubles, three homers, and an impressive 13 RBI off Pelfrey.

You may want to stack some Cardinals against Jeff Locke. Matt Holliday ($3,600) 5-14(.357) with three walks, a home run, and four RBI against him. Kolten Wong ($3,200) is 2-5 with a walk, a home run, and two RBI against Locke. How about Jedd Gyorko ($3,400)? Gyorko is 3-6 with a home run and five RBI against Locke already in his career.

Next: More Notes For 5-7

May 1, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) looks on while on deck to bat against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
May 1, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (2) looks on while on deck to bat against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Dexter Fowler ($4,600) is 6-14(.429) with a walk, a double, a homer, and two RBI off of Gio Gonzalez. Jason Heyward ($3,500) is only 7-31(.226), but he does have four RBI against Gio.

Andrew McCutchen ($4,500) is 13-45(.289) with two walks, five doubles, a triple, a home run, and four RBI off of Adam Wainwright. If you are digging a little, Jordy Mercer ($2,900) is an interesting target. He is only 4-17(.235) off of Wainwright, but he has hit two solo home runs off of him.

Pablo Sandoval had punished Nate Eovaldi (13-20 with a homer and 11 RBI). There is no one that can match that, but consider Hanley Ramirez ($4,000). Hanley is 6-16(.375) with a double, a homer, and six RBI against Eovaldi.

It’s a small sample size, sure, but Eric Hosmer ($5,100) is 2-3 with a home run and four RBI against Cody Anderson. He is worth a look if you feel like spending on hitters.

Most of the extent of Clayton Kershaw‘s experience against the Blue Jays comes from facing former Rockie Troy Tulowitzki ($3,700). Tulowitzki has fared pretty well against Kershaw, going 17-63(.270) with five walks, two doubles, three homers, and eight driven in. He has struck out 15 times though.

Miguel Cabrera ($4,000) is 3-5 with a double, two home runs, and four RBI off of A.J. Griffin. Play him today!

Marlon Byrd ($3,400) has hit Ian Kennedy hard. Byrd is 10-25(.400) with two walks, a double, two homers, and an impressive 11 RBI off of Kennedy. He could be a nice cheaper option this afternoon.

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!