DraftKings MLB Picks For September 2
We have nine games for the DraftKings main tournament tonight. Only two pitchers priced at $9,000 or more take the mound tonight. Should we go cheap on hitting, or spend on the elite pitchers? Let’s take a look at the past stats to try and point us in the right direction.
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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. Check out this post from Matt McGarvey for great tips about whether to use a hot player in DFS or not.
For you first time players, if you would like $20 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $20 into more!
Next: Should You Dismiss These Pitchers Because Of No Past History?
Andrew Triggs made two relief appearances against the Red Sox back in May. It didn’t go so well. He gave up three runs in three innings. I wouldn’t use him tonight even if you paid me.
The only current Met that A.J. Cole has faced is Kelly Johnson. He has a two run double against him in two at bats. The fact that Cole is opposing Thor also diminishes his value. Then you see his 4.97 ERA in two starts this year, and 5.32 career ERA so far, and you realize that there are better ways to gamble.
Alex Reyes has a brilliant 0.64 ERA in 14 innings with 17 strikeouts so far this year. His first start against the A’s went well, but he only lasted 4.2 innings. He likely wont go deep into the game against the Reds either, but he did pitch a perfect inning against them in his major league debut on August 9th. Look for another solid start from Reyes.
Andrew Cashner has never faced Cleveland. He has settled down lately, giving up only six runs in his last three starts spanning 16 innings. Cashner still isn’t going deep into games, and he missed his last start because of a blister. He is a bit intriguing, but probably best left alone in Cleveland.
Rookie phenom Julio Urias has given up only one runs in his last 14.2 innings pitched. Now he gets a weak Padres offense. Don’t expect him to go deep into the game, but the free swinging Padres are going to strike out an awful lot before Urias gets the hook.
Alex Cobb will make his first start since September 28, 2014 tonight. It’s a great story, but that doesn’t mean you should play him. He is likely rusty coming off of Tommy John surgery, and is facing a very good Blue Jays offense.
Ariel Miranda gave up three runs on three hits and four walks against the Angels on August 16th. Don’t expect a major improvement, if any, on those numbers two weeks later.
Next: Pitcher Picks
Best Bet:
Junior Guerra ($9,000): It’s natural to be a little on the fence about a guy just coming off of the DL, but the Brewers didn’t rush Guerra back. And, well, Guerra has dominated the Pirates. They are hitting just .140 against Guerra in 50 at bats with just three runs and nine strikeouts. The strikeout total is pedestrian, but if no one is getting on base, he is still racking up points for you.
Honorable Mention:
Anthony DeSclafani ($10,100): The price is the thing keeping me from being high on DeSclafani. Also, the Cardinals own a solid .257 average against him in 74 at bats. The Cards have hit four homers, but have only scored seven runs while striking out 20 times. His strikeout potential is among the best of the night. Just don’t expect him to finish his evening unscathed.
Dark Horses:
Kyle Gibson ($5,000): Most of the league has used Gibson for extra batting practice, but not the White Sox. The Pale Hose are hitting just .178 against Gibson in 146 at bats with just one homer and only eight runs. That’s it! He only has 24 strikeouts, but if he keeps up this pace against the Sox, you wont care. He can get you 20 points for $5,000 on DraftKings. You take it and be happy.
Brett Oberholtzer ($4,200): The Mariners are hitting a respectable .254 against Oberholtzer, but they only have a homer and five runs in 63 at bats with 11 strikeouts. Don’t expect a miracle, but opposing the struggling Ariel Miranda also give him a good shot at the win. Oberholtzer’s only win as an Angel so far came in a relief appearance against Seattle on August 16th.
Next: Who Are The Best Stacks?
Don’t forget to check out the DFS Lineup Optimizer over at FantasyPros. You can also pick your favorite players or favorite stack, and it will optimize the lineup around that! It really is an invaluable tool for you DFS players!
I do understand why Carlos Rodon looks like a good pick, but he has not had good luck with the Twins, even during his hot streak this year. Brian Dozier ($5,500) is a big reason why. Dozier is 4-12 with a walk, a double, two homers, and three RBI off of Rodon. Kennys Vargas ($3,500) has a walk, a single, a homer, and two RBI in three at bats. Robbie Grossman ($3,800) is 2-5 with a walk, a homer, and two driven in. Miguel Sano ($3,200) has three walks and a solo homer, but that is his only hit in six at bats against Rodon.
Miguel Cabrera ($3,700) is only 6-27(.222), but he has eight walks, three doubles, and four RBI off of Danny Duffy. Victor Martinez ($3,500) is 10-31(.323) with two walks, a double, two homers, and five RBI against Duffy. Ian Kinsler ($4,100) is only 5-25 against Duffy, but he has three walks, a double, two homers, and four RBI. If you are really feeling lucky, J.D. Martinez ($4,600) is just 2-17(.118) against Duffy, but the hits are a double and a home run and he has walked twice. Jarrod Saltalamacchia ($3,100) has crushed Duffy. He is 2-3 with a walk, two homers, and four RBI.
Jorge De La Rosa is back in Coors Field, where he somehow manages to pitch better. The bad news is that Arizona is hitting .304 against him in 135 at bats. Welington Castillo ($5,200) is 7-16(.438) with three walks, a double, and a RBI. Paul Goldschmidt ($5,700) only has five hits in 21 at bats(.238), but he has walked five times, doubled, homered, and driven in five. Jake Lamb ($4,500) has only faced De La Rosa three times. He has a walk and a two run homer to show for it. Chris Owings ($4,600) is 5-12(.417) with a triple and a solo homer. Yasmany Tomas ($4,900) is 3-9 with a walk, a double, a homer, and four RBI. Rickie Weeks ($5,100) is 5-11 with four walks, three doubles, and two RBI against Jorge.
You will really have to watch out for flying objects more than usual at Coors Field. The Rockies have abused Robbie Ray, hitting .342 with six homers and 13 RBI in only 76 at bats. Nolan Arenado ($5,600) is 3-12 with two walks, a double, a homer, and two RBI. Charlie Blackmon ($4,800) has nine hits in only 14 tries(.643) with a walk, a triple, a homer, and three RBI. Carlos Gonzalez ($3,500) also doesn’t care that Ray is left handed. CarGo is 2-6 with a homer and two RBI against him. Nick Hundley ($3,700) has a solo homer, but it is his only hit in five at bats. Ryan Raburn ($3,100) has also homered against Ray, his only hit in four at bats. Gerardo Parra ($3,900) is 3-5 with a double, but has no counting stats……yet.
Adrian Beltre ($4,500) is 10-32(.313) with two doubles and four RBI against Doug Fister. Elvis Andrus ($3,400) also hasn’t hit Fister hard, but he is 11-39(.282) with a walk, three doubles, and a RBI. Jonathan Lucroy ($4,800) is 2-5 with a walk, a double, and a solo homer. Rougned Odor ($4,900) has three hits in 11 at bats with a double, a homer, and three driven in. At least Fister dodges Shin-Soo Choo, who has homered twice and driven in five against him.
Next: More Notes For 9-2
Josh Phegley is the only A’s player to homer off of David Price, but he is on the disabled list. That is his only hit in nine at bats though. Danny Valencia ($3,400) is 12-20 with four walks, three doubles, and three RBI.
Matt Carpenter ($4,500) is 5-9 with three walks, a double, a triple, two homers, and three RBI against Anthony DeSclafani. Brandon Moss ($4,400) has five hits in 15 at bats with a walk, a double, a homer, and three driven in. Jhonny Peralta ($2,900) is 3-7 with a solo shot against DeSclafani.
Chris Davis ($4,500) is already 2-3 with two homers and three RBI against Chad Green. Mark Trumbo ($4,900) walked twice, and hit a solo homer in two at bats against Green.
Eric Hosmer ($4,000) is 11-36(.306) with three walks, four doubles, a homer, and five RBI against Anibal Sanchez. Even Alcides Escobar ($4,100) has hit a homer off of Sanchez. Escobar is 9-35(.257) with that homer and three RBI.
Chris Iannetta ($2,900) is 4-9 with three walks, a homer, and three RBI against Brett Oberholtzer. Play him if he starts!
Matt Kemp ($4,500) is 5-15 with a walk, a double, a triple, and three RBI against Jeremy Hellickson. Adonis Garcia ($4,700) has three hits in five at bats with a walk, a double, and two driven in. Nick Markakis ($4,600) is only 10-47(.213) against Hellickson, but he has two walks, a double, two homers, and seven RBI.
Gary Sanchez ($5,300) hit a solo homer against Dylan Bundy in two at bats last week. Starlin Castro ($4,900) is 2-5 with a pair of RBI against Bundy.
Evan Longoria ($4,300) is 8-16 with a walk, two doubles, two homers, and four RBI against Marcus Stroman.
Edwin Encarnacion ($4,000) is 3-9 with two walks, a homer, and two RBI against Alex Cobb.
Anthony Rendon ($3,000) has actually hit Noah Syndergaard well. Rendon is 5-13(.385) with a walk, a double, a homer, and three RBI against Thor. Bryce Harper ($3,900) is 4-14(.286) against Syndergaard, but all of the hits are singles and he has only one RBI. Clint Robinson ($2,500) is 2-3 with two walks against Thor. Both hits are home runs, and he has driven in three.
Ichiro Suzuki ($3,100) is 3-8 with a homer and two RBI against Carlos Carrasco.
Adrian Gonzalez ($4,500) is 9-14(.643) with a walk and five RBI against Clayton Richard. Carlos Ruiz ($3,400) is 4-7 with two walks, homer, and two RBI. Andre Ethier has driven in four runs against Richard, but he is still on the DL.
It should not surprise you that Jose Altuve ($5,500) is on this list. He hits almost everyone. Altuve is 5-13 with two walks, two doubles, a homer, and two RBI against A.J. Griffin. Jason Castro ($4,000) is 4-14 with a double, two homers, and three RBI against Griffin. You need to roster Hernan Perez ($4,100) tonight. Perez is 5-7 with three homers and seven RBI already against Jameson Taillon. The rest of his teammates are 11-43 with no homers and one RBI. Maikel Franco ($2,000) and Odubel Herrera ($2,000) both have a homer and two RBI against Joel De La Cruz already. Franco’s homer is his only hit in six at bats. Herrera is 3-6 and has a double as well. And they are really, really cheap!
Be sure to check out the FanDuel picks from out experts in that area! Brian Tulloch provides the picks, and alternative plays if you don’t want to follow the herd. Don’t play FanDuel before checking it out!
Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level
Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball