DraftKings Early MLB Picks For April 6

There are now eight early games on our first travel day of the season since two were rained out yesterday. Who should we build around in our DraftKings lineups? Some teams are already down to the middle of the rotation. Who can help us win some money.

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Yesterday’s early tournament had two of the three games rained out, so we didn’t get to play roulette with the starting pitchers. That may have been a blessing. One of those joins the early slate today with the same starters!

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.

The only Pirate that Eduardo Rodriguez has faced is David Freese. He is 0-1 off of him. Conversely, Chad Kuhl has never faced the Red Sox. If I had to go with one, it would be Rodriguez, though either one could be a risky play with rain in the forecast for this matinee game.

Antonio Senzatela will make his major league debut today against the Brewers. He is an interesting flier since he had a good spring, and the Rockies have absolutely terrorized Chase Anderson. The Rockies are hitting .252 with seven homers and 21 RBI in just 107 at bats!

Only five of the A’s that have faced Tyler Skaggs in the past are still around, but they are a combined 7-18(.389) against him with just two strikeouts.

For you first time players, if you would like $10 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $10 into more!

Next: Pitcher Picks

Best Bet:

John Lackey ($9,200): Lackey was 1-1 with a 2.02 ERA against the Cardinals last season. He also racked up 31 strikeouts in 26.2 innings pitched. His career numbers against the current Cardinals roster are better than anyone else this afternoon. St. Louis is hitting .259 with only two homers and just 11 runs in 116 at bats. The 33 strikeouts does leave something to be desired, but when you have Lackey going up against the third or fourth starters from other teams, he starts to look like an ace.

Honorable Mention:

Gio Gonzalez ($8,400): The Marlins are hitting a solid .276 against him in 145 at bats, but they have not hit a homer and have only scored nine runs. Much of that damage was done by Ichiro, who no longer starts regularly. His lack of strikeouts against the Marlins (only 30 in those 145 at bats) make him a little less desirable, but on this slate, he could be the best number two you will find.

Jason Hammel ($7,700): The Twins are only hitting .244 against Hammel in 45 at bats with ten strikeouts, but the bad news for Hammel is that he has given up three homers and seven runs in that span. Still, the strikeout numbers are pretty solid for today. Hammel is the only one that can stop the Royals from being swept. Is he up for it?

Dark Horses:

Jered Weaver ($5,600): The Dodgers are hitting a solid .271 off of Weaver in 118 at bats with three homers, but they have only scored ten runs in that time. The 24 strikeouts isn’t much, but Weaver has never really been a strikeout pitcher. The danger here is that Weaver didn’t pitch in the majors last year. Can he find his way with the Padres? Playing at Petco Park can only help.

Andrew Triggs ($4,100): As with Weaver, there is plenty of risk involved here. Triggs gave up six hits in five innings in his only start against the Angels last year, with the only blemish being a solo homer. That said, he only struck out two, and was pretty lucky to get off the hook with just that one run.

My picks: Lackey, Gonzalez

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. Not a stacker? You may not be alone. Matt McGarvey takes his stance against it. Here are the stacks that could work well on DraftKings today, based on past statistics.

Drew Butera($2,100) is a great play if he gets the afternoon start. Butera has six hits in eight tries against Kyle Gibson with a homer and two RBI. For a punt play, Alcides Escobar($3,300) is 11-32(.344) with a walk, a double, and two RBI off Gibson. Alex Gordon($3,700) is 10-28(.357) with five walks, two doubles, a homer, and four RBI against Gibson. Eric Hosmer($4,000) is just 8-31(.258), but he has four walks, three doubles, and five RBI off Gibson. Paulo Orlando($3,200) has six hits in ten tries with a walk, two doubles, and a RBI.

Bryce Harper($5,000) has pounded Tom Koehler so far. Harper is 11-32(.344) with six walks, a double, six homers, and 11 RBI off Koehler. Daniel Murphy($4,600) is 9-36 with four walks, a homer and three RBI off Koehler. Anthony Rendon($4,000) is 6-22(.273) with seven walks, a double, and a RBI. Jayson Werth($3,700) is just 6-26(.231), but he has six walks, two homers, and five RBI against Koehler. Ryan Zimmerman($3,500) is 8-27(.296) with a walk, three homers, and six RBI off Koehler.

Alex Avila ($2,900) has nine hits in 30 at bats with three walks, a double, two homers, and six RBI against James Shields. Miguel Cabrera ($4,800) is 24-64(.375) with seven walks, ten doubles, two homers, and 11 RBI against Shields. Ian Kinsler ($4,300) is 16-61(.262) with five walks, two doubles, four homers, and six RBI off Shields. Victor Martinez ($3,600) is 16-53(.302) with three walks, five doubles, a homer, and seven driven in off Shields. At least he dodges J.D. Martinez, who is hitting .417 off of him with a homer and four RBI.

Nolan Arenado($5,100) has punished Chase Anderson. Arenado is 8-23(.348) with a double, four homers, and ten RBI against him already. Charlie Blackmon($5,100) is only 7-27(.259) off of Anderson, but he has three walks, two doubles, two homers, and three RBI. DJ LeMahieu($4,400) is just 4-17(.235), but he has three walks, a homer, and three RBI off Anderson.

My picks: Avila(C), Kinsler(2B), Arenado(3B), Harper(OF)

Next: More Notes For 4-5

Matt Adams ($3,200) only has one at bat against John Lackey. It was a two run homer. Jhonny Peralta ($3,300) is 12-37(.324) with a double, a homer, and five RBI against Lackey. Aledmys Diaz ($4,100) has three hits in nine at bats with a double and a pair of RBI.

Yangervis Solarte($3,300) has four hits in eight at bats against Brandon McCarthy with two doubles, a homer, and three RBI. Wil Myers($4,300) has just one hit in 12 tries against McCarthy, but it is a solo homer.

Mike Trout($5,100) has two hits in three at bats with a solo homer against Andrew Triggs.

Jose Abreu($4,200) has five hits in ten tries with two homers and four RBI against Matt Boyd already. Avisail Garcia($3,400) has three hits in eight at bats with a homer and two RBI. Melky Cabrera($4,000) and Tim Anderson($3,700) are a combined 8-22 against Boyd, but they have no counting stats. Tyler Saladino($3,500) has three hits in seven at bats with two RBI against Boyd.

If Ichiro Suzuki($2,800) gets the start, he could be worth a look. Ichiro is 13-38(.342) with three walks, two doubles, and two RBI against Gio Gonzalez. Adeiny Hechararria($2,700) is only 4-18 off Gonzalez, but he has a double, a triple, and three RBI.

Logan Forsythe($3,700) is 5-16(.313) with a double and a solo homer against Jered Weaver. Yes, that Jered Weaver. Franklin Gutierrez($3,400) is only 7-31(.226) against Weaver, but he has six walks, a triple, and three RBI. Joc Pederson‘s($3,700) only hit against Weaver in three tries is a two run homer. Corey Seager‘s ($4,300) only hit in four tries is a solo shot.

Anthony Rizzo ($5,100) loves Lance Lynn. Rizzo is 10-29(.345) with four walks, three doubles, two homers, and eight RBI against him in his career. Jason Heyward ($3,300) has three hits and two walks in eight at bats against Lynn with two doubles and three RBI.

Yonder Alonso($2,900) is 3-7 with a double and three RBI against Tyler Skaggs.

Brian Dozier($4,500) only has one hit in five tries against Jason Hammel, but it is a solo homer. Same with Robbie Grossman($3,600). His one hit in five tries is a two run homer. Joe Mauer($3,700) is 5-14(.357) with two walks, a double, a homer and four RBI against Hammel.

My picks: Abreu(1B), Saladino(SS), Garcia(OF), Khris Davis against a lefty? Yes please! (OF)

Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our NBA, NHL, and EPL picks!