Welcome back to the Wednesday, April 12th, edition of MLB FanDuel: Daily Pitching Focus. We are focusing this article on the MLB FanDuel MAIN slate of games only. Our goal is to find top pitching plays along with mid-range and cheap value options. Also, we’ll discuss pitchers to avoid in your lineup, and target for hitting. Evaluating pitchers is a vital component to building your MLB FanDuel lineup for a big pay-day.
For Wednesday’s MAIN slate of MLB FanDuel games, which begin at 7:05pm ET, there are ten games to pick through, or 20 different starting pitchers. We’re beginning to see a mix of top, middle, and bottom of the rotation starters. The mix provides a more interesting list of pitchers to pick through. We have some obvious solid plays, but also several intriguing value picks as well.
Here’s a look at the list of games we’re target, along with the players we’ll discuss in bold:
Amir Garrett at Ivan Nova (7:05pm ET)
Chase Anderson at Marcus Stroman (7:07pm ET)
Jaime Garcia at Tom Koehler (7:10pm ET)
Andrew Triggs at Jason Hammel (8:15pm ET)
A.J. Griffin at Jesse Chavez (10:07pm ET)
Shelby Miller at Matt Cain (10:15pm ET)
Let’s start by looking at our top scoring MLB FanDuel pitcher for Wednesday…
Next: Top Scoring Pitchers
Top Scoring MLB FanDuel Pitchers
I want to say John Lackey ($9,000) is my favorite pick tonight. Lackey started the season pitching six great innings to the St. Louis Cardinals, getting the win with seven strikeouts, two walks, and three earned runs. John also obtained a quality start, a sign of a great night from your MLB FanDuel pitcher.
But Lackey was facing a Cardinals team who’s started the season 27th, of 30, in offensive value this year. Tonight, John and the Cubs are facing a tougher Dodgers team, now 5th in total offensive productivity. This is going to be a tougher match up for Lackey, and he likely will be well below his 40 MLB FanDuel points he developed the last week. I recommend fading Lackey.
Ivan Nova ($7,400) is another intriguing pick. Nova also had 40 MLB FanDuel points against the Braves last week, in arguably a better outing than Lackey. But, like John, Ivan is pitching against a Reds offense who’s just behind the Dodgers, 6th, in offensive value. This isn’t a great match up for Nova, and I recommend fading Ivan tonight as well.
That leaves us with Marcus Stroman ($8,600) tonight. In many ways this is a slam-dunk MLB FanDuel pick. Stroman has been locked-in on the mound since the WBC. Marcus started the season well with a win in Tampa, and 41 MLB FanDuel points. Tonight, the Blue Jays are hosting a struggling Brewers offense, currently 20th in offensive value. Also, the Brewers have a low 7.8% walk rate, and horrendous 32.2 K%, the worst in the majors. Stroman could actually exceed his 41 MLB FanDuel point night from last week.
Next: Mid-Range Salary Value
Mid-Range Salary Value
Below a $7,000 salary at pitcher is probably more of a bottom-salary-value pick. But we’re going to discuss two cheaper options later for value.
Andrew Triggs ($6,600) isn’t going to jump out at you as a great option tonight. Triggs is on a struggling Oakland A’s team and only compiled 26 MLB FanDuel points in his first start. Fine. But, keep in mind, Triggs developed those 26 points against one of the top offenses in baseball now, the Anaheim Angels. In that game, Andrew pitched for 5.2 innings, gave up four hits and three walks, and had only one strikeout. But Triggs also got the win. That’s not a bad outing throwing to Trout and gang.
Tonight, the A’s have an easier match up. The Kansas City Royals offense has fallen off a cliff since early least season and they’re struggling to recover. The Royals are 26th in offensive value and have a 24.8% strikeout ratio, 4th worst in MLB. Also, their team batting average is now .195, the worst in baseball. So, Triggs is going to have an opportunity tonight to increase his K%, lower his ERA, get another win, and likely even a quality start. This could be a 40 MLB FanDuel point night for Andrew. A great sleeper pick.
Next: Pitching Value
Pitching Value
I struggled to pick the top value pick for tonight, because I love Jesse Chavez ($6,000) and Amir Garrett ($6,100) for this slate. Chavez is probably the most underrated pitcher in tonight’s lineup. Against the Mariners last week, Jesse pitched 5.2 innings, only gave up one walk, two hits, and one earned run. Chavez procured the win for the Angels, and he piled up 38 MLB FanDuel points. One more out and Jesse would’ve been over 40 points with a quality start.
Tonight, the Angels are hosting a decent Rangers offense, which is likely why Chavez is so cheap. But this presents a great opportunity. As you pick through the Rangers offensive stats, there are vulnerabilities. Texas has a low 7.7% walk ratio, and high 25.8% strikeout rate, 3rd worst in the majors. Also, the Rangers batting average is a very low .222, 9th worst in MLB. So while there’s risk with this play, you have a shot at 30 to 40 points while only spending $6K.
Garrett didn’t open the season with a lot of noise, but he was able to last a full six innings, only gave up two hits and two walks, and did not allow a run. Amir also had four K’s in the win, which included a QS. A 40 MLB FanDuel point outcome against the Cardinals last week. He is attractive if he’s playing another terrible offense, and tonight he is pitching against the Pirates. The Pirates have a low 17.2% strikeout rate, and 8.8% walk rate. Each stat is mediocre. But they’re been incredibly ineffective turning hits into runs. The Pirates currently have the worst offensive productivity in baseball. So Garrett is less risky, and likely to be another cheap 40 points.
Next: Offensive Pitching Target
Offensive Pitching Target
Regardless of who you’ve chosen at pitcher, you likely have plenty of cash tonight for some big offensive plays. And if you picked any of the value options, you’re going to have plenty of cash to spend big at almost every position.
So now we’re looking for the pitchers to target for our offensive lineup. We already talked about Chavez and how we like his chances against a mediocre Rangers offense. Also on the mound in Anaheim will be the Rangers’ A.J. Griffin ($7,300). I’m surprised by Griffin’s $7.3K salary tonight. A.J. had a rough start against the A’s, giving up four runs, four hits, and two walks in just 3.1 innings. Griffin had four strikeouts, but no win. In total, he only had 10 MLB FanDuel points. And tonight, Griffin is pitching against the 2nd most productive offense in baseball, the Angels. This is a great match up to stack Angles.
Also starting the season poorly are Matt Cain ($6,600) and Jaime Garcia ($7,300). Cain has a very similar situation to Griffin. He was only able to offer 10 MLB FanDuel points in San Diego, against the Padres. Tonight, Cain has a tougher match up at home in San Francisco against the Diamondbacks. The D-Backs are just behind the Angels in offensive productivity, 3rd in MLB. Stacking D-Back and Angels tonight should lead to a big payday.
Finally, Garcia did well last year for the Cardinals, but he struggled to start the season this year for the Braves. Lasting six innings against the Mets, Jaime didn’t get a single K, gave up two walks, six hits, and four earned runs. Without the win, Garcia only had 6 MLB FanDuel points. A similar scenario will occur against the Marlins tonight. I wouldn’t go crazy stacking Marlins because Garcia is still a solid low-ERA pitcher. But it’s likely a few will make it around the diamond today.
Next: FanDuel MLB Picks and Pivots
Always check MLB lineups throughout the day when playing MLB FanDuel. You can typically find starting pitchers a few days, or day before, each game. But as the season progresses, pitchers develop injuries, sometimes only hours before a game. So always stay tuned for changes before locking in your lineup. Follow us on twitter, @fantasycpr, for updates as we get closer to lineup lock time. Good Luck today FanDuelers!