DraftKings MLB Picks For May 2

We have a full 15 games tonight in the main DraftKings tournament. Half of the pitchers cost $8,000 or more. Four of them are in the five digit salary range. Who is worth paying up for? Who will perform way above their price? Let’s take a look at some stats!

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The money line last night was at 102.55, which is fairly low. Most of the pitchers had off days, including Clayton Kershaw, who had been dominant at home, and Julio Teheran, who already had two quality starts against the Mets this year. Of course, I played the numbers and lost due to subpar pitching and a failed Yankees stack. Billy Hamilton paid off though!

The winning lineup was upt to 184.1. He used Lance McCullers and Vince Velasquez and the speed of Hamilton and Dee Gordon to run away from the pack. The two homers by Jedd Gyorko capped the win.

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 $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: DraftKings Early Lineup 1

P: Chris Sale ($12,500): Sale’s career numbers against Baltimore are not stellar, but they are good enough. The O’s are hitting .258 against Sale with only three homers and six runs scored in 89 at bats. He also has 26 strikeouts. So the Orioles are getting on base pretty well, but they aren’t doing anything once they get there and they are striking out a lot. With Alec Asher opposing him, Sale is about a lock for a win as well. Did I mention his stellar start in Boston, posting a 1.20 ERA and 0.77 WHIP with 52 strikeouts in just 37.2 innings pitched. His 1-2 record belies just how brilliant he has been. If you can afford Sale, use him.

P: Tyler Chatwood ($6,900): Chatwood’s career numbers against San Diego are not what you would call great. Especially with what Wil Myers has done to him. How about a little trivia? Who has the best road ERA since the start of last season? It has to be Clayton Kershaw, right? Nope. His 2.48 ERA is seventh. How about another road warrior, Julio Teheran? Not quite. His 2.35 ERA in fourth. No, the answer is Chatwood. His 1.80 road ERA since the start of 2016 is by far the best in the majors. Carlos Carrasco is second at 2.23. Want another reason to use Chatwood? He is 3-0 with a 2.32 ERA in five career starts at Petco Park.

C: Evan Gattis ($3,800): Gattis is 7-23(.304) with three solo homers against Cole Hamels. In fact, Hamels has allowed ten home runs to the Astros in his career. If for some reason, Gattis is not in the lineup, I want Brian McCann. Yes, even against a lefty. McCann is 17-61(.279) with seven walks, seven doubles, three homers, four runs, and a ridiculous 15 RBI against him. If McCann and Gattis are both in the lineup, I think I would rather have McCann even though the numbers defy logic.

1B: Carlos Santana ($3,800): Santana is only 15-69(.217) against Justin Verlander, but it is what he has done when he gets on base that makes him a must-play. Santana has eight walks, three doubles, eight homers, ten runs scored, and a whopping 13 RBI. He has even thrown in a steal! Cleveland lit up Verlander for nine runs in just four innings earlier this season. Can they do it again?

2B: Jose Ramirez ($3,500): Ramirez is 9-22(.409) with two walks, three doubles, a homer, four runs scored, and four RBI against Justin Verlander this year. Ramirez still leads the A.L. in RBI. Don’t be surprised if he extends that lead tonight. This could be a high scoring game despite the high-profile Corey Kluber vs. Justin Verlander matchup.

3B: Mike Moustakas ($3,500): Moose is 12-42(.286) with two walks, three doubles, three homers, eight runs scored, and six RBI against Jose Quintana. Quintana looked much better in his last start, but the Royals have hit him well over the course of his career. Even the left handed Moustakas.

SS: Francisco Lindor ($4,100): Lindor is a stellar 9-20 with two walks, a double, a triple, a homer, seven runs scored, and seven RBI in his career against Justin Verlander. Lindor also has a bloated .530 wOBA against Verlander. The Indians already lit him up once this year. Lindor was a big part of that, and could be again.

OF: Michael Brantley ($3,900): Brantley is 19-67(.284) with four walks, a double, a triple, six runs, an impressive nine RBI, and five stolen bases. We saw that chasing speed under the right conditions can be profitable with Gordon and Hamilton last night. I’m chasing some risk in this lineup, but the reward could be huge if Verlander gets torched again.

OF: Justin Upton ($3,700): Upton is 5-12 with three walks, two doubles, three homers, and six RBI against Corey Kluber. You read that right. Every hit is for extra bases. Strikeouts wont count against us here, so roll out Upton hoping for another extra base hit or two.

OF: Billy Hamilton ($4,100): Hamilton swiped three bags last night, and it’s not all on the pitcher. It’s partially on the catcher not being able to throw him out. Hamilton is perfect against Tyler Glasnow, with two singles, two runs scored and two steals in his two at bats. I suspect at least one more swipe tonight.

Next: DraftKings Lineup 2

P: James Paxton ($9,200): Paxton has held the Angels to a .215 average and .252 wOBA in 79 at bats with a solid 18 strikeouts. Albert Pujols has taken him deep twice, but that is the only Angel that has hit him well. Paxton has had three brilliant starts, one good start, and one disaster against Oakland. The track record is good enough that I trust him against the Angels here.

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P: Matt Moore ($8,200): Moore has been absolutely brilliant against the Dodgers. They are hitting just .165 off of him in 91 at bats with two homers and six runs. He also has 23 strikeouts. Moore gave up just two hits against the Dodgers in his last start, and struck out a season high eight. Can he get his show in the road?

C: Salvador Perez ($3,200): Perez is 19-60(.317) with two walks, four doubles, a triple, two homers, six runs scored, and eight RBI against Jose Quintana. Perez has launched six homers already this year. Is number seven coming tonight?

1B: Matt Carpenter ($4,200): Exposure to Wily Peralta is not a bad thing, even though Peralta is pitching well right now. Carpenter is 20-43(.465) with four walks, six doubles, three homers, 12 runs scored, and seven RBI off of Peralta. Now matter how well Peralta is pitching, Carpenter is going to get something tonight.

2B: Robinson Cano ($4,100): Cano is only -22(.273) with three doubles, two homers, three runs scored, and six RBI off of Matt Shoemaker. I scrapped the Seattle stack, but kept the Cano part just in case the Mariners hit Shoemaker like they have in the past.

3B: Todd Frazier ($4,200): It has been a slow season for the Toddfather so far this year. He could get on track tonight against Danny Duffy. Frazier is 5-16(.312) with a walk, a double, two homers, three runs scored, and five RBI against him.

SS: Asdrubal Cabrera ($3,500): Cabrera is a modest 6-21(.286) with three walks, a double, a triple, two homers, five runs scored, and six RBI against R.A. Dickey. He sure seems to have solved the knuckler of Dickey. Cabera could be a steal tonight.

OF: Bryce Harper ($5,300): I shelved my semi-weak Mariners stack because I had the money to upgrade. Harper is hitting .391 with nine homers, 26 RBI, and a MLB-record 32 runs scored in April. Any questions?

OF: Yasmany Tomas ($3,700): Tomas is 2-6 with a walk, two homers, and four RBI against Tanner Roark. With Roark and Taijuan Walker, this game could end up being fairly low scoring, but I still want some exposure to it. Both have been prone to the occasional blow up.

OF: Matt Kemp ($4,200): Kemp is 3-9 against Matt Harvey in his career. Pretty pedestrian, right? Well, you know we don’t roster pedestrian numbers. All three hits are home runs and he has driven in five. Kemp is off to a great start with the Braves. Actually, he has had a rebirth ever since being traded to them last season. He is showing signs of regaining the power he once had.

Next: FanDuel MLB Picks and Pivots

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