DraftKings Early MLB Picks For May 14

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there. There will be a lot of pink on display in MLB ballparks today, but let’s try to win those mothers some green!

We have the busiest day of the Major League baseball season with 17 games on tap due to two doubleheaders. Ten games are early, and there are a handful of expensive pitchers. Which ones are worth paying for? Where should we stack with Coors on the late slate? Let’s check some stats!

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The money line was a solid 119.45 in the early slate. My lineup made it in easily because of the dominant pitching performances from Matt Moore and Chris Sale. My Toronto stack was enough to put me comfortably in the money.

The winning lineup was all the way down to 184.2. He rolled the dice on Jose Berrios, which turned out well and used the extra cash to stack Red Sox with his Blue Jays for the win.

These picks are based mostly on statistical analysis . 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: Jake Arrieta ($10,700): Arrieta continues to pitch pretty well at Busch Stadium. He posts a career 3.29 ERA in St. Louis, and has held the Cardinals to a .224 average in 152 at bats with only one homer and just eight runs scored. Concerned about strikeouts? Don’t be. Arrieta has blown away 49 Cardinals in those 152 at bats. If he is striking out people at that alarming of a rate, Arrieta could have a really good game.

P: Jose Quintana ($10,200): Quintana has only faced two current Padres so far. They are a combined 1-16 with four strikeouts against him. The Padres only managed three runs against rookie Dylan Covey yesterday. The San Diego lineup is still struggling, especially against lefties. After a rough first couple of starts, Quintana has been brilliant. Expect more of the same this afternoon.

C: Caleb Joseph ($2,500): Caleb Joseph was just off on Thursday because of a rainout, so I’m hoping he is in there. Especially against Chris Young. If you are building an alternate stack, stacking Orioles against Young could be a good idea despite the O’s pathetic .137 career average against Young.

1B: Jose Abreu ($4,500): I want as much exposure to Jered Weaver as possible. Surprisingly, Weaver has been better on the road, but better is a relative term when you sport a 6.81 ERA. Weaver has allowed an alarming 14 home runs in just 35.2 innings pitched, and this is a park that plays as a hitter’s park. Abreu is hitting well lately. Expect that to continue today.

2B: Tyler Saladino ($3,300): Saladino doesn’t have a lot of power, but he will be hitting at or near the top of the White Sox lineup today. That increases the likelihood that he crosses the plate once or twice. I will take that for the price.

3B: Matt Davidson ($3,300): Davidson has slugged six homers this year. Two have come in the last five games. I would be surprised if Davidson is held to single digits this afternoon.

SS: Freddy Galvis ($3,300): Galvis is 10-38(.263) with a walk, two doubles, two homers, four runs scored, and three RBI against Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez has a good history against the Phillies, but he struggled in his last start.

OF: Michael Conforto ($4,600): Conforto is 2-6 with a two run homer against Wily Peralta so far. He has done well batting leadoff for the Mets, and continues to hit right handed pitching. The price is a bit steep, but Peralta is prone to allowing home runs.

OF: Curtis Granderson ($3,900): Granderson is 8-14(.571) with a walk, two doubles, a triple, three homers, five runs scored, a steal, and three RBI already against Wily Peralta. Peralta continues to struggle with the long ball, and though the Mets are mostly beat up right now, there are still a few hitters that are a threat to go deep. Granderson is certainly one of them.

OF: Melky Cabrera ($3,700): Surprisingly enough, Melky is the only Sox hitter to homer off of Jered Weaver so far. That will likely change after today. I am stacking against a pitcher that has held this team to a .194 batting average. That’s how little I believe in Weaver’s ability to get hitters out anymore.

Next: DraftKings Early Lineup 2

P: Luis Severino ($9,100): I don’t put a whole lot of stock into the Astros hitting only .100 against Severino. They have only faced him ten times. They have a run and two strikeouts. If you project that over 100 at bats, those are solid numbers but nothing to write home about. I just like the fact that Mike Fiers is hittable, giving Severino a good chance at a win.

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P: Drew Pomeranz ($8,200): The Rays are only hitting .200 against Pomeranz in 85 at bats with a whopping 36 strikeouts. I will deal with the three homers that he surrendered if he continues mowing them down like that. The Rays’ strikeout totals are amplified against lefties anyway. Pomeranz could have a great afternoon.

C: Chris Jimenez ($3,000): Jimenez should get the start in an the afternoon game, but check the starting lineups to make sure. If he isn’t, I’m going with Miguel Montero against Wainwright.

1B: Kennys Vargas ($4,300): Vargas is destroying Trevor Bauer. He is 7-13(.538) with two doubles, a homer, three runs scored, and four RBI so far against Bauer. Vargas is hot anyway. He could have a huge day today!

2B: Jason Kipnis ($3,800): Despite the lefty on lefty matchup, Kipnis is 9-26(.346) with four walks, a double, a homer, four runs scored, two steals, and four RBI against Hector Santiago. Kipnis has struggled so far since coming off of the DL, but he is far too good of a hitter not to break out sometime soon.

3B: Jose Ramirez ($4,300): Ramirez is 4-10 with two walks, two doubles, a homer, two runs scored, a steal, and two RBI against Santiago so far. Santiago is off to a great start this year, but he wont get out of this unscathed. I want the Cleveland guys that have hit him well so far.

SS: Tim Beckham ($3,500): Despite the fact that Pomeranz has good career numbers against the Rays, Beckham is 2-4 with a walk, a homer, three runs scored, and a RBI against Pomeranz. He is cheap enough to take a shot at him hitting off Pomeranz again.

OF: Mookie Betts ($5,400): I still like Matt Andriese, but not against Boston, and especially at Fenway. The Sox are hitting .279 against him despite striking out 23 times in 68 at bats. Betts is 6-13(.462) with a walk, a double, a homer, three runs scored, a steal, and three RBI against Andriese so far. I wont go as far as to stack against Andriese, but I definitely want Mookie in there.

OF: Jayson Werth ($4,400): Werth is 7-21 with a walk, four doubles, three homers, six runs scored, and an impressive 11 RBI against Jeremy Hellickson in his career. That’s right. All seven hits are for extra bases! Werth could have a nice game today!

OF: Jose Bautista ($4,000): Toronto’s offense is finally doing what everyone thought they were capable of. Bautista has yet to homer off of a lefty this year, but he has 77 career against left handers. Ariel Miranda has a problem with base runners. All it take is one mistake for Bautista to make him pay.

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!