Do You Have To Play Chris Sale In The July 15th Early DraftKings Slate?

CINCINNATI, OH – JULY 14: Bryce Harper #34 of the Washington Nationals hits a home run in the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 14, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Washington shut out Cincinnati 5-0. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks For July 15

There are only two games on our Saturday afternoon, which makes for a light DraftKings tournament. Making matters worse is there is only one ace, and you pretty much have to use him. How will we structure our lineups around him? Let’s check out some stats!

More from DFS

The money line yesterday returned with a bang at 126.7. My best lineup just missed because of a poor start by Brandon McCarthy. The other suffered the wrath of a failed Rays stack.

The winning lineup was a solid 213.85 DraftKings points. He used Charlie Morton with Jacob deGrom and made it big stacking the Brewers-Phillies game with a sprinkling of Bryce Harper.

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

CLEVELAND, OH – JULY 09: Michael Fulmer #32 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Cleveland Indians during the second inning at Progressive Field on July 9, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

P: Chris Sale ($13,000): Sale is clearly the best option on this short slate. He is usually the best option on a full slate. This isn’t just because we only have four pitchers to choose from. The Yankees are only hitting .197 against Sale in 61 at bats with just two homers and three runs scored, all by the same person! They have also amassed a whopping 23 strikeouts! Those of you that don’t mind pitting starting pitchers against each other can try to cram both Severino and Sale in your lineups. Both have good career numbers for the most part, but I am taking a little bit of a chance with a cheaper pitcher.

P: Michael Fulmer ($9,400): The Blue Jays are hitting a solid .292 against Fulmer in 24 at bats, but they have not mustered a run off of him. A struggling Justin Verlander held Toronto to two runs last night, so Fulmer’s chances of a good afternoon are great. He also has the best shot at a win taking on the worst starting pitcher on the slate. I will chase that win instead of paying for Severino.

C: James McCann ($2,800): You know it’s a loaded early slate when Francisco Liriano is the worst pitcher going. We have had many small slates where Liriano would have been the ace! At any rate, stacking Tigers is likely our best option this afternoon. McCann should draw the start against the lefty Liriano and his hefty 5.56 ERA.

1B: Miguel Cabrera ($3,400): Cabrera is 9-36 with ten walks, three doubles, two homers, and seven RBI in his career against Liriano. Once again, Miggy seems very underpriced. His numbers are down, but they aren’t that far down. He is a great way to go cheap and still have plenty of potential for a home run.

2B: Dustin Pedroia ($4,000): Pedroia is one of the few Red Sox with any kind of success against Luis Severino Pedroia is 3-7 with two doubles, a homer, and five RBI against him. That is the only homer Boston has against Severino, and five of the eight RBI that they have. He is the only Boston hitter I am on today.

3B: Chase Headley ($3,200): Headley picked up a pair of hits last night. He is also 6-17(.353) with a walk, a double, two solo homers, and three runs scored against Chris Sale. He is the only Yankee that has much of anything against Sale, and is priced well for what he has done against him.

SS: Jose Iglesias ($2,600): Iglesias is cheap, and I need to stay cheap. I don’t see a real difference maker at shortstop, so taking Iglesias against Francisco Liriano seems like a good bet here.

OF: J.D. Martinez ($4,300): Martinez is only 2-8 against Liriano, but he has a walk, a homer, and two RBI against him. Honestly, any Detroit right hander is in play against Liriano today. Righties are hitting .288 against him with a .881 OPS in 2017. Most Tigers are way underpriced today.

OF: Justin Upton ($4,200): Upton also looks pretty cheap for what he is capable of. He is only 1-13 against Liriano, but the one hit is a homer, he has walked twice, and he has driven in three. You can do a lot worse than Upton.

OF: Jose Bautista ($3,100): This price is way too cheap for a hitter of Bautista’s caliber no matter who he is facing. The Jays have also left Bautista in the leadoff role, so his chances for runs increase as do his at bats. They want to get maximum exposure for their best hitter. I am just following their lead!

Next: FanDuel MLB Picks and Pivots

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. We also have plenty of NFL stuff to get you ready for football!