DraftKings Early MLB Picks April 2: Don't pay for pitching

DENVER, CO – AUGUST 20: Relief pitcher Tyler Chatwood #32 of the Colorado Rockies delivers to home plate during the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field on August 20, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks April 2: Don’t pay for pitching

We have yet another split slate early in the MLB season. We have five early games, nine evening games, and the Mariners and Giants getting the day off. We are to the point of the season where we are getting to the back ends of rotations, but due to some postponements already, we still have some pretty good pitching out there.

More from DraftKings

Speaking of rain, none of the early games have rain in the forecast this time around. We should be safe to use players from all ten teams this afternoon.

We will provide you with several options to build your lineup here. Want to spend all your money on pitchers and play bargain bats? We will highlight who is worth the money. Want to punt arms and pay up for the big boppers? We can help you with that as well, and everything in between!

These tips are based mostly on past performance. This is a nice tool for building a lineup, but should not be the only pieces of information you use. Stacking against a bad pitcher is always a good idea!

For you first time players, if you would like a free $20 in DraftKings dollars, use this link for the referral bonus with your first deposit of $5 or more! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn those DraftKings dollars into more!

Next: DraftKings Pitcher Plays

BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 18: Jordan Montgomery #47 of the New York Yankees delivers in the first inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on August 18, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Jordan Montgomery ($9,100): The Rays had so much turnover that they only have 20 career at bats against Montgomery with just four hits, one run, and eight strikeouts. The Rays struggled against lefties last year, but Montgomery wasn’t really one of them. Montgomery was 1-1 with a 4.73 ERA in three starts against them last season. That makes him a little bit of a risk today. Still, there is a way above average chance at a win against Austin Pruitt.

Middle Tier:

Jameson Taillon ($8,800): Lance Lynn is very familiar with the Pirates from his days in the NL Central. That isn’t always a good thing. The Pirates smoked Lynn for a .322 average in 149 at bats. So even though Taillon has never faced the Twins, and they broke out the whoopin’ sticks on the Orioles yesterday, I like his chances here today. One thing working against Taillon though is his 5.03 ERA at home last season.

Jason Hammel ($7,800): Part of this is going to depend on what you think of his mound opponent since the current Tigers are hitting a pretty good .296 average in 98 at bats off of Hammel. However, they only have one homer and eight runs to go with 14 strikeouts. Hammel doesn’t strike out enough hitters to mitigate any damage done though.

Bargain Pitchers:

Francisco Liriano ($7,300): The current Royals are hitting just .228 in 101 at bats off of Liriano with only one homer and just six runs. Liriano doesn’t rack up the strikeouts like he used to, and the Royals only have 20 strikeouts in those 101 at bats, but there is very good potential here. The bad news? Liriano has a 5.80 career ERA at Comerica Park in 15 games (12 starts).

Miles Mikolas ($6,800): Mikolas has faced three current Brewers before with very little success. However, those were all in relief. Mikolas did struggle as a starter for Texas in 2014, but three strong years in Japan and a great spring has the fantasy world buzzing. The potential is very high at this price.

Tyler Mahle ($6,200): There is no way that I’m touching Tyler Chatwood, the slate’s highest priced pitcher tonight. The Reds are hitting .410 against Chatwood in his career. Mahle has a tough matchup with a Cubs lineup that either scored a lot or nothing in the first four games against the Marlins. Can he hold them in check? A strong spring suggests that Mahle may be ready for the big time. We will find out here!

DETROIT, MI – MARCH 30: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers is introduced prior to playing the Pittsburgh Pirates during Opening Day at Comerica Park on March 30, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Joey Votto has two singles, two walks, and two RBI against Tyler Chatwood. Eugenio Suarez also has the same stat line off of Chatwood. There is potential for a lot more power today in Cincy.

Miguel Cabrera is 7-20 with three walks, two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBI against Jason Hammel. Don’t expect that first homer in spacious Comerica Park, but Miggy is a virtual lock to get on base. Jeimer Candelario is 3-5 with a walk and two RBI against Hammel if you need to go a little cheaper somewhere.

I’m not going to sit here and say not to use Rizzo or Bryant against Tyler Mahle. The Cubs offense has been all or nothing so far, but Rizzo has 16 career homers in 192 at bats in Cincinnati. Bryant is hitting .286 with five homers and 21 RBI in 24 career games in Great American Ballpark.

Middle Tier:

Josh Bell is a solid 3-10 with a RBI against Lance Lynn. Many think Bell is in for a breakout season, and he is starting well so far. If you have a little more money to spend at catcher, Francisco Cervelli is 4-11 with two doubles and two runs scored against Lynn.

Matt Carpenter is 8-18 with a walk, four doubles, four runs scored, and two solo homers in his career against Zach Davies. Jedd Gyorko is 10-16(.625) with two walks, three doubles, two runs scored, and a solo homer off of Davies.

Bargain Shoppers:

Wilson Ramos has two of the four Rays hits off of Jordan Montgomery. Both hits are singles, but Ramos drove in two runs and is only $2,600.

MILWAUKEE, WI – SEPTEMBER 11: Jordy Mercer #10 of the Pittsburgh Pirates rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on September 11, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

There aren’t a lot of high priced options in the middle infield today, but Brian Dozier will be a popular pick after his two homer day yesterday. Javier Baez and Addison Russell will be as well against a rookie in a hitter’s park.

Personally, I kind of like Whit Merrifield batting leadoff against Liriano.

Middle Tier:

Scooter Gennett walked twice, doubled, and scored twice in his only game against Tyler Chatwood. Cliff Pennington doesn’t always start, but if he does, he is a great cheap option today. Pennington is 3-4 with a walk, a run scored, and a RBI off of Chatwood.

Paul DeJong smacked a pair of homers yesterday. He only has two at bats against Davies with a single and a strikeout, but there is still potential here. His teammates have hit Davies hard.

Bargain Shoppers:

You can save a ton of money on offense if you want to spend on pitching this afternoon. Josh Harrison is 10-29(.345) with three doubles, two homers, three RBI, and seven runs scored against Lance Lynn. Jordy Mercer is just $3,100, but he is 10-27(.370) with a walk, three doubles, a triple, a homer, two runs scored, and a staggering 10 RBI against Lynn.

Next: Top Outfield Plays

TORONTO, ON – MARCH 31: Billy McKinney #39 of the New York Yankees is examined by Aaron Judge #99 and Giancarlo Stanton #27 after crashing into the wall in the first inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on March 31, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

The Pirates outfield could be a lucrative stack today. Starling Marte is 8-26(.308) with four walks, two doubles, a triple, and four runs scored despite not driving one in. Corey Dickerson is a solid 3-8 with a walk and a run scored off of Lance Lynn. Gregory Polanco is even in play with a 5-19(.263) line with two walks, a double, two runs scored, and a RBI against Lynn.

Ian Happ and Kyle Schwarber are going to be highly used with the platoon advantage against a rookie in a hitter’s park. Stanton and Judge are also going to be popular choices in what essentially looks to be a bullpen game for the Rays today since Pruitt threw three innings in relief only three days ago.

More from FanSided

Middle Tier:

Christian Yelich is 2-3 with a steal against Miles Mikolas from his first stint in the majors There is good potential here if you aren’t using Mikolas as a bargain pitcher.

Marcell Ozuna is 5-11 with with two walks, a double, four runs scored, and three RBI in his career against Zach Davies. He should be able to hit him hard in a new uniform as well.

Bargain Shoppers:

For some reason Billy Hamilton is still cheap even though he is now leading off for the Reds. Hamilton is 3-6 with two doubles, a triple, a run scored, and two RBI in his career against Tyler Chatwood. He doesn’t have a steal off of him…….yet.

Mikie Mahtook and Leonys Martin have done well with five hits in 13 combined at bats even though they have no counting stats against Jason Hammel. Again, I prefer Martin because he is leading off and has more stolen base potential.

Paulo Orlando is likely just a platoon player at this point, but he should be in there today against lefty Francisco Liriano. Orlando is only $2,500 and singled, homered, and stole a base in his one game against Liriano last year. John Jay is 4-11 with two RBI off of Liriano, but may not be in the lineup considering that he is a lefty.

Next: DraftKings Main Slate MLB Picks

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!