DraftKings MLB Picks April 17: Is Kluber in play in Puerto Rico?

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – MARCH 07: A general view of the field before the game between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic during the first round of the World Baseball Classic at Hiram Bithorn Stadium on March 7, 2013 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks April 17: Is Kluber in play in Puerto Rico?

Not surprisingly, DraftKings has jacked up a seemingly obvious Tuesday slate. The Royals and Jays are allegedly playing a double dip if the roof at Rogers Centre cooperates. The issue is that the early game is only available as a showdown, and they haven’t set the starters in concrete yet. The second game of the doubleheader was cut out of the slate all together, which is very disappointing considering Justin Smoak and Steve Pearce are now out of play. Also, the two games that have first pitch at 6:35 Eastern are also exiled from the main slate and are available in arcade mode only.

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We lost three games to weather again last night. Fortunately, no games have more than a 15% chance of rain tonight, so we should be safe. It is worth noting that brisk winds will be blowing out in Pittsburgh, New York, and Oakland.

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

ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 08: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels pitches in the first inning of the game against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium on April 8, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Corey Kluber ($12,100): The Twins are hitting a paltry .189 against Kluber in 196 at bats with only five homers, but they have scratched out 16 runs. Kluber has tallied a whopping 70 strikeouts against the Twins though. That elite strikeout rate has Kluber as the most expensive pitcher, and rightfully so. There could be an issue with pitchers at Hiram Bithorn Stadium though considering it is just 325 feet down both lines.

Shohei Ohtani ($10,900): Ohtani was saved from pitching in frigid Kansas City thanks to a postponement. He will get the orb back in tropical L.A. tonight, but the matchup is much worse. Ohtani is still new to the league and there isn’t a ton of footage on him, but Boston is a really good hitting team. There is less risk with some cheaper pitchers, but the upside on Ohtani is still huge.

Lance McCullers Jr. ($9,600): McCullers got knocked around by the Twins his last time out, but he should fare better in Seattle. McCullers has a 3.46 ERA in five career starts there. The Mariners are hitting a solid .250 off McCullers, but they only have one homer and six runs in 92 at bats with a whopping 30 strikeouts. The hiccup at Target Field will move plenty off of McCullers, but I expect him to bounce back here.

Middle Tier:

Johnny Cueto ($8,800): There is a little concern here with Cueto making his first start off of the DL, but Arizona is only hitting .198 off of Cueto in 96 at bats with two homers, nine runs, and a nice total of 27 strikeouts. The park will chase others off, but Cueto is 8-1 with a 3.88 ERA in ten career Chase Field starts.

Gio Gonzalez ($8,500): I don’t like a lot about this matchup, honestly. The Mets are hitting .275 in 207 at bats against Gio, but they have just six homers and 17 runs to go with 43 strikeouts. So far, Gio has been able to mostly avoid trouble with the Mets. And there is this little tidbit: Gio is 10-1 with a 1.69 ERA in 15 career starts at Citi Field. That is easily his best record in any park that he hasn’t called home.

Alex Wood ($8,200): Wood was roughed up by the A’s in his last start, but should bounce back against a below average Padres lineup. That below average lineup has managed to hit .328 off of Wood in 61 at bats, but they only ahve five runs and 11 strikeouts. There is some potential here, but apparently not without some risk.

Mike Foltynewicz ($7,200): The Phillies are hitting a solid .260 off of Foltynewicz, but they only have four homers and seven runs in 73 at bats. The thing that has me really leaning towards Folty here is the 24 strikeouts. He’s going to give up some runs, but the strikeouts will help keep his score up. All this hubbub about SunTrust being a hitter’s park will keep some off, but Foltynewicz has a 32.78 home ERA in 14 career starts there.

Bargain Pitchers:

Trevor Williams ($6,700): Williams actually had the worst of his three starts this year at home. He still picked up 13.4 DraftKings points in that game. Williams has been very good this year. He was solid against the Rockies last year, allowing two runs in five innings. This is a good spot for Williams again, just keep in mind that he doesn’t strike out that many hitters. That puts a cap on his upside.

Adam Wainwright ($6,500): Wainwright has held the Cubs to a .239 average in 109 at bats with just two homers, but they do have 13 runs and only 17 strikeouts. That means that Wainwright wont be able to compensate for mistakes with strikeouts. However, there is a silver lining. Wainwright is 10-2 with a 3.79 ERA in 116.1 career innings at Wrigley. Those are pretty solid numbers for the price.

Jake Odorizzi ($6,000): Odorizzi has held the current Cleveland roster to a .225 average in 71 at bats with two homers, seven runs, and ten strikeouts. Those numbers aren’t great, and his chances of a win against Kluber are pretty slim. However, there is decent potential here considering Odorizzi has mostly avoided trouble against the Indians in his career.

Matt Moore ($5,200): It’s another scheduled bullpen day for the Rays, and the current roster is hitting just .174 in 23 at bats against Moore in their careers with just a solo homer and seven strikeouts to show for their trouble. There is actually pretty good potential for Moore here tonight.

Yonny Chirinos ($4,700): Chirinos is way too cheap against a depleted Rangers lineup. Chirinos has turned in three strong starts so far, but has yet to go more than 5.1 innings in any of them. Still, Chrinos has struck out 12 in 14.1 innings without giving up a run in those three starts. There is a lot of potential here.

LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 14: Paul Goldschmidt #44 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits greeted in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on April 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Edwin Encarnacion has hit both of the current Indians roster’s home runs against Jake Odorizzi. The bad news is that Edwin is just 5-30 against him lifetime. However, Yan Gomes is 2-4 with a double and a run scored.

Paul Goldschmidt is only 7-27(.259) against Johnny Cueto, but he has a walk, two doubles, two homers, four runs scored, and six RBI in his career against Cueto. Those are the only two Arizona homers against Cueto so far.

Buster Posey is expensive, but he is hitting .302 in 43 at bats with eight walks, two doubles, two steals, nine runs scored, and three RBI against Patrick Corbin.

Middle Tier:

There is no part of me that trusts Zack Wheeler here. Ryan Zimmerman is 8-18 with a walk, a steal, two homers, and four RBI in his career against Wheeler. Anthony Rendon is 7-20 with three walks, two runs scored, and a RBI.

Willson Contreras is only 2-8 with two walks against Adam Wainwright, but he has a homer and three RBI off of him.

Miguel Gonzalez has good career numbers overall against the A’s, but due to his struggles this season, I’m more inclined to put a few against him, starting with Matt Chapman. Chapman is 1-2 with a walk and a solo homer in his career against Gonzalez. Matt Olson is worth a look too.

Carlos Santana is 1-2 with a walk and a two run homer in his career against Mike Foltynewicz. Maikel Franco is 4-12 with a walk, a solo homer, and two runs scored.

Joey Gallo is off to a slow start, but he is way too cheap against what is essentially the Rays bullpen. Ronald Guzman is an intriguing cheap option as well.

Kyle Seager is 8-21(.381) with three walks, two doubles, a homer, four runs scored, and three RBI against Lance McCullers. Seager’s is the only homer Seattle has against McCullers.

Albert Pujols is reasonably priced, and is 9-28(.321) with two doubles, two homers, four runs scored, and four RBI in his career against David Price. The Angels as a whole have hit Price well. They have six homers and 21 runs in only 147 at bats. Trout is not one of them. Trout is just 3-21 with no homers and one RBI against Price.

Trevor Cahill is a weak pitcher, so it may still be worth a token stack against him even though the White Sox are almost exclusively right handed. And the Sox are all relatively cheap.

Bargain Shoppers:

It is worth noting that the Pirates that have hit against Chad Bettis have hit him hard. David Freese has hit him the hardest, going 3-8 with a double, a homer, two runs scored, and four RBI against Bettis. Josh Bell and Francisco Cervelli could be good plays with the wind blowing out as well.

If Matt Duffy is able to play, I’m interested in using him again. Duffy is 1-3 with a solo homer off of former teammate Matt Moore. C.J. Cron could be worth a look at a very low price as well. He homered off of lefty Martin Perez last night.

Nick Pivetta struggled with the Braves in the opener, and Ryan Flaherty was a big reason why. Flaherty walked, doubled, scored, and drove in a run.

Christian Villanueva has been hitting well lately, and he is 2-3 with a solo homer off of Alex Wood. A.J. Ellis could be a solid cheap catcher. Ellis is 2-5 with a walk, but has no counting stats.

Joe Mauer comes cheap, and he is about the only Twin to have any success against Kluber. Mauer is 16-49(.327) with six walks, five doubles, a triple, two homers, seven runs scored, and four RBI against Kluber in his career.

PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 02: Brian Dozier #2 of the Minnesota Twins hits a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates during inter-league play at PNC Park on April 2, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

I still have a hard time paying $4,700 for Brian Dozier against Kluber, but he does have two homers and four RBI against Kluber. The bad news is that Dozier is hitting just .140 in 43 at bats against Kluber.

Robinson Cano is 8-22(.364) with three walks, a double, two runs scored, and two RBI against McCullers.

Carlos Correa is only 3-15 in his career against Ariel Miranda, but he has a homer and three RBI off of him. For the record, Altuve is just 4-18 with one RBI against Miranda.

Middle Tier:

Addison Russell is 6-15 with a walk, three doubles, a steal, two runs scored, and two RBI in his career against Adam Wainwright. Tommy LaStella is worth a look if he makes it into the lineup LaStella is 2-4 with a walk and a steal against Wainwright.

It makes sense to stack Dodgers lefties against Bryan Mitchell. The current Dodgers are 5-7 off of him. Chase Utley and Corey Seager are both 2-2 off of Mitchell. Utley has driven in two and Seager has driven in one.

Andrelton Simmons is off to a good start, and is 3-12 with a double, a homer, three runs scored, and three RBI in his career against David Price.

Bargain Shoppers:

Dansby Swanson is 3-4 with a run scored and a RBI. I’m a little leery about stacking Braves, but this is a hitters park and a lot of them are cheap.

Brandon Crawford is 8-27(.296) with a walk, a double, a triple, two homers, five runs scored, and five RBI in his career against Patrick Corbin.

Freddy Galvis is 7-16(.438) with a double and a RBI off of Alex Wood. Galvis looks like a nice cheap option once again.

This may be a day to take a look at Jose Reyes. Reyes is 7-19(.368) with a walk, two doubles, two solo homers, and seven runs scored in his career against Gio Gonzalez. Lefty killer Wilmer Flores has also homered once off of Gonzalez in 25 career at bats.

I like the Rangers value here as well with Jurickson Profar and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa. If Profar is out after leaving last night’s game, Drew Robinson is worth a look here as well against the Rays in a bullpen game.

Next: Top Outfield Plays

ARLINGTON, TX – MARCH 29: George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros celebrates after a home run in the first inning of the Opening Day baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on March 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Bryce Harper is only 4-19(.211) in his career against Zack Wheeler, but he has a homer and two RBI off of him. Oh, and Harper has 11 career homers in 48 games at Citi Field.

Rhys Hoskins is 1-3 with a solo homer against Foltynewicz. Odubel Herrera is 6-19(.316) with a walk, a double, two doubles, a homer and three RBI against Folty.

Sal Romano has allowed ten runs in just 31 at bats to the Brewers, and Ryan Braun is a big reason why. Braun is 4-7 with a walk, two doubles, a homer, two runs scored, and four RBI in his career against Romano. Domingo Santana is only 1-5 against Romano, but the hit is a three run homer.

You want George Springer in your lineup tonight. Springer is only 4-15 against Ariel Miranda, but all four hits are solo home runs and he has walked four times. Marwin Gonzalez and Jake Marisnick have also homered off of Miranda, but aren’t hitting for a good average. Still, the Astros have eight homers in only 112 at bats against Miranda.

Khris Davis is 2-6 with a double, a solo homer, and two runs scored in his career against Miguel Gonzalez. Matt Joyce is 9-27 with five walks, three doubles, a homer, five runs scored, and two RBI against Gonzalez. And he is really cheap!

Justin Upton is 2-3 with a walk and a solo homer off of David Price. Kole Calhoun is 5-17(.294) with two walks, a homer, two runs scored, and two RBI off of Price despite not having the platoon advantage.

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Middle Tier:

Yoenis Cespedes is 7-16(.438) with two walks, a double, two solo homers, and six runs scored in his career against Gio Gonzalez. Juan Lagares comes really cheap, and he is 17-44(.386) with two walks, three doubles, a triple, a homer, a steal, five runs scored, and five RBI against Gio.

Starling Marte is 5-7 with a steal, a run scored, and two RBI in his career against Chad Bettis. Gregory Polanco and any other lefty with a bat are worth looking at as well.

Bargain Shoppers:

Jason Heyward is only 6-23(.261) against Wainwright, but he has a walk, a double, a triple, a homer, two runs scored, and four RBI. Heyward is worth a look if he starts.

Shin-Soo Choo and Nomar Mazara are worth a look here against the Rays bullpen. The Rangers are really beaten up right now, but that also means that there is a ton of value in their lineup when facing a plethora of weak pitchers like today.

The Giants outfielders are cheap. Likely too cheap against Patrick Corbin. Hunter Pence is 15-35(.429) with three walks, four doubles, a triple, four homers, nine runs scored, and 11 RBI in his career against Corbin. If Gorkys Hernandez is in the lineup, he may be worth a look. Hernandez is 3-11 with a double, two steals, three runs scored, and a pair RBI off Corbin.

Adam Duvall is 3-9 with a double, two homers, and three RBI in his career against Junior Guerra. BIlly Hamilton is 2-4 with a solo homer against Guerra.

Jose Pirela is 3-5 with a walk, a double, a solo homer, and two runs scored against Alex Wood. Hunter Renfroe is 2-6 with a double and a solo homer off of Wood.

Max Kepler is only 1-5 against Corey Kluber, but that one hit is a solo homer.

Next: DraftKings NBA Picks

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. Still in NBA mode? No worries, we have the NBA DFS covered for the playoffs as well!