DraftKings Main MLB Picks May 12: Is Morton worth the upcharge?

DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 18: Colorado Rockies mascot “Dinger” waves a flag to signal the start of the Comfort Dental “Tooth Trot” costumed mascot race during a break in the action of a game between the Colorado Rockies and the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field on September 18, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Main MLB Picks May 12: Is Morton worth the upcharge?

The games are evenly split today with seven early and eight late games. The late slate features two priced as aces and a fairly crowded middle tier. Which options are the best for us? Let’s check this slate out!

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We have a high probability of rain in New York, Philly, and even Colorado. The wind will also be blowing in at Coors. How does that affect our stacking?

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 PGA entry for this weekend, 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

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 06: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets pitches in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field on May 6, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Charlie Morton ($12,800): Contrarian owners may fade Morton and stack against him due to the Rangers’ .302 average off of him in 53 at bats, but I see something else. Despite the nice average, the Rangers only have two homers and five runs with a whopping 22 strikeouts. The Texas offense has only hit five runs once in the last week, and have been under three four times. This looks like a great spot for Morton against a scuffling offense.

Noah Syndergaard ($11,500): The Phillies are only hitting .185 against Thor in 65 at bats with noe homers, five runs, and 18 strikeouts. Those aren’t real dominant numbers, but they are good enough to use him on a half slate. Thor should live up to the price here tonight.

Middle Tier:

Zach Eflin ($8,800): Eflin has been brilliant in his two starts this year, and he has held the Mets to a .220 average in 41 at bats with one homer, but five runs and five strikeouts. Arrieta shut down the Mets offense last night, and he wasn’t the only one to do so recently. This looks like a pretty good place for Eflin even though the price makes me nervous because of limited strikeout potential.

Michael Wacha ($8,000): Wacha hasn’t been worth using in many places recently, but in Petco Park he certainly is. Wacha has a 3.00 ERA in San Diego over three career starts, and could do even better against a beaten up Padres lineup that strikes out a lot.

Chad Kuhl ($7,700): Kuhl has a nice 3.18 ERA in three home starts so far this season, so he seems safe to use there. Especially against a somewhat toothless Giants offense. Kuhl is one of my favorite mid range picks because I still don’t trust in Samardzija getting back on track. That said, Shark at $6,400 looks cheap despite his struggles.

Bargain Pitchers:

Mike Soroka ($7,500): One of these days, Soroka is going to get on track. Against the Marlins in Marlins Park certainly looks like the place that it could happen. Soroka pitched fairly well in his road start at Citi Field this year. This could be even better than that. Soroka is a strong play at this price.

Jeff Samardzija ($6,400): Shark has really struggled this year, but he is in a pitcher’s park and his career numbers against the Pirates are pretty good. Pittsburgh is only hitting .218 against Samardzija in 110 at bats with two homers, 11 runs, and 30 strikeouts. There is good potential here if you think he can get back on track. Me? I’m leery that there may be an underlying issue.

PHOENIX, AZ – MAY 04: George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring a run on a double by Carlos Correa #1 during the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 4, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Houston Astros vs. Doug Fister:

Shockingly enough, the Astros are only hitting .286 against Fister in 70 at bats. We expected more. There could be more today. Fister has been solid enough with a 4.02 ERA, but that should change. The only Astro to take Fister deep so far is Alex Bregman, but I like Altuve, Correa, Springer, and either McCann or Yuli Gurriel to polish off this stack. Only Correa has struggled against Fister, but 0-4 is a small sample size.

Atlanta Braves against Jarlin Garcia:

The luster has worn off of Garcia after he was pummeled by the Cubs in Wrigley. I don’t expect the Braves to do that much damage, but this is a good offense. Ozzie Albies has been on fire lately, so he is the place to start the build. Even through Freeman doesn’t have the platoon advantage, he is still worth using. So is Nick Markakis. Ronald Acuna is a strong play here as well. For the fifth, Kurt Suzuki is awfully cheap, and therefore, awfully tempting. Same with Johan Camargo.

Colorado Rockies vs. Chase Anderson at Coors:

Nolan Arenado is 8-27(.296) with two walks, a double, four homers, and ten RBI already against Anderson. Charlie Blackmon is only 8-32, but he has two homers, six runs, and three RBI. DJ LeMahieu has also homered, but he is just 4-21 against Anderson. David Dahl and Trevor Story are worth a look to finish the stack off as well.

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Kyle Freeland at Coors:

Jesus Aguilar is the only Brewer to take Freeland deep so far, and he is one of the cheaper components on either team. I am more in the Brewers side of this stack because of the low prices on Aguilar and Hernan Perez. Orlando Arcia, Ryan Braun, and Lorenzo Cain look like fantastic plays as well.

Los Angeles Angels vs. Kyle Gibson:

Yeah, I know. Gibson has been solid this year. However, the Angels have hit him hard. Justin Upton is 4-9 with four walks, two doubles, three runs, and a RBI off of Gibson. Mike Trout is 4-11 with a homer, a steal, and three RBI. Ian Kinsler is 14-42(.333) with two homers, eight runs, a steal, and five RBI off of Gibson. Albert Pujols has two homers and three RBI despite the .182 average.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Homer Bailey:

The Reds have one of the worst all around pitching staffs we have seen in the last decade, and the Dodgers offense is still very dangerous. Yasiel Puig hits righties well, and he has a homer off of Homer already. Matt Kemp is only 4-17, but he has a homer and two RBI. Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger are also worth a look here.

Next: Other Notes for 5-12

PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 28: Marcell Ozuna #23 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 28, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

The Cardinals have hit Tyson Ross very hard, but he has shown signs of brilliance at times in his career. At home is not really the place to stack against him, just in case. However, I like Tommy Pham leading off for the Cardinals. Marcell Ozuna is 2-4 with a solo homer off of Ross. Matt Carpenter is 3-5 with a double, four runs, six walks, and a RBI. Dexter Fowler is 3-9 with a triple, five walks, a homer, and two RBI against Ross. Using a combination of these guys may be a good idea, but not all of them.

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Middle Tier:

Gregory Polanco is 4-14 with a homer and five RBI in his career against Jeff Samardzija. Starling Marte is only hitting .258, but he has scored five runs. You can find plenty of Pirates to stack if you don’t think Shark rights the ship.

Eric Hosmer is 4-14 with a double, three runs, a RBI, and a walk in his career against Michael Wacha. Wacha isn’t going to pitch a shutout, so guys like Hosmer and possibly Jose Pirela are worth a look.

Adrian Beltre is 4-6 with a double, a homer, and two RBI in his career against Charlie Morton. Fill in Isiah Kiner-Falefa also homered off of Morton earlier this year. If he is still filling in for Elvis, Isiah is a nice cheap punt.

Bargain Shoppers:

Nick Tropeano was pitching well before a sore shoulder sidelined him. I don’t really trust him in his first start back, and LoMo is 2-6 with a solo homer off of him. The hot Eduardo Escobar is worth a look as well.

Next: DraftKings MLB Early Slate 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!