DraftKings MLB Picks May 14: Can Carrasco match last week's start?

CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 28: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs warms up before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers, in his first start since being hit by a pitch severeal days ago, at Wrigley Field on April 28, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks May 14: Can Carrasco match last week’s start?

We have nine games today with the matinee at Wrigley only being available in showdown mode. The remaining eight comprise our DraftKings main tournament. There are four pitchers priced in five figures today. Are any of the four worth it? Let’s check it out!

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They will be dodging thunderstorms in Kansas City and Detroit tonight, so delays are at least a 50/50 chance in both of those games. However, the games should get played. Winds are almost all mild tonight, but there is a 10mph wind blowing out to left center in Boston.

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 bonus for signing up, 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

ARLINGTON, TX – MAY 04: Rick Porcello #22 of the Boston Red Sox throws in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on May 4, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Carlos Carrasco ($12,200): The Tigers are only hitting .220 in 159 at bats with no homers and only five runs off of Carrasco with a solid 43 strikeouts. Carrasco went the distance in his start last week, posting a dominant 14 strikeouts against Milwaukee. Carrasco may not have another 47.2 in him against Detroit, but he has a puncher’s chance at being the highest scoring pitcher on the night if you are chasing those FPP’s.

Rick Porcello ($10,500): Porcello has held the A’s to a .208 average in 48 at bats with one homer and only two runs to go with the nine strikeouts. On top of that, Porcello has posted a brilliant 0.68 WHIP in three home starts with a 2.46 ERA there at Fenway. There is good potential here for Porcello once again, but there was against the Yankees last week as well.

Lance McCullers Jr. ($10,000): The Angels are only hitting .202 against McCullers in 99 at bats with just two homers and five runs to go with a strong 26 strikeouts. These numbers make McCullers a pretty strong pivot off of Carrasco tonight. However, McCullers does have a 4.67 ERA in five road starts this year. That makes him a bit hard to trust away from Houston.

Middle Tier:

Sean Manaea ($9,600): Despite Manaea no hitting the Red Sox earlier this season, his career numbers against them still aren’t very good. Boston is only hitting .217 off of Manaea, but they have four homers and 11 runs in only 69 at bats to go with 14 strikeouts. However, you have to at least consider Manaea due to his brilliant game against them his last time out.

Joey Lucchesi ($8,100): Lucchesi not only started twice against Colorado this year, he opposed the very game pitcher that he will tonight! Lucchesi has 53.4 DraftKings points in his two starts against the Rockies this year. He actually had his best game in Colorado, but I love the potential here at this price. Just be aware that the Padres already seem to be trying to limit Lucchesi’s innings. He has a sthort leash when he gets into trouble.

Tyler Anderson ($7,500): Despite middling numbers on the year, Anderson has done well against the Padres. He started against the Padres twice in April, picking up 19.1 DraftKings points in San Diego on April 5th and 20.1 DraftKings points in Denver on April 10th. There is a lot of potential for Anderson at this price. Take advantage of it at sea level.

Bargain Pitchers:

Andrew Heaney ($6,200): Heaney’s numbers are a bit inflated, but he has allowed two runs or less in each of his last three starts. On top of that, Heaney is averaging more than a strikeout per inning this year. He may be rounding back to his pre surgery form, but Houston is such a tough matchup. That said, the current Astros are only hitting .172 against Heaney in 29 at bats with only one run and seven strikeouts. There is still potential here.

Eric Skoglund ($5,500): The Rays don’t score a lot of runs, and they strike out a lot. That combination makes most pitchers worth using against him. Even middling lefties like Skoglund are worth a look. Despite some bad numbers on the year, Skoglund has turned in two quality starts in the last three turns. There is decent potential here.

Mike Fiers ($4,400): Cleveland is hitting a solid .268 off of Fiers, but they only have one homer and seven runs in 82 at bats. The 14 strikeouts are a decent total as well. Fiers delivered an encouraging outing in his last start, but there is a big difference between the Texas and Cleveland offenses. The potential for a blow up is at least that of a quality start from Fiers.

ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 8: Eddie Rosario #20, Max Kepler #26 and Robbie Grossman #36 of the Minnesota Twins celebrate after beating the the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 8, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

Kansas City Royals right handers vs. Ryan Yarbrough:

Yarbrough doesn’t go deep into games, so even guys like Mike Moustakas and Lucas Duda could be worth a look. Without Coors on the slate tonight, the Royals could be an interesting stack. The Royals don’t score a ton of runs, but they have scored enough to make them dangerous. I like Whit Merrifield, Salvador Perez, and Jorge Soler for sure. Alcides Escobar looks like a nice punt as well.

Tampa Bay Rays right handers vs. Eric Skoglund:

Skoglund had one of his best starts of the season in Baltimore the last time out, but he still gave up three runs in 6.1 innings. Like the Royals, the Rays don’t score a lot of runs either, so this is a cheap but risky stack option. Wilson Ramos, C.J. Cron, and Daniel Robertson are in play for sure. Even someone like Carlos Gomez or Denard Span are worth a look as well.

Minnesota Twins vs. Wade LeBlanc:

It takes some stones to stack against a pitcher with a 3.18 ERA at what is generally a pitcher’s park, but we all know how rough the Twins have been on lefties for the last couple of years. Brian Dozier is the key cog in a Twins stack today. Mitch Garver, Eduardo Escobar, and Byron Buxton are all worth a look as well. Even Joe Mauer is in play here as he has been able to hit anyone over most of his career.

Seattle Mariners vs. Jake Odorizzi:

The Mariners are hitting .271 against Odorizzi in 85 at bats with three homers and 16 runs. There is plenty of potential here. Mitch Haniger is 2-3 with a walk, a homer, and four RBI already against Odorizzi. Nelson Cruz is 7-20 with four walks, a double, a homer, six runs, and four RBI in his career against Odorizzi. Kyle Seager is 4-14 with a walk, a double, a homer, and a pair of RBI against Odorizzi.

San Francisco Giants vs. Sal Romano:

While Romano has pitched well at home, he has had some issues on the road. Romano has a 4.91 ERA in three road starts with only six strikeouts in 14.2 innings. The Giants don’t have a ton of power, but there is enough. It starts with Buster Posey and Brandon Belt. I also like the red hot Alen Hanson if he is able to play Brandon Crawford and Andrew McCutchen would close out the stack. The price tag on Crawford and Belt make them very good standalone options as well.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Chris Stratton:

Wait, hasn’t Stratton been pretty good this year? Mostly, yes, but Stratton has an ugly 6.92 ERA at home in three starts. Whatever the reason, Stratton has struggled at home, and the Reds have plenty of left handed power to make him pay. Joey Votto is a good bet for a splash hit tonight, as is Scooter Gennett. Scott Schebler and Billy Hamilton are worth looks as well. Even Adam Duvall and Eugenio Suarez, despite not holding the platoon advantage, look like good plays tonight.

Next: Other Notes for 5-14

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 10: J.D. Martinez #28 and Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate after defeating the New York Yankees 5-4 at Yankee Stadium on May 10, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

I’m not going to stack against Sean Manaea, but I doubt he throws a no hitter against the Sox again, especially at Fenway. Mookie Betts is 4-11 with a triple, two doubles, three runs, and five RBI in his career against Manaea. Hanley Ramirez is 3-10 with two homers and three RBI off of Manaea. Xander Bogaerts is also worth a look. Xander is 4-7 with a double, three runs, and two RBI against Manaea in his career.

I do find it hard to stack against a guy like Junior Guerra. His numbers on the year are very good, but his last two starts have not gone all that well. If you are looking for a bargain pitcher, Guerra gets quite a few strikeouts. I just think Arizona is going to score off of Guerra without many problems. A.J. Pollock is the first guy on my radar. Paul Goldschmidt seems underpriced, and David Peralta looks nice at $3,800 as well.

Trevor Story is only 1-4 against Joey Lucchesi, but that hit is a two run homer.

The damage done by the Angels against McCullers is primarily from two sources: Albert Pujols and Mike Trout. Now the bad news. Trout does have a homer and two RBI against McCullers, but he is just 2-17(.118) against him. Pujols has the other homer against McCullers, but is just 4-22(.182).

As much as I want to stack Astros against Andrew Heaney, none of the stats or current performances warrant it. Jose Altuve is 2-5 in his career against Heaney, and has scored the only Houston run against him. Carlos Correa drove him in.

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Middle Tier:

Yes, stacking against a guy like Patrick Corbin is rarely a good idea. However, the Brewers are hitting a whopping .362 against Corbin in 58 at bats. Ryan Braun is 2-6 with a homer and two RBI. Christian Yelich is 3-12 with a homer and three RBI against Corbin. Domingo Santana is worht a look as well. His only hit against Corbin in two at bats is a grand slam.

Gopher balls have been an issue for Tyler Anderson lately, but Christian Villanueva is the only current Padre to take him keep. Eric Hosmer is 2-4 against Anderson despite most of the rest of the team doing very little against Anderson.

Bargain Shoppers:

I’m not a huge fan of using any Tigers against Carrasco, but someone as cheap as Jose Iglesias is worth a look. Iglesias is 9-28(.321) with two walks, five doubles, a steal, a run, and a RBI against Carrasco.

Yonder Alonso is 6-14 with three walks, two doubles, three runs, and three RBI in his career against Mike Fiers, and he comes cheap. Rajai Davis is 2-6 with two doubles, a steal, and two runs against Fiers, and is even cheaper!

Matt Joyce is only 4-17(.235) against Rick Porcello, but he does have the only A’s homer off of Porcello with a pair of RBI.

Next: MLB DFS Picks and Pivots

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!