DraftKings MLB Picks May 15: Gerrit Cole stands above the rest

SAN DIEGO, CA – JUNE 16: Fans place flowers at the base of a statue of baseball great Tony Gwynn at Petco Park, where the San Diego Padres play, June 16, 2014 in San Diego, California. Gwynn died this morning after a lengthy battle with cancer, according to published reports. He was 54. (Photo by Bill Wechter/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks May 15: Gerrit Cole stands above the rest

There is a matinee in San Diego today, which makes the main DraftKings tournament 14 games instead of 15. Don’t worry, there is still plenty of good pitching out there. Four pitchers are priced above $10,000. Another five are priced above $8,000. Just how much should we spend on pitching? Let’s check out the best pitchers and whether they are worth the price.

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There is a good chance of rain in D.C., but the game should be completed at some point. Baltimore is a different story. There is a great chance that game wont be played. There is rain expected in Boston, but mostly early. That game may start late, but should be played as normal. Toronto and the Mets are going to be dodging thunderstorms, but the game should get done with some delays.

The wind will be blowing out to right at 12-14 mph in both Washington and New York. There is a slightly lower wind blowing out to right in Detroit. The 15 mph in San Francisco will be blowing out to dead center.

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

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:

Gerrit Cole ($13,900): That’s a hefty price tag on Cole, but the Angels are hitting just .162 against him in 99 at bats with only one homer and six runs to go with a whopping 29 strikeouts. Cole is high priced for a reason. The past stats enough may be enough to warrant this tag even without considering how dominant Cole has been this year. If you want the bonus FPP’s tonight, you likely have to have Cole in your lineup.

Noah Syndergaard ($10,800): The current Blue Jays have only faced Thor 11 times, so this isn’t based on past stats. Though the two hits to four strikeouts ratio looks good. It’s just that outside of Donaldson, this lineup doesn’t really strike fear into pitchers like Syndergaard. He’s an ace. He knows it. Opposing hitters know it. Thor may give up a run or two, but the strikeouts and win potential against Garcia more than make up for it.

Alex Wood ($10,000): Wood has pitched pretty well this year, but he has had trouble going deep into games. Wood has only gone more than five innings in four of his eight starts. So I have some issues with paying five figures for a guy that wont go deep into the game. Wood has not surpassed six innings this season. He should have no issues with the Marlins. The current team is just 7-31(.226) against him with one run. That said, the fact that he wont go deep in the game has me hesitant to pay this price.

Middle Tier:

Eduardo Rodriguez ($9,200): The A’s are only hitting .119 in 42 at bats with a whopping 16 strikeouts . Oakland only has one homer and three runs in that span as well. You should use caution here though. Rodriguez has a miserable 5.93 ERA at Fenway Park this year. Lately he has shown signs of life, especially with five shutout innings at Yankee Stadium on Thursday. Can he keep that up at home?

Yu Darvish ($7,800): Darvish has not pitched all that well this year, and he has to pitch in a park that caters to left handed power. However, Darvish has held the Braves to a .208 average with 21 strikeouts in 53 at bats. He has allowed seven runs, which leaves something to be desired, but if Darvish can keep up that strikeout pace, you can do worse at this price.

Jose Berrios ($7,600): Most will be off of Berrios tonight because he has allowed four or more runs in each of his last four starts. Honestly, I’m not all that crazy about Berrios tonight either, but he does have a respectable 3.74 ERA in four home starts. His WHIP is still very low despite the ERA, so Berrios may have had some bad luck. My only reason for being on him though is the potential of low ownership and the reasonable price tag.

Reynaldo Lopez ($7,500): Lopez dominated the Pirates in Chicago earlier this year, racking up 21.5 DraftKings points in his 7.1 innings. PNC Park is even better for pitchers than his own home park, so there is serious potential for Lopez here. He holds a 2.44 ERA through four starts this year, with barely any difference between home and away. Expect another quality game from Lopez tonight.

Bargain Pitchers:

Francisco Liriano ($6,300): Liriano put in a quality start in his first tilt with the Indians this year. Liriano gave up two runs in six innings en route to 13.9 DraftKings points. The lack of strikeouts this year limits the upside of Liriano, but he has a 3.18 ERA in three home starts this year, and has a great chance at a win opposing Josh Tomlin. I would expect Liriano in the mid to high teens for tonight, which is solid for this price point.

Ian Kennedy ($6,100): The Rays are throwing out their bullpen to get through this game, so right there Kennedy has a good shot at a win. When you look at what Eric Skoglund was able to do to the Rays last night, you know that Kennedy has decent upside here. So forget for a minute that the Rays are hitting .300 off of him in 70 at bats. They have only scored six runs. There is good potential at a very low price for Kennedy tonight.

Jaime Barria ($5,400): What did Barria do to irk the baseball Gods? He had to face the Rockies at Coors in his second career start. In his third, he has to take on the Astros. However, Barria shut out the Rockies for 5.1 innings in Denver last week. If he can pull that off, there is potential that Barria could pitch well against the Astros tonight, but he wont go deep into the game.

LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 09: Chris Taylor #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his run, in the dugout, on a wild pitch during the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on May 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Andrew Cashner:

Odubel Herrera is 6-14 with two homers and three RBI off of Cashner already. Cesar Hernandez is 5-11 with four walks, a triple, two runs, and a steal. The rest of the current team hasn’t had much for experience against Cashner, but I really like Carlos Santana and Rhys Hoskins here too. The only thing that could stop the Phillies tonight is the weather, but with all of these interleague games, there is a lot of incentive to get those games played.

Detroit Tigers vs. Josh Tomlin:

Most of the damage done to Tomlin by the Tigers has been from two players. That said, Tomlin has a 8.07 ERA in six starts this year. Anyone on this team could hit him hard. Victor Martinez is 7-29(.241)with four walks, two doubles, three homers, eight runs, and six RBI in his career against Tomlin. Nick Castellanos is 10-31(.323) with a walk, three doubles, a homer, and five RBI off of Tomlin. I also like JaCoby Jones leading off. James McCann and John Hicks are two of the more affordable pieces of this stack, but I will forego one of them if Jeimer Candelario is back in the lineup.

Boston Red Sox vs. Daniel Mengden:

Sure, Mengden did pitch well against Boston last month, but that was in Oakland. Mengden has a 8.59 ERA on the road this season. A trip to Fenway may actually improve that! Just not much. Hanley Ramirez is 1-2 with a homer against Mengden. Mookie Betts has a two run double in his only game against Mengden. Mitch Moreland is 3-8 lifetime, but has no counting stats yet. Add J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts for a rather potent stack. Just keep an eye on the weather for this one as well.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Wei-Yin Chen:

Chen has been dreadful in two of his three starts. He was pretty good at home against the Rockies in his first start, but the Reds and Cubs beat him up good. The Dodgers have the potential to do that as well with the right handed power they have. Yasmani Grandal, Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, and Enrique Hernandez look good. So does Chris Taylor. If you want to switch it up a big, Logan Forsythe is 11-28(.393) with three walks, two doubles, a triple, three homers, and six RBI against Chen.

Kansas City Royals vs. Tampa Bay bullpen:

This is yet another bullpen game for the Rays, so it really doesn’t matter who starts. A Royals stack could be lucrative, and they will come relatively cheap. Whit Merrifield and Salvador Perez should anchor the stack, and they are good standalone options as well. Alcides Escobar and Jorge Soler are reasonably priced options as well. You have to spend a little more for Moose, but it should be worth it. Even Alex Gordon could be worth a look tonight.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Jhoulys Chacin:

The Diamondbacks are hitting .273 against Chacin in 77 at bats with a staggering 19 runs! Chris Owings is 2-4 with a homer and four RBI against Chacin already. A.J. Pollock is 4-11 with a homer, two walks, and two RBI. David Peralta is 3-9 with a homer and three RBI. The ice cold Paul Goldschmidt is even worth a look. He is 5-29(.263) with three walks, two doubles, a homer, and seven RBI in his career against Chacin. Ketel Marte comes cheap, and he is 4-10 with three RBI against Chacin.

Seattle Mariners vs. Mike Minor:

Minor has a 7.36 ERA in road games this year. Minor has been giving up quite a few homers lately, so Mike Zunino and Mitch Haniger are definitely in play. Ryon Healy is worth a look as well. Gordon Beckham is a nice, cheap option while starting for Cano. Of course, you can’t rule out Nelson Cruz with a lefty on the mound.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Ty Blach:

The Reds have scored eight runs in just 29 at bats against Blach so far. Blach also has an ERA 1.5 points higher at home. Eugenio Suarez, Adam Duvall, and Jose Peraza are definitely on my radar. Billy Hamilton as well. If you are looking for a cheaper dart throw, Jesse Winker could be batting leadoff against the lefty Blach for just $3,100.

Next: Other Notes for 5-14

FanDuel MLB: NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 16: Giancarlo Stanton #27,Gary Sanchez #24 and Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees pose with thier Silver Slugger Awards before the game against the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium on April 16, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

I don’t know that I trust the Nats to push a stack against Masahiro Tanaka. He is still a solid pitcher. However, Bryce Harper is 1-3 with a solo homer off of Tanaka. This looks like as good a place as any to roll Harper out there.

Same thing with Gio Gonzalez. He has a sparkling 2.22 ERA this year, and has posted an even better 1.69 at home. However, Aaron Judge has never faced Gio. Neither has Gary Sanchez. Both make decent plays. Even a low priced Tyler Austin could be worth a look with a lefty on the mound.

I wouldn’t employ a stack on Nick Pivetta either, but the Baltimore offense caught fire against Tampa, and is heading to a hitter’s park. I like Manny Machado a lot here. Jonathan Schoop and Mark Trumbo looked good against Tampa as well. Maybe they carry it over into this series.

Liriano’s career numbers against Cleveland aren’t great, but it’s only a couple of guys that have done the damage. Edwin Encarnacion is one of them. Edwin is only 2-9 against Liriano, but both hits are home runs. Rajai Davis is 12-36 with two walks, four doubles, a triple, a homer, seven runs, and two RBI against Liriano in his career.

Anthony Rizzo is 3-5 with a homer and three RBI against Mike Foltynewicz. Addison Russell is a perfect 2-2 with a single, a solo homer, and two runs against Foltynewicz. Folty’s ERA is more than two runs higher at home this year, so a Cub or three in your lineup may not hurt tonight.

I’m not much for a stack on Jose Berrios, but Tommy Pham is always worth a look. So is Matt Carpenter with a righty on the hill.

I’ve become a believer in Barria, so I wont be stacking Astros. However, guys like Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa are in play with a young lefty on the mound. George Springer too. I don’t know about the price on them though.

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Middle Tier:

Gregory Polanco and Jordy Mercer both hit solo homers off of Reynaldo Lopez in Chicago, but that was all of the offense that Pittsburgh could muster in that game. At the very least, Polanco is worth a look again.

Both Daniel Palka and Tim Anderson hit two run homers off of Trevor Williams the first time that these teams met this year. Neither are overpriced, so you could take a shot at one of both of them doing it again.

Mike Leake seems to have righted the ship lately, so I’m less confident in a Rangers stack against Mike Leake. However, Shin-Soo Choo is 6-17(.353) with a walk, two doubles, and two solo homers against Leake. Nomar Mazara is worth a look as well. Mazara is 2-7 with a double, a homer, and two RBI.

Asdrubal Cabrera is 4-14 with two doubles, a steal, a run, and three RBI against Jaime Garcia. It may be worth forfeiting your first base slot for Wilmer Flores tonight. Lefty killer Wilmer is 4-12 with a double, two homers, and six RBI in his career against Garcia.

Jack Flaherty‘s numbers in his two major league starts this year are pedestrian, so I’m not all that thrilled about using him, or stacking against him for that matter. However, Eduardo Escobar, Joe Mauer, and Logan Morrison are worth considering tonight with Flaherty having to deal with the DH in an A.L. lineup.

Wilson Ramos is only 2-10 against Ian Kennedy, but he has a homer and two RBI off of him. Brad Miller is risky because he is not a great hitter. He has been against Kennedy though. Miller is 3-6 with three walks, two doubles, a homer, two runs, and two RBI in his career against Kennedy. Matt Duffy and C.J. Cron are worth a look as well if you don’t trust Kennedy.

For whatever reason, the Brewers have managed to hit former Brewer Zack Greinke pretty hard. They have eight runs in only 41 at bats and a soli .268 average. That isn’t to say I trust all of them. Jesus Aguilar has the only homer for the Brewers against Greinke, his only hit in two at bats. Jett Bandy is 1-2 with a bases clearing double against Greinke. Travis Shaw and Lorenzo Cain have also hit Greinke well, but they have no counting stats.

Tyler Mahle has pitched very well on the road, so I’m not on for a Giants stack. However, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford are cheap enough to take a chance on without blowing your budget.

Bargain Shoppers:

Chad Pinder is 2-7 with two walks, a double, a homer, three runs, and two RBI in his career against Eduardo Rodriguez. The only other A’s player that I would consider using would be Jed Lowrie. Lowrie is 2-6 with a walk, a double, and a RBI, so he may not be worth the price.

Preston Tucker is very cheap, and he is 2-6 with a homer and three RBI against Yu Darvish so far. Jose Bautista has the other homer, but he is just 2-21 lifetime against Darvish. Nick Markakis and Freddie Freeman are worth a look at SunTrust if you don’t expect Darvish to snap out of his funk.

Albert Pujols is the only current Angel to hit a homer off of Gerrit Cole, but it is his only hit in seven at bats against him. Justin Upton is about the only Angel that has hit Cole well. Upton is 5-14 with a double and two RBI.

Next: MLB DFS Picks and Pivots

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. We will also have picks for the EuroLeague Final Four as well!