DraftKings MLB Picks May 17: Will Skaggs perform up to the price?

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – APRIL 05: The 2012 Championship Banner flies next to the American Flag before the San Francisco Giants home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park on April 5, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks May 17: Will Skaggs perform up to the price?

There is a matinee in Miami today, but the other nine games make up the main DraftKings tournament. It’s a fairly busy Thursday even though it lacks the star power of yesterday. We only have two pitchers over $10k and three more over $8,000. Which value pick will perform like a stud? Let’s check it out!

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Rain is likely in Atlanta once again, but the game should be played at some point. There may be delays, but the hitters look safe to use.

The wind will be blowing out dead center at 18 mph in San Fran, which could lead to more homers there. There is a 12 mph crosswind in Chicago, but Shields should still allow plenty of runs.

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

HOUSTON, TX – MAY 11: Cole Hamels #35 of the Texas Rangers pitches in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on May 11, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Cole Hamels ($10,800): It’s a small sample size all the way around on Hamels. His only career start on the South Side resulted in two runs in seven innings while picking up a win. The current White Sox lineup is only hitting .208 against Hamels in 24 at bats with a homer and two runs to go with seven strikeouts. Those are solid numbers, especially on a slate when nothing really stands out. Hamels has righted the ship after a rough first two weeks, and now boasts at 2.48 ERA on the road. There is enough here to pay up for on a smaller slate.

Tyler Skaggs ($10,400): The overall numbers on Skaggs don’t look as good as they should. If you take out his implosion against Boston on April 18th, Skaggs has only allowed nine runs in 39.2 innings pitched, which comes out to a 2.04 ERA. His strikeouts are good, the WHIP is under control. There is a lot to like about Skaggs here, especially since he is facing a team that strikes out a lot in the Rays.

Middle Tier:

Kevin Gausman ($7,900): On the surface this looks like a poor matchup in Boston. However, Gausman has a 3.68 ERA in 36.2 career innings at Fenway. He has also held the Red Sox to a .220 average in 186 at bats despite allowing seven homers and 18 runs. The 43 strikeouts do leave something to be desired, but Gausman has turned in seven straight quality starts. He should be able to keep that streak going tonight.

Jon Lester ($7,700): The Braves are only hitting .228 against Lester in 246 at bats with eight homers, 17 runs, and 59 strikeouts. The strikeout total is lower than we would like, but Lester should help neutralize the ballpark’s tendency to boost left handed power. I don’t expect miracles here, but a quality start with half a dozen strikeouts looks likely.

Chad Kuhl ($7,700): Kuhl has pitched very well lately, giving up just three runs over his last two starts. Kuhl has been even better at home, posting a solid 3.52 ERA there in four starts. San Diego was one of the weaker offenses around even before injuries wrecked them. There is very good potential here for Kuhl even though his strikeout potential is average at best. The Padres have only mustered one run against Kuhl in 29 at bats, so past stats support him doing well tonight.

Matt Boyd ($7,500): Boyd has pitched pretty well in the early going. The current Mariners only have two hits in 18 tries (.111) against Boyd with one run and six strikeouts. There is very good potential in Seattle tonight, especially if Nelson Cruz can’t get back into the lineup yet.

Bargain Pitchers:

Chad Bettis ($7,400): Bettis has been nothing short of brilliant on the road this year. Bettis has a 1.35 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in five road starts this season. On top of that, the Giants are only hitting .228 against Bettis in 79 at bats in any stadium, including their Coors stats. Bettis wont grab you many strikeouts, but there is a lot of potential here considering his road dominance and the fact that Shark is on the mound opposite him.

Chris Archer ($6,900): The current Angels are only hitting .204 against Archer with only one homer and nine runs in 103 at bats. Archer has a solid 35 strikeouts in that span as well. Now the bad news. Archer has been pretty bad in the early going, allowing nine homers in nine starts and posting an ERA over 5 in both home and road matchups. There is decent potential for him here, but Archer is hard to trust right now.

Aaron Sanchez ($5,700): Sanchez has been consistently average this year, not allowing more than four runs in any game, but not allowing less than two either. There is not a lot of upside since Sanchez hasn’t shown the propensity to rack up strikeouts either. He has posted more than four strikeouts just twice in eight starts. Still, Oakland is not a great offensive team, and opposing Triggs is a certain win for Sanchez right now. You can do worse trying to save money than Sanchez tonight.

PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 27: Starling Marte #6 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates after hitting a walk off single in the eleventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on April 27, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Eric Lauer:

Lauer has really struggled this year, posting a 8.27 ERA . It’s even worse on the road at 10.13. There is a lot of potential for Pittsburgh batters here tonight. Of course, Starling Marte and Josh Bell head up the conversation with a lefty on the mound. Francisco Cervelli is often overlooked, but both he and Jordy Mercer provide good value against left handed pitching at a fraction of the price. Corey Dickerson hits lefties well enough to include in the stack if you don’t trust Jose Osuna.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Andrew Triggs:

The hot start by Triggs lasted only three turns through the rotation. Since then, Triggs has allowed 18 runs over his last five starts. He only allowed one run in two of those, against the decimated Texas offense and the struggling (at the time) Orioles. There is a lot of potential here for guys like Justin Smoak, Josh Donaldson, and Russell Martin. Triggs has allowed five homers over his last three starts, so stack some Blue Jays power! Teoscar Hernandez and Kevin Pillar are in play as well.

Baltimore Orioles vs. David Price:

Normally I wouldn’t dream of stacking against a guy like Price, but this could be the night for it. The Orioles are hitting .277 with ten homers and 31 runs against Price in 264 at bats. The struggles or Price this year are also very concerning. The Baltimore offense is relatively cheap, and most have hit Price well. Manny Machado is 11-37(.297) with two walks, a double, four homers, seven runs, and six RBI off of Price. Danny Valencia is cheap, and is 13-22(.591) with five walks, three doubles, four runs, and three RBI. Trey Mancini is 2-6 with a homer and three RBI. Chris Davis is 11-38(.289) with three walks, two homers, six runs, and five RBI against Price. Yes, he still hits left handed. Mark Trumbo is 9-37(.243) with two doubles, two homers, four runs, and seven RBI in his career against Price. There are tons of options for every budget tonight.

Philadelphia Phillies against Luke Weaver:

I have no idea how Weaver is more expensive than Velasquez. I’m not going to use either of them, but Weaver is getting way too much credit for a hot September. Weaver’s numbers are down across the board, and so long as he continues to struggle, a stack is worth using against him. Particularly with a team like the Phillies who have put up big numbers at times. Odubel Herrera and Rhys Hoskins are always worth a look. I like Cesar Hernandez batting leadoff here as well. You can finish this off with the power potential of Carlos Santana and Maikel Franco.

Chicago Cubs vs. Mike Soroka:

Soroka has looked pretty solid so far, but in his only home start he was hit hard by the Giants. If the Giants can do it, it’s like the Cubs can. Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, and Ian Happ are all worth a look in this park. Kris Bryant and Addison Russell could be as well if you still don’t really trust Heyward. However, Heyward back in Atlanta could spark something in his bat.

Texas Rangers vs. James Shields:

Shields has only posted three quality starts in eight tries this season. He has been as bad at home as on the road, so you can stack against him anywhere. Of particular interest to me is the power of Joey Gallo against Shields. Nomar Mazara, Shin-Soo Choo, Jurickson Profar, and Delino DeShields all provide good mid-range cost options in a lineup that could put up quite a few runs tonight.

Detroit Tigers vs. Marco Gonzales:

Gonzales has posted an atrocious 7.07 ERA in three home starts this season. Even though the Tigers are still without Miggy, they still have enough good hitters to take advantage of this matchup. Nick Castellanos should be on everyone’s radar tonight, but the only homer that the Tigers currently have against Gonzales was hit by the cheap Jose Iglesias. JaCoby Jones has good potential batting leadoff here, and I like John Hicks as the everyday first baseman as well.

Colorado Rockies vs. Jeff Samardzija:

The Rockies are hitting .321 against Shark with eight homers and a whopping 31 runs in 193 at bats. That means Colorado has been able to hit Shark even when he is pitching well, which he isn’t right now. Ian Desmond is 10-24(.417) with three doubles, two homers, four runs, and six RBI against Samardzija. Gerardo Parra is 12-30(.400) with two walks, a double, two homers, seven runs, and seven RBI off of Samardzija. Nolan Arenado is 12-29(.414) with two walks, four doubles, a triple, two runs, and six RBI. Chris Iannetta, Charlie Blackmon, and Carlos Gonzalez have all homered against Samardzija as well, but Iannetta and CarGo are hitting under .250 against Samardzija.

Next: Other Notes for 5-17

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 10: Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox singles to center against the New York Yankees in the third inning at Yankee Stadium on May 10, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Mookie Betts is 12-29(.414) with four walks, a double, four homers, eight runs, and seven RBI in his career against Kevin Gausman. Hanley Ramirez is just 3-17(.176) against Gausman, but he has two homers and five RBI off of him. J.D. Martinez is 4-7 against Gausman already with two walks, a run, and two RBI.

Despite the lefty on lefty matchup, Freddie Freeman is 6-20 with a walk, a triple, two homers, four runs, a steal, and three RBI in his career against Jon Lester. Jose Bautista is 14-61(.230) with eight walks, three doubles, five homers, nine runs, and 10 RBI against Lester.

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Middle Tier:

Vince Velasquez has been decent on the road. Decent enough that I’m not ready to stack against him. However, Marcell Ozuna has homered off of him already. Matt Carpenter, Tommy Pham, and Paul DeJong are worth a look as well.

Brandon Belt doesn’t care how good Chad Bettis has been on the road. Belt is 7-16(.438) with three walks, two doubles, five runs, and two RBI off of Bettis. Buster Posey is 3-11 lifetime against Bettis, so he could be worth a look as well.

Jose Abreu has the only current White Sox homer off of Cole Hamels, and has driven in two. Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson are pretty intriguing for a team that mostly hits lefties well. Of course, they could come up completely empty against this one. Hamels has pitched well lately.

Ryon Healy is worth a look with a lefty on the mound. So is Mitch Haniger. However, I am likely spending my money elsewhere due to Boyd’s strong pitching in the early going.

Bargain Shoppers:

I’m not really on an Oakland stack against Aaron Sanchez, but they have so many cheap hitters that they can plug holes in your lineup. Particularly interesting to me are Matt Joyce and Jonathan Lucroy at $3,000 and $3,200 respectively. That opens up a lot of salary flexibility elsewhere. Marcus Semien looks pretty good as well at $3,500.

Albert Pujols has the Angels’ only homer off of Chris Archer. He is 6-15 with a walk, a homer, and two RBI. There are no special numbers for the special price of Mike Trout, but Trout does have three steals against Archer already.

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!