DraftKings MLB Picks May 18: Pay up for Scherzer

ATLANTA, GA – JULY 17: The grounds crew pulls the tarp over the infield prior to a rain delay in the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs at SunTrust Park on July 17, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks May 18: Pay up for Scherzer

We have a full 15 game Friday, and there is one sure ace and two others priced like it. In order to use any of these we will have to get creative with the second pitcher slot and perhaps throughout the lineup as well. Let’s see where we should attack this slate.

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Rain hijacked the Atlanta game last night, and it could be an issue again tonight. Rain is in the forecast all day and night in D.C., so I would avoid that game completely. The chances of rain in Pittsburgh are better than 50/50 every hour past 5pm, so that could be a tough one to get in as well. Rain is likely in Atlanta again, and the postponement threat is real again. Thunderstorms will be in and around the Cincinnati area, but the likelihood goes down later in the night. That one should get played at some point, but I would avoid the starting pitchers. There is also a risk of rain in the Chicago area, but not enough to cancel the game, though a delay or two is possible.

The wind will be blowing out dead center at 18 mph in San Fran, which could lead to more homers there. The wind is blowing in in Washington, Pittsburgh, and Chicago at 12 mph, so that is more incentive to avoid those games. The wind will also be blowing in from right in Minneapolis. Winds of 12-15 miles per hour are all blowing in in Cincinnati, Boston, and New York as well. The only favorable win is in San Francisco.

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 $10 showdown ticket for MLB or the NBA, 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 – MARCH 31: Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets pitches in th efirst inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on March 31, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Max Scherzer ($14,000): The Dodgers are hitting just .165 in 103 at bats against Scherzer with only one homer, three runs, and a whopping 38 strikeouts. Scherzer is the only true ace on this slate, and he is absolutely worth paying for. You want dominance for this price, and this is it. On top of that, Scherzer has a 1.57 ERA and a microscopic 0.56 WHIP in four home starts. Not to mention the 44 strikeouts in 28.2 innings pitched.

Charlie Morton ($12,200): The Indians are only hitting .200 off of Morton in 45 at bats with two homers, four RBI, and nine strikeouts. Those are good numbers, but not necessarily good enough to blow this much money on. Given that Morton is facing another good pitcher, the win potential is also reduced here. Morton’s strikeout numbers aren’t so high that you can ignore the peripherals and roll with him anyway. Given a full 15 game slate, that is even more true than usual.

Sean Newcomb ($11,500): I’m a little leery about paying this for Newcomb, especially with deGrom that much cheaper. However, The Marlins are hitting just .185 against Newcomb with only one run and six strikeouts in his two starts against them. Miami doesn’t have much for power, let alone left handed power, which would be neutralized by Newcomb anyway. That said, Newcomb has a 6.10 home ERA this year. That’s too much risk for me.

Jacob deGrom ($9,800): deGrom’s price dropped significantly after his abbreviated outing against the Phillies on Sunday. Maybe it shouldn’t have. deGrom was removed after throwing 45 pitches in the first against the Phillies after a rain delay. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with him, so deGrom should be good to go. The downside is that Arizona hit him pretty well in his only career start against them, but that was also in Chase Field. I like the potential here for under $10,000.

Mike Clevinger ($9,100): This is a tough matchup against Houston, but since a 16 run outburst against Oakland on May 7th, the Astros have only scored 28 runs in nine games. Given Clevinger’s 2.70 ERA and his immaculate 0.83 ERA in three road starts, there is plenty of potential here. It is still really hard to trust most pitchers against the Astros though. That said, Houston is only hitting .182 in 22 at bats against Clevinger with just one run and 10 strikeouts stemming from a very good start against them last year.

Middle Tier:

Kyle Gibson ($8,800): Gibson has held the Brewers to a .157 average in 51 at bats with only four runs and 12 strikeouts. Gibson has not been as good at home this year, however, he has faced the Angels and White Sox there over his last two starts and turned in a quality start both times. A quality start seems to be about what to expect from Gibson tonight. He is off to a solid start this year, and even his strikeouts are up a little. Gibson is mostly a low risk alternative to some of the more volatile mid range options.

Zack Godley ($8,100): The Mets are only hitting .179 against Godley in 39 at bats with four runs and nine strikeouts. Those aren’t dominant numbers, but Godley has racked up enough strikeouts to keep his point totals solid. This is going to feel like a day off for Godley after facing the Nationals twice and Dodgers twice in his last four starts. That could keep ownership down, which is good for those of us planning to go with Godley.

Jake Arrieta ($7,700): Arrieta has held the Cardinals to a .210 average in 124 at bats with only four homers and seven runs to go with 36 strikeouts. Aside from a freak outing against the Marlins, Arrieta has had a very good season. Despite good numbers against this incarnation of the Cardinals, Arrieta still has a 4.21 career ERA at Busch Stadium in seven starts.

Bargain Pitchers:

CC Sabathia ($7,500): The Royals are only hitting .196 against CC with two homers and eight runs in 102 at bats to go with 19 strikeouts. We all know that Sabathia isn’t much of a strikeout pitcher anymore, but he still records enough outs to be effective. Sabathia is 13-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 21 career starts at Kauffman Stadium. He looks like a strong value pick tonight.

Drew Pomeranz ($7,000): Pomeranz has struggled this year, but he does have good career numbers against Baltimore. The Orioles are only hitting .236 against Pomeranz in 89 at bats with only one homer and two runs to go with a staggering 29 strikeouts. It would seem that if Pomeranz were going to get back on track anytime soon, it would be here.

Ross Stripling ($4,200): Stripling pitched five strong innings in his first start of the season, but that was against the Reds. This is a little tougher going with the Nationals. Still, Stripling has posted a 2.20ERA on the season, and he racked up seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings against the Reds. The Nationals are just 1-12 against stripling with one run and four strikeouts. All of that was in relief, so can he replicate that as a starter? There is plenty of risk here, but for nearly the minimum price, Stripling could give you solid production.

FanDuel MLB: BOSTON, MA – APRIL 11: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox, right, celebrates with Hanley Ramirez #13 and Mookie Betts #50 after hitting a grand slam during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on April 11, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

San Diego Padres vs. Ivan Nova:

The Padres are hitting an amazing .469 against Nova in 49 at bats with four homers and nine runs to go with just three strikeouts. The main advantage of a Padres stack is that it comes cheap, but there is risk involved since the Padres aren’t that great of an offense. Manuel Margot is 3-6 with a solo homer and a steal against Nova. Eric Hosmer is 4-10 with two doubles, a homer, and three RBI. Freddy Galvis is 5-11 with a double, a homer, and two RBI against Nova. Carlos Asuaje is back in the majors after a 12 hour demotion. If he starts, Asuaje is 2-6 with a homer and two RBI against Nova. Travis Jankowski is 2-3 against Nova, but doesn’t have any counting stats yet.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Brett Anderson:

It’s another Blue Jays stack day! Curtis Granderson is 5-12 with a homer and four RBI off of Anderson despite not holding the platoon advantage. Justin Smoak, Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin, Yangervis Solarte, and Teoscar Hernandez are all great options against the middling lefty as well. There is a reason why Anderson is the cheapest pitcher on the slate.

Boston Red Sox vs. Alex Cobb:

The Red Sox are hitting .308 with four homers and 19 runs in only 159 at bats against Cobb, so stack away! J.D. Martinez is 2-6 with a homer and two RBI against Cobb. Christian Vazquez is 8-11 already, but has no counting stats. Hanley Ramirez is 5-14 with a homer and three RBI as well. Mitch Moreland is only 5-20, but he has a homer, two doubles, and three RBI off of Cobb. Mookie Betts is 6-21(.286) with a homer and four RBI as well. There are so many Red Sox players to use tonight that it’s hard to choose just five.

Chicago Cubs vs. Homer Bailey:

Homers haven’t been Homer’s downfall. Poor pitching in general has. The Cubs are hitting .300 off of Bailey in 40 at bats with two homers, eight runs, and ten walks. There is a lot of potential here. Anthony Rizzo has done the bulk of the damage, going 9-22(.409) with six walks, three doubles, both homers, five runs, and six RBI against Bailey. I also like Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, and even a little bit of Ben Zobrist here. Kris Bryant is not a bad idea either if you can afford him.

Atlanta Braves vs. Dan Straily:

The Braves are hitting .282 in 85 at bats against Straily with five homers and 18 runs. Ozzie Albies is 4-8 with two homers and three RBI against Straily already. Freddie Freeman is 3-12 with four walks, a homer, the three RBI. Nick Markakis is 5-17 with three doubles, a homer, and five RBI against Straily. Jose Bautista‘s only hit against Straily in six at bats is a home run.

Texas Rangers vs. Carson Fulmer:

The stack against Shields last night was not as lucrative as we had hoped, but the Rangers get another crack at fantasy glory against the struggling Carson Fulmer. I really like Shin-Soo Choo, Odor, DeShields, Gallo, and Profar tonight. I couldn’t fault you for using whoever starts at catcher either. A Rangers stack is pretty affordable. Depending on who Texas throws out there to start with Fister being moved back to last night, this may end up being a full game stack!

Detroit Tigers vs. Felix Hernandez:

This same Detroit offense racked up five runs in five innings on Felix over the weekend in Detroit, so there is a good chance that they do it again. Hernandez has allowed ten homers already this year. John Hicks, Nick Castellanos, James McCann, and Victor Martinez have all hit homers off of Felix at some point in their careers. Using JaCoby Jones as the leadoff guy in this lineup looks like a good idea as well.

Next: Other Notes for 5-17

ST. LOUIS, MO – APRIL 24: Tommy Pham #28 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds third base after hitting a two-run home run against the New York Mets in the first inning at Busch Stadium on April 24, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Jake Junis has pitched very well so far this year, so I wont put an all out stack against him. That said, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez are all on my radar here. So is Didi Gregorius depending on how much money I have left.

Tommy Pham is 4-10 with a walk, a double, a homer, and two RBI in his career against Jake Arrieta. Matt Carpenter only has two hits in 33 at bats against Arrieta(.061), but both of those hits are home runs.

I don’t know that I’m going to stack Phillies against Wacha, but I definitely want exposure. The Phils haven’t homered off of Wacha, but they have scored ten runs in just 45 at bats. Odubel Herrera is 3-10 with two doubles, a steal, and four RBI. Rhys Hoskins is worth a look as well.

The Rockies didn’t do all that well in a great situation last night. That is the only reason that I’m not stacking against Holland. Charlie Blackmon is 1-2 with a solo homer off of Holland in his one game against him. Chris Iannetta is 10-28(.357) with four walks, two doubles, a homer, four runs, and six RBI off of Holland. Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story are worth a look as well.

Bryce Harper, meet Ross Stripling. I’ll give you a bucket of balls to get acquainted.

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Middle Tier:

Gregory Polanco is 3-7 with a homer and two RBI in his career against Tyson Ross. Corey Dickerson is 5-16 with a double and two solo homers in his career against Ross. Ross doesn’t have great numbers against the Pirates, but they aren’t so bad that we need to stack either. And with a good chance of rain in Pittsburgh, it may be best to avoid the starting pitchers anyway.

With Jon Lester now starting for the Cubs after the rainout last night, Billy Hamilton is definitely in play. Hamilton has hit Lester hard. Other than that, Eugenio Suarez and Adam Duvall are worth a look as well.

Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas are the only Royals to hit a home run off of CC Sabathia so far, but they are both hitting under .170 against CC overall. Jorge Soler deserves a look just because of his hot streak.

Both Edwin Encarnacion and Jason Kipnis have hit home runs against Charlie Morton already. They are a combined 3-9 with both homers off of Morton and three of the four RBI.

Marcus Semien is the only current A’s player to homer off of Marco Estrada, but considering that the A’s are hitting .308 against Estrada, Matt Joyce and Matt Olson are worth a look as well. Along with Khris Davis just for the raw power potential.

The Twins hit lefties well, but the whole offense has kind of been in a funk lately. Suter pitched pretty well against them last year. That said, Suter has had issues with the long ball this year, so I still want some exposure. Tops on this list is Brian Dozier. Eduardo Escobar and Robbie Grossman are worth a look as well. Maybe Byron Buxton if you’re feeling really brave.

The Mariners have hit Michael Fulmer hard in his career. If Nelson Cruz is able to return to the lineup, he is worth a look. Cruz is 4-5 already against Fulmer. Ryon Healy has the only Mariner homer off of Fulmer so far.

Bargain Shoppers:

Justin Bour has the only Marlins home run off of Sean Newcomb so far. Brian Anderson is 3-5 with a double, a walk, and a RBI against Newcomb.

Zack Godley has never retired new Mets leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo has two walks, a double, and two runs against Godley already.

Blake Snell‘s numbers against the Angels are decent, but not enough for me to want to use him. Not on the road anyway. Ian Kinsler is the only Angel to homer off of Snell, but I’m also interested in Trout and Upton as well.

The Giants have hit Kyle Freeland enough for me to stay off of him at his elevated price, especially when you consider his ERA of nearly 5 on the road compared to under 2 at home. Nick Hundley is the only current Giant to homer off of Freeland, but Andrew McCutchen is on my radar as well.

Brad Miller is 3-9 with two homers and three RBI in his career against Nick Tropeano, but you have to be willing to ignore Miller’s dreadful 2018.

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!