DraftKings MLB Picks May 22: Sale should dominate Rays

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 28: Fans sit under an umbrella during a rain delay prior to a game between the San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on May 28, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks May 22: Sale should dominate Rays

We have a full 15 game slate on our Tuesday. We only have three pitchers priced as aces though. Are any of them worth it? Or can we find value in the middle tier? Let’s take a look at that and our favorite stack options!

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There is a chance of rain in Philly, and rain is likely in the D.C. area, but should taper off by 8pm. That means that while the game should be delayed at the start, the favorite stack of the night can still happen. There is also a chance of rain in the New York area as game time approaches, but like Washington, this game should play after a delayed start.

The only notable wind is a 16 mph wind blowing out to right in Oakland.

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

PHOENIX, AZ – MAY 04: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros delivers a first inning pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 4, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. Astros won 8-0. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Chris Sale ($13,100): Chris Sale has absolutely dominated the Rays. They are hitting a pathetic .136 against him with two homers and four runs in 66 at bats with 24 strikeouts. If that isn’t enough, Sale holds a 3.10 ERA in 17 career starts against the Rays. He also owns a 2.02 ERA in nine career starts at the Trop. This is one situation where it is worth paying up for Sale.

Gerrit Cole ($12,900): The Giants are only hitting .203 against Cole in 64 at bats, but they have a homer and eight RBI. However, the 20 strikeouts definitely make it worth our while to use Cole and hope he can get Belt out. If you take Belt’s stats out, the Giants are only 9-48 with three runs and 16 strikeouts. Cole is worth the little bit of risk that is here.

Trevor Bauer ($11,700): Bauer has been outstanding this year, posting a 2.59 ERA in nine starts. the Cubs are only hitting .226 against Bauer with just one run, no extra base hits, and nine strikeouts in 31 at bats. Facing a pitcher is also a couple of free outs for Bauer as well. He looks like a strong play if you are paying up for pitching.

Middle Tier:

Cole Hamels ($9,200): There is one Yankee that is skewing Hamels’ stats against them. If you take away Stanton’s stats, Hamels is only allowing a .219 average with three runs and five strikeouts in 32 at bats. It’s a small sample size, and with so much right handed power, there is a lot of risk involved here.

Luke Weaver ($8,500): Weaver has been marginally better at home, but he seems to have righted the ship lately after a rocky start. Weaver has allowed only one run in his last two starts combined. Now he gets a Royals offense that is one of the worst in the American League that is without a DH. Oh, and they are without Lucas Duda too. Weaver may be worth this price tonight.

Jeremy Hellickson ($8,000): Hellickson has been a strong addition for the Nationals so far, posting a 2.20 ERA in six starts with a 0.86 WHIP. The Padres are hitting a solid .250 against Hellickson in 60 at bats, but they only have three runs and 15 strikeouts. That is way above Hellickson’s normal strikeout numbers. The Padres are still struggling to score runs, so Hellickson could be worth the markup here.

Garrett Richards ($7,800): The Blue Jays are only hitting .224 against Richards in 85 at bats, but they have slugged four homers off of him and driven in nine. The 19 strikeouts helps get some of that back, so there is potential here for Richards. The Jays only scored 12 runs in a four game series with Oakland. They are in a bit of a funk right now, and Richards could take advantage of that.

Kevin Gausman ($7,600): Gausman has had some really good starts and some really bad starts this year. This could be one of the good ones. The White Sox have a solid offense, but they are significantly better vs. left handed pitching. And they are sending human pitching machine James Shields to the mound. If Gausman can last five innings, he is virtually assured the win.

Bargain Pitchers:

Zack Wheeler ($7,200): Wheeler dominated the Marlins earlier this year, putting up 30 DraftKings points by allowing only one run on two hits in seven innings while striking out seven. The Marlins offense hasn’t gotten any better in the last month, so don’t be shocked if Wheeler puts up another similar performance tonight.

Tyler Chatwood ($6,500): The Indians are only hitting .121 against Chatwood in 33 at bats with one homer to go with seven strikeouts. Chatwood has also putting up a 3.14 ERA over his first eight starts. However, the 1.49 WHIP siphons points in a hurry, especially with a pitcher that doesn’t record a ton of strikeouts.

Caleb Smith ($6,400): Smith put up 15.7 DraftKings points in his start against the Mets this year. the seven strikeouts went a long ways toward bailing him out, but that has been the hallmark of Smith this year. He provides huge strikeout potential at a very affordable price. He has 57 strikeouts in just 42.2 innings pitched! That alone makes him worth a look at this price.

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 21: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with Pedro Severino #29 and Mark Reynolds #14 after hitting a home run in the second inning for his first career Major League hit against the San Diego Padres at Nationals Park on May 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

Washington Nationals vs. Eric Lauer:

We saw the Nationals work over Robbie Erlin last night, and he had better marks than Lauer’s 8.14 ERA and 2.10 WHIP. It could be another huge night for the Nationals, though they usually do better against right handed pitchers. I’m a big fan of Anthony Rendon, Mark Reynolds, Trea Turner, Michael Taylor, and Bryce Harper again. Pedro Severino is worth a look as a cheap catcher if he starts again.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Brandon McCarthy:

Some will be off of the stack wagon because of McCarthy’s solid outing against the Cubs in his last turn. However, the Phillies are hitting .325 against McCarthy in 77 at bats with a homer and ten runs to only 16 strikeouts. This wont be as lucrative as a Nationals stack, but Carlos Santana, Rhys Hoskins, Odubel Herrera, Maikel Franco, and Cesar Hernandez are all worth a look here.

Atlanta Braves vs. Vince Velasquez:

The Braves are hitting .337 with three homers and 15 runs in just 98 at bats against Velasquez. Velasquez has a good strikeout total, but not much else has gone his way against Atlanta. Johan Camargo, Ryan Flaherty, and Ozzie Albies have all homered off of him already. Ronald Acuna and Nick Markakis are worth a look as well. So is whoever starts at catcher.

Los Angeles Angels vs. J.A. Happ:

Yes, I am advocating a stack against what is essentially a staff ace. The Angels have pounded Happ in his career. They are hitting .304 with a whopping 12 homers and 36 runs in just 148 at bats! No amount of strikeouts will make up for that, but for what it’s worth, Happ has 18 strikeouts in that span compared to 28 walks. Justin Upton is 4-8 with two homes and four RBI. Kole Calhoun is 5-16 with two homers and three RBI against Happ. Ian Kinsler is 6-19 with a homer and five RBI. Chris Young is very cheap, and is 7-21 with two homers, six RBI, and seven walks against Happ. Andrelton Simmons, Albert Pujols, Zack Cozart, and Jefry Marte have all cleared the fences against Happ at well, and all are hitting above .250 against him. Curiously absent from this homer parade is Mike Trout, but he is 5-14 with two doubles, six walks, and six RBI against Happ.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Jameson Taillon:

Taillon has done well against a lot of teams so far. The Reds are not one of them. Cincinnati is hitting .277 with six homers and 21 runs in 141 at bats with only 22 strikeouts. It gets worst at Great American Launching Pad. Taillon has a 6.43 ERA there in three career starts. Billy Hamilton is 7-20 with a walk, a double, a triple, two homers, three steals, four runs, and six RBI in his career against Taillon. Adam Duvall is 6-22(.273) with two doubles, two homers, and four RBI. Jesse Winker is only 1-6 against Taillon, but the hit is a home run. Jose Peraza is 8-13(.615) with a walk, two doubles, and four runs off of Taillon. Scooter Gennett is 8-22(.364) with a walk, three doubles, two runs, and two RBI.

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Matt Koch:

Koch has been pretty stable in the Arizona rotation so far, but Milwaukee thumped him for eight runs in 4.1 innings in his start against them. Miller Park isn’t as hitter friendly as Chase Field, but it’s not that far removed either. Domingo Santana, Tyler Saladino, Travis Shaw, and Christian Yelich all homered off of Koch in that game. Lorenzo Cain scored twice and stole a base.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chad Bettis:

The Dodgers are hitting .287 against Bettis in 87 at bats. They only have one homer, but the Dodgers have 17 runs to just 18 strikeouts. A Dodgers stack didn’t work out all that well last night, but I’m willing to try again. Matt Kemp has five RBI against Bettis with the only home run. Justin Turner also has five. Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, and Cody Bellinger are all worth a look as well.

Baltimore Orioles vs. James Shields:

The Orioles are hitting .297 off of Shields in 118 at bats with seven homers and 22 runs. Are there better stacks tonight? Probably. Are there cheaper ones? Not likely. Manny Machado is the only expensive piece here, and he is worth it. Machado is 4-8 with two homers and six RBI against Shields. Chris Davis is only $3,100, and he is 5-16 with three homers and seven RBI against Shields. Adam Jones is 14-47(.298) with a walk, five doubles, a triple, a homer, five runs, and six RBI off of Shields. If Jace Peterson is out there for some reason, he has also hit a homer off of Shields.

Oakland Athletics vs. Mike Leake:

The A’s are hitting a robust .381 against Leake with four homers nad 17 runs in 113 at bats. Jonathan Lucroy is struggling, but he is 20-41(.488) with three walks, three doubles, two homers, five runs, and eight RBI off of Leake. Khris Davis and Matt Chapman have both homered off of Leake as well. Of course, Matt Joyce is in play with a righty on the mound. Jed Lowrie and Marcus Semien are worth a look as well.

Houston Astros vs. Andrew Suarez:

Suarez has been below average so far this year. That certainly wont cut it against Houston. George Springer, Carlos Correa, and Jose Altuve are definitely on my want list. Evan Gattis and Yuli Gurriel are worth a look as well.

St Louis Cardinals vs. Jason Hammel:

The Cardinals are only hitting .176 off of Hammel, but Hammel has been so bad this year that I am electing to stack instead. Marcell Ozuna and Tommy Pham are great places to start. Matt Carpenter and Jose Martinez look very good as well. After that, Kolten Wong would appear to be the best bet for the fifth option.

Next: Other Notes for 5-22

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 13: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees follows through on a third inning single against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium on May 13, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Giancarlo Stanton is 13-51(.255) with three walks, three doubles, a triple, three homers, two steals, six runs, and seven RBI in his career against Cole Hamels. Hamels has never faced Aaron Judge or Tyler Austin, both of whom hit lefties hard. Didi Gregorius is 4-8 with two doubles and a run so far against Hamels.

I still don’t really trust Kenta Maeda, but a lot of the Rockies stats against him are skewed by Coors Field. However, I still like Charlie Blackmon here. Blackmon is 4-11 with a homer and two RBI against Maeda. Chris Iannetta is 3-6 with two homers and three RBI against Maeda. David Dahl has homered off of Maeda as well.

Brandon Belt is only 4-16 against Gerrit Cole, but he has three walks, three doubles, a homer, and five RBI against him.

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Middle Tier:

Matt Harvey has been better with the Reds so far, so I am foregoing a full on Pirates stack. However, Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell have both homered against Harvey in their careers. They both make good lineup fillers.

Trevor Cahill’s numbers are very good on the season, and pretty good against the Mariners. However, Kyle Seager is 5-10 with two homers and three RBI against Cahill.

Matt Boyd has struggled on the road some this year, so I have no issue stacking Twins against the lefty. Brian Dozier is 13-30(.433) with three walks, three doubles, three homers, ten runs, and five RBI in his career against Boyd. Robbie Grossman comes cheap, and he is 6-20 with six walks, two homers, and five RBI against Boyd. Eduardo Escobar is only 4-20 against Boyd, but he has two homers and five RBI against him as well.

Lance Lynn has really struggled as a Twin, but I honestly don’t see five Tigers that I would use against him. Nick Castellanos is a given, but after that it gets dicey. I’m not all that wild about Nick Goodrum or John Hicks, but they are worth a look. Leonys Martin is a good choice, but aside from he and Castellanos, my interest is lukewarm at best.

Arizona is only hitting .208 against Jhoulys Chacin, but a select few have hit him hard. It should come as no surprise that Paul Goldschmidt is one of those. He is mired in the worst slump of his career right now, but Goldy is 6-21(.286) with two doubles, a homer, and seven RBI against Chacin. David Peralta is 4-12 with a homer and three RBI. Chris Owings is 3-7 with a homer and four RBI against Chacin.

I don’t know what to make of Domingo German after he dominated Cleveland, then got blasted by the A’s. Shin-Soo Choo, Nomar Mazara, and Joey Gallo are worth a look if you think German goes off the rails again. Rougned Odor is still very cheap, and so is Jurickson Profar if you want to turn this into a stack situation.

Curtis Granderson has done a bulk of the damage to Garrett Richards. Granderson is 4-6 with three homers and five RBI off of Richards in his career. Kendrys Morales has the other homer off of Richards, and Yangervis Solarte is about the only hot Toronto hitter right now.

Jake Faria‘s good start is a pretty distant memory right now, but the Red Sox are only hitting .192 off of him so far. I’m avoiding a whole stack, but Xander Bogaerts is worth using. Bogaerts is 2-5 with a double, a homer, and six RBI already against Faria. Mookie Betts is 3-7 with a double and three runs scored.

Bargain Shoppers:

Yonder Alonso is cheap, and has also hit a grand slam against Tyler Chatwood. That is the only damage done to Chatwood by the current Cleveland team, and Alonso is plenty cheap enough to take a shot with.

Cory Spangenberg is 6-10 with two walks, three doubles, two steals, four runs, and a RBI in his career against Jeremy Hellickson. I don’t see any other Padre worth paying for though. Hosmer’s career numbers against Hellickson aren’t great.

Asdrubal Cabrera was the Met that hit the homer off of Caleb Smith earlier this year. Lefty killer Wilmer Flores is also worth a look since he is so cheap.

Miguel Rojas is the only current Marlin to hit a homer against Zack Wheeler. Derek Dietrich is 2-9 with a pair of RBI if you need to go cheap at more than one slot.

Wilson Ramos is the only Ray that I would even consider tonight. Ramos is 4-13 with two homers and five RBI in his career against Chris Sale. The rest of his teammates are 5-53(.094) with one RBI and 22 strikeouts.

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!