DraftKings Early MLB Picks May 26: Don't pay for pitching

PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 27: A baseball sits on the floor of the Colorado Rockies dugout during a rain delay before the start of their game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on May 27, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks May 26: Don’t pay for pitching

Only one game is early today, so DraftKings only has the Boston-Atlanta game in showdown format. Most of the action is in the mid afternoon, with eight games starting between 3:00 and 5:00 eastern. That is the early DraftKings tournament for today. They also did away with the all day tournament. At least there are still six games at night!

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Rain is likely in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It looks like they could be lucky to get the game in in Pittsburgh. They should get the Philly game in, but it could be delayed. That makes Nola a really big risk. Wind will not be much of a factor though.

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

ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 20: Jack Flaherty #32 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium on May 20, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Jack Flaherty ($10,900): All of the uncertainty in Philly leaves the top tier rather barren. Flaherty gave up three runs in five innings to Pittsburgh earlier this year, but Starling Marte did most of the damage, driving in two of those three. His 13 strikeout domination of the Phillies last week has me eying Flaherty as the best option of the afternoon. There is a lot of potential here.

Middle Tier:

Trevor Williams ($8,600): The Cardinals have hit Williams pretty hard in his career, but in his first start against them this season, Williams held them to two runs in six innings. I expect Williams to continue his recent run of solid starts. I would consider Williams as one of the more stable options of the afternoon, but I don’t see a lot of upside here.

Francisco Liriano ($8,000): The current White Sox do not have a hit off of Liriano. Don’t get too excited, it’s only in ten at bats. Liriano is coming of an outing against Seattle in which he gave up just one hit in eight innings. It was by far his best start as a Tiger. Can he bring some of that success home with him? Liriano has struggled some at Comerica this year.

Daniel Mengden ($7,000): I think there is some hidden value here. Arizona’s offense still isn’t hitting all that well, and Buchholz will blow up at some point. Maybe it’s today and maybe it’s not, but Mengden’s numbers have been consistently solid this year. I also doubt ownership will be high here either.

Bargain Pitchers:

Chase Anderson ($6,800): Anderson’s career numbers against the Mets are nothing to write home about, but Anderson dominated the Mets earlier this year. Anderson held them to one run and only two hits in 6.1 innings. We may see another outing similar to that here today. Anderson held the Diamondbacks to just one run in his return from the DL. He should do well against the Mets here.

Hector Santiago ($6,100): The Tigers are only hitting .208 against Santiago in 120 at bats, but they do have four homers and ten runs. The 28 strikeouts are a solid total as well. Santiago turned in his best start of the year against Baltimore in his last outing. Now he gets to face a Tiger offense without Miggy in their cavernous pitcher’s park. There is solid potential here.

Ian Kennedy ($6,000): The Rangers are hitting just .136 against Kennedy is 59 at bats with only one run and 16 strikeouts. That said, Kennedy has been atrocious on the road, posting a 7.84 road ERA. Texas was able to knock around Skoglund a little last night, so there is a chance they will do the same to Kennedy as well.

Jason Vargas ($5,300): You have to be willing to take a risk with this one. However, the Brewers are only hitting .172 against Vargas in 29 at bats with seven strikeouts. Vargas is coming off what is easily his best outing of the year, and his ERA is still a vulgar 9.87. Good luck! You’re going to need it with Vargas!

ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 17: Rhys Hoskins #17 and Cesar Hernandez #16 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate their 5-1 win over Atlanta Braves after 10 innings at SunTrust Park on April 17, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Jaime Garcia:

Garcia gets a bit of a reprieve facing a National League lineup, but this game is in Philly. Garcia owns a 6.28 ERA and this is his first start off the DL. This looks like a stack to me! Cesar Hernandez and Rhys Hoskins are definitely in play. Odubel Herrera hits most lefties well enough to use him as well. Nick Williams and Carlos Santana look good as well.

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Jason Vargas:

As I mentioned, Vargas still boasts a 9.87 ERA on the season. Even worse is his ghastly 15.26 ERA on the road. Yes, this is a team that DFA’d Matt Harvey. I really like Lorenzo Cain, Domingo Santana, Jonathan Villar batting leadoff, and Ryan Braun here. Hernan Perez is likely worth a look as well.

Miami Marlins vs. Tanner Roark:

Okay, before you go trash me on Twitter, watch the highlights from last night. The Marlins did very well against Scherzer, and they have superb career numbers against Roark. The Fish are hitting .303 with five homers and a staggering 22 runs in 119 at bats. Justin Bour is a must-play. Bour is only 5-26(.192), but he has three homers and eight RBI. Derek Dietrich and Martin Prado have homered off of Roark as well. Prado is 10-23(.435) with a homer and five RBI. Look out for Realmuto and Miguel Rojas as well.

Washington Nationals vs. Wei-Yin Chen:

The Nats have 11 runs in just 56 at bats against Chen. Mark Reynolds is 3-7 with two walks, two homers, and four RBI against Chen. Trea Turner is 2-5 with a solo shot off Chen. Michael Taylor has also hit a solo homer off of him. Bryce Harper is 5-18(.278) with two doubles, a triple, and four RBI off of Chen.

Baltimore Orioles vs. Ryne Stanek:

Baltimore got to Romo in the first inning last night and tagged him with the loss. The Rays bullpen did well against Baltimore last night. That means they could be worn out tonight. I like Manny Machado quite a bit. The lefty power of Alvarez and Chris Davis is worth a look at the bargain price as well. If you are stacking, Schoop and Adam Jones should polish it off.

Next: Other Notes for 5-25

PHOENIX, AZ – AUGUST 24: Matt Carpenter #13 of the St Louis Cardinals celebrates with teammate Tommy Pham #60 after hitting a third inning home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on August 24, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

The Royals are hitting .340 against Bartolo Colon, but that offense hasn’t done much lately. Whit Merrifield and Moose are worth a look at the very least. Alex Gordon is 4-10 with three walks, two doubles, a homer, four runs, and five RBI in his career against Colon. Alcides Escobar is 3-7 with two runs and two RBI off of Colon. Colon has also struggled at home. That’s why I’m not considering him for use as a pitcher.

Trevor Williams isn’t going to pitch a shutout. Matt Carpenter and Tommy Pham have both hit home runs against Williams in their careers. They could be good plays again tonight. Marcell Ozuna has three RBI in only five at bats against Williams.

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Middle Tier:

I still don’t trust Ian Kennedy. I’ll take a shot with Gallo’s light tower power. Nomar Mazara, Rougned Odor, and Jurickson Profar are worth looks as well.

There are a couple of reasons that I’m not stacking against Clay Buchholz today. First off, he pitched well in his first start. Oakland also isn’t a park that’s conducive to offense. And Davis is still out. So give me Dustin Fowler, Semien, Lowrie, and a bag of Spicy Nacho Doritos, and I’ll be good.

Devin Mesoraco, Michael Conforto, Adrian Gonzalez, and Jay Bruce have all hit home runs off of Chase Anderson. The red-hot Brandon Nimmo is worth a look as well if you think the Mets can get to Anderson.

Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada have never faced Francisco Liriano. They are both worth a look here. So is Matt Davidson for the power potential alone.

The Blue Jays have actually hit Aaron Nola hard. When you combine that with the likelihood of rain, I’m off of Nola. Kendrys Morales and Josh Donaldson have both homered off of him if you are chasing homers.

Bargain Shoppers:

If James McCann starts, he needs to be in our lineups. McCann is 5-17 with three homers and seven RBI already against Hector Santiago. Nick Castellanos has also taken him deep, but Castellanos is just 3-19(.158) against him.

I really like Brad Miller against Andrew Cashner today. The Rays aren’t an offense that I would use for a stack, but Miller and guys like Matt Duffy and C.J. Cron could be worth a one off usage.

Next: DraftKings Main Slate MLB Picks

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. We also have some EPL picks coming your way. And don’t forget, Fantasy CPR has something big coming your way in June. Stay tuned for that!