DraftKings Main MLB Picks May 25: Carrasco or McCullers?

DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 18: Colorado Rockies mascot “Dinger” waves a flag to signal the start of the Comfort Dental “Tooth Trot” costumed mascot race during a break in the action of a game between the Colorado Rockies and the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field on September 18, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Main MLB Picks May 26: Carrasco or McCullers?

We have six evening games making up the main DraftKings tournament tonight. Despite the lighter slate, the pitching is much better than in the afternoon. How should we approach this slate? Let’s dive right in this!

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There is a slight chance of rain in New York and Cleveland, but it shouldn’t be enough to threaten the game being played.

As if it were a gift, there is a 12 mph wind blowing out to right at Coors. This ought to be interesting!

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 03: Starting pitcher Alex Wood #57 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the MLB game at Chase Field on May 3, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Dodgers defeated the Diamondbacks 5-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Carlos Carrasco ($11,600): Houston is hitting a strong .271 against Carrasco in 96 at bats, but they only have two homers and six runs to go with a solid 22 strikeouts. Carrasco’s numbers are quite a bit better than McCullers tonight. It’s worth the extra $600 to go with Carrasco instead.

Alex Wood ($10,100): The Padres are hitting a strong .290 against Wood, but they only have two homers and four runs in 69 at bats with 17 strikeouts. Even if Wood does get into trouble, he has been able to bail himself out. The strikeouts will also mitigate the damage. Wood is a solid fade option if you don’t want to use Carrasco against the Astros.

Middle Tier:

Jake Odorizzi ($9,400): Odorizzi has only allowed two runs in his last three starts. There is good potential with him taking the hill in spacious Safeco Field. Seattle is only hitting .239 off of Odorizzi with three homers and 22 strikeouts in 88 at bats. However, he has allowed 10 runs. There is some risk involved, but considering that the rookie Romero shut Seattle down last night, there is also really good potential.

Bargain Pitchers:

Tyler Anderson ($6,400): Anderson actually has a better ERA at home this year, and a lot of the Reds’ power comes from the left side. Anderson pitched well in his only game against the Reds last year, but that was in Cincinnati. Still, if Anderson can survive five innings, he is pretty much gifted a win. Anderson also posts solid strikeout numbers for this price range. There is potential here, but it is not without risk.

Jaime Barria ($5,300): Barria has been outstanding for the Angels this year, but this is going to be a huge test at Yankee Stadium. Barria has a splendid 0.87 ERA in two road starts and is taking on a struggling pitcher on the other side. There is good potential here, especially when you look at Heaney’ strong start last night. The risk is sizeable though with all of the right handed power in this lineup.

FanDuel MLB: ANAHEIM, CA – MAY 14: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim looks on prior to a game against the Houston Astrosat Angel Stadium on May 14, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Los Angeles Angels vs. Sonny Gray:

Gray has been up and down all year, but he is coming off of his best start of the year in KC last week. I don’t care. Gray has a 6.48 ERA at Yankee Stadium this year. Mike Trout is only 7-34(.206) against Gray, but he has three homers and four RBI. Luis Valbuena is a superb 6-11 with three walks, a homer, and two RBI against Gray. Albert Pujols is 8-33(.242) with a homer and four RBI. Justin Upton could be worth a look as well.

Chicago Cubs vs. Chris Stratton:

Stratton has been solid on the road with a 3.60 ERA and 1.03 WHIP compared with 6.65 and 2.00 at home. That said, Wrigley is a hitter’s paradise, and the Cubs are loaded. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Ian Happ, Addison Russell, and Javier Baez look like a good stack to me. Stratton still allows a lot of base runners. The Cubs could make him pay for that.

Colorado Rockies vs. Tyler Mahle:

The wind is blowing out to right, so Charlie Blackmon is pretty much a must. So is Gerardo Parra. CarGo, Story, and Nolan Arenado are also worth a look. The only question is how to we stack this game with Trout and still get a pitcher? It’s time to get creative, which could include throwing in Iannetta and Daniel Castro instead of a high priced guy.

Minnesota Twins vs. Wade LeBlanc:

The Twins hit lefties hard, even though they were handcuffed by James Paxton last night. This could be their revenge on lefties here. Brian Dozier is definitely in play here. So is Miguel Sano because of the power potential. Eduardo Escobar, Robbie Grossman, and Byron Buxton are all cheap, and all have solid upside.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Jordan Lyles:

The Dodgers are hitting a ridiculous .347 off of Lyles in 98 at bats with 20 runs to just 13 strikeouts. Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, and Matt Kemp have all homered off of Lyles. Justin Turner is 3-7 with three RBI. Austin Barnes is 4-5 with two runs and a RBI. Chris Talor and Cody Bellinger are worth a look as well. The hardest part will be paring this stack down to five players.

Next: Other Notes for 5-25

CINCINNATI, OH – MAY 24: Eugenio Suarez #7 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a grand slam in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on May 24, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds won 5-4. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

If Eugenio Suarez could stay healthy, he would lead the majors in RBI. Suarez is the only current Red to hit a homer off of Tyler Anderson. Suarez and Adam Duvall are worth a look regardless of whether you use Tyler Anderson as one of your pitchers or not.

Is there a correction coming for Jaime Barria? If so, Stanton and Judge are going to have a lot to do with it. Possibly Gary Sanchez too. Or it could be a cheap platoon guy like Tyler Austin. The Yankees are either going to go big or fall flat again. I don’t really see an in between here.

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Middle Tier:

I don’t trust McCullers enough to use him for that price, but I don’t trust Cleveland enough to stack either despite the 10 RBI in only 52 at bats. Edwin has the only Cleveland homer against McCullers. Both Yonder Alonso and Michael Brantley have three RBI off of McCullers.

Jose Quintana has a 6.10 ERA at Wrigley this year, so hello Buster Posey! Posey is 2-6 with a homer and three RBI off of Quintana. Austin Jackson is 10-30 with a homer, six runs, and four RBI, so play Jackson if he starts. Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria are worth a look as well.

Mitch Haniger, Kyle Seager, and Nelson Cruz have all hit home runs against Jake Odorizzi in their careers. Cruz and Haniger also have four RBI off of him.

Bargain Shoppers:

It’s the cheapo ‘Stros that have done the damage to Carlos Carrasco. Marwin Gonzalez is 3-9 with a homer and two RBI against Carrasco. Brian McCann is only 2-13, but he has the other homer against Carrasco. Jose Altuve is 7-20, but only has one RBI to show for it.

Jose Pirela and Christian Villanueva have both homered off of Alex Wood. Manuel Margot is finally showing signs of life, and could be worth a look against the lefty Wood.

Next: Early DraftKings 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!