DraftKings Early MLB Picks June 9: Pick the pitcher's duel in Tampa

ST PETERSBURG, FL – MAY 22: A general view of Tropicana Field during a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox on May 22, 2018 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks June 9: Pick the pitcher’s duel in Tampa

We have an interesting Saturday slate today. Most of the games are early. The noon eastern first pitch of the Giants-Nationals game is lopped off of the early slate. If you want a piece of that one, you have to play the all day tournament. That still leaves us ten early games, and while the pitching isn’t as deep as last night, there are still plenty of good options. The middle tier looks better than it has in a while despite only two aces going.

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Rain is unlikely today, but there is some wind. There will be a 12 mph wind blowing out to right in Fenway and a 20 mph wind blowing out to right in Oakland. I doubt it helps the Royals bats 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

SAN DIEGO, CA – JUNE 3: Tyson Ross #38 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at PETCO Park on June 3, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Blake Snell ($11,800): Snell is worth every penny this afternoon. The Mariners are just 5-40 against Snell with 16 strikeouts and no extra base hits. Not one. On top of that, Snell has only issued two free passes. Snell’s only start against the Mariners this year was a dominant six shutout innings in which Snell allowed just two hits and racked up 12 strikeouts. I wouldn’t be surprised if he dominated like that again today.

Michael Wacha ($10,000): The Reds are hitting .286 against Wacha, but he does have a 2.54 ERA in eight starts at Great American Ballpark, his most at any stadium besides his own. You can’t deny that Wacha has been superb this year, but he only has 20 strikeouts in 175 at bats against the Reds. Also, Wacha has only averaged 16.6 DraftKings points in his two starts against the Reds this year. I think Wacha has a good game, but not good enough to warrant this price. There are better options, especially with the strong second tier this afternoon.

Tyson Ross ($9,600): The Marlins are hitting a strong .271 off of Ross, but they only have four runs and 11 strikeouts without a homer in 48 at bats. The Marlins offense doesn’t score a lot of runs, so there is clear potential here. Ross has limited the amount of free passes issued this year, so it’s not coincidence that he is having his best season so far. It continues here against the Marlins.

Middle Tier:

David Price ($9,200): The current White Sox are a pathetic 3-30 off of Price so far with just a two run homer to show for it. The seven strikeouts are a touch low, but nothing to worry about. This incarnation of the Pale Hose can strike out with the best of them. I’m not a huge fan of this price on Price. He has only had one real dominant outing this year. However, if you are moving out of the top tier, this is likely the place to go. Just look at what Sale did to these guys last night.

Mike Clevinger ($9,000): I am a huge fan of Clevinger at this price. First off, the Tigers are hitting just .135 in 52 at bats with one homer, but they have somehow managed five runs. However, Clevinger has 12 strikeouts in that span. Clevinger also has done his best work away from Progressive Field. He boasts a 2.38 ERA in five road starts, and this stadium is about as favorable for pitchers as you can get. His price should be much higher than it is.

Trevor Cahill ($8,400): Cahill was okay in his only career start against the Royals. That said, this offense is not what is what with Hosmer there. Cahill is not a big strikeout guy, so it’s a little tougher to pony up this much cash, but Cahill has been almost unhittable at home. In four home starts, Cahill has a 0.79 WHIP and 0.64 ERA in 28 innings with 29 strikeouts. He could turn in a dominant performance this afternoon, and is well worth any risk.

NOTE: Cahill has been scratched with a sore Achilles. Chris Bassitt is the new starter. If you want to roll with Bassitt, it’s not a bad spot and he is really cheap. I still don’t trust any Royals except maybe Moose.

Bargain Pitchers:

Kevin Gausman ($7,300): The time was long ago. Nearly two months. You know, back when Gausman was in the middle of a really good April. Gausman racked up 20.1 DraftKings points in the Jays in Baltimore on that chilly April day. Now, Gausman has given up six or more runs in three of his last four starts. You know the risks, however, Gausman may recapture some of the magic against a team that he was good against earlier this year.

Dan Straily ($7,000): There is a lot of potential, and a lot of risk, among starters today. Straily definitely fits that mold. The Padres are hitting .291 against Straily, but only have one homer and four runs in 55 at bats to go with 17 strikeouts. Straily has always been good at picking up strikeouts, so this is not a fluke. The Padres are finally getting healthy, but they still have no offensive rhythm. There is really good potential here.

Aaron Sanchez ($6,900): Like Gausman, Sanchez dominated the Orioles earlier this season, racking up 22.6 DraftKings points against them on April 10th. His numbers since then included a trip to the DL, and have been lackluster since his return with the exception of his last start against Detroit. I actually see more potential here for Sanchez. It helps that the Orioles are only hitting .229 against Sanchez in 157 at bats with seven homers, 14 runs, and 33 strikeouts. We can work with those numbers for this low of a price.

Felix Hernandez ($6,500): The ultimate form of irony is having a guy nicknamed the King priced at $6,500. And you know what? Felix shouldn’t be today. His last start was against the Rays in Seattle. King Felix turned in arguably his best start of the last two years, holding the Rays to one run on five hits in eight innings. We may not get an exact replica of that start, but I’m betting that Felix outperforms this price by a long shot.

FanDuel MLB: TORONTO, ON – MAY 17: Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics is congratulated by Khris Davis #2 after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 17, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

Los Angeles Angels vs. Kyle Gibson:

Yes, Gibson has pitched well at home this year. However, the Angels have a ton of good hitters in this lineup, and Gibson thrives on having the ball put in play. That’s not a good combination no matter how you look at it. Both Ian Kinsler and Pujols have homered twice off of Gibson already. Trout has the other. Justin Upton has also hit Gibson well even though he hasn’t left the yard against him yet. Zack Cozart is worth a look as well, and the Angels wont break your budget.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Jon Lester:

Sometimes, some teams just have a pitcher’s number. That seems to be the case with the Pirates against Lester. The Bucs are hitting .268 with nine homers and 30 runs against Lester in 228 at bats. I wouldn’t pay too much attention if this game weren’t in Wrigley, but since it is, there are six Pirates that have hit a homer off of Lester. Sean Rodriguez, in his $2,800 glory, has smacked three of them in 53 at bats. Austin Meadows, Elias Diaz, Jordy Mercer, Josh Bell, Cervelli, and Josh Harrison are the other ones to homer. That’s right….Marte , Polanco, and Dickerson have not hit a homer off of Lester. That could change today.

Boston Red Sox vs. Carlos Rodon:

I like Rodon. I really do. Always have. But there is no way that I am using him in Fenway today. There are way too many negative here. First off, Rodon is making his first start of the season in an extreme hitters park. The current Red Sox are hitting .279 against Rodon in 43 at bats with two homers and seven runs. The 15 strikeouts are nice, but that isn’t enough to tempt me into using Rodon. Maybe if he wasn’t making his 2018 debut, but that’s still a big maybe. J.D. Martinez and Eduardo Nunez have the homers off of Rodon so far. Bogaerts is 3-5 off of Rodon. I also like Bradley and Benintendi to finish this thing off.

Oakland Athletics vs. Danny Duffy:

Look, the numbers are there for Duffy, but the performance this year is just not. There are way too many right handed power bats in this lineup for me to trust Duffy against them. Josh Phegley, Semien, and Khris Davis have already homered off of Duffy. Other such as Matt Chapman, Jed Lowrie, and Chad Pinder are significant threats to join them. This is a cheap, and potentially lucrative, stack this afternoon.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Luis Castillo:

There is no part of me that trusts Castillo against the Cardinals. He was lucky to only give up three runs to the Cardinals earlier this year. Kolten Wong has the only homer so far, but Matt Carpenter, Tommy Pham, and Jose Martinez are good bets to get one in this stadium. Anyone with a Cardinals uniform on today is worth a look against Castillo and his 5.68 ERA.

Next: Other notes for 6-9

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 03: Brian Dozier #2 of the Minnesota Twins rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Cleveland Indians during the seventh inning of the game on June 3, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Indians 7-5. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

I’m always a little leery when thinking about using a lefty against the Twins. Tyler Skaggs could have a great game, but he could also be battered by a team that loves facing left handed pitching. Brian Dozier has homered off of Skaggs. In fact, he is perfect against Skaggs with a walk, a homer, and a single. Eddie Rosario has also homered off of Skaggs if you are looking for a mini stack. I also can’t count out Eduardo Escobar right now.

I expect a decent game from Nick Kingham today, but I don’t expect him to keep the Cubs in check. Rizzo is still hitting well, so he and Bryant are in play. Ben Zobrist hit a two run homer off of Kingham in his first start against the Cubs. Jason Heyward had two hits off of Kingham in that game, so there is some value here among Cubs.

Mike Fiers has been better than expected this year, but he could still struggle against an offense like Cleveland. I’m not brave enough to stack, but Edwin and Lonnie Chisenhall have already homered off of Fiers in their careers. So has the red hot Jose Ramirez. All three are worth using here, but I definitely want Jose no matter what.

Michael Wacha has been big for the Cardinals this year, and actually has a 2.54 ERA at Great American Ballpark in his career. However, the Reds are hitting .286 against Wacha with 17 runs in 175 at bats. Joey Votto has the only homer off of Wacha, but Suarez is 7-20 with three RBI. Gennett also has three RBI. There is decent potential among Reds hitters today.

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Middle Tier:

Brent Suter has actually be solid on the road, and has decent career numbers against the Phillies. However, we can’t forget the stadium that the Phillies play in. This is a hitter’s park. So while I am avoiding a full blown stack, I’ve still got my eye on Hernandez leading off and Odubel Herrera, who is the only current Phillie to take Suter deep.

Miggy is skewing the line on Mike Clevinger today. Cabrera is only 2-13 against Clevinger, but he has a homer and five RBI, which is all the damage that the Tigers have done to Clevinger in his career so far.

Jake Arrieta‘s career numbers against Milwaukee are not good, specifically against Ryan Braun. Braun is 7-26(.269) with three homers, two steals, and a whopping 10 RBI off of Arrieta. Eric Sogard, Domingo Santana, and Hernan Perez have all homered off of Arrieta as well.

Jose Abreu has the two run homer off of David Price, but the rest of the team has done absolutely nothing against the former ace. I’m staying off of White Sox here.

Bargain Shoppers:

I’m not a huge believer that Gausman has righted the ship. Curtis Granderson is 3-7 with two solo homers off of Gausman. Aledmys Diaz and Justin Smoak have both homered off of Gausman as well. Kevin Pillar is 12-28(.429) with two walks, a double, and three RBI, and comes at a very low price.

Yes, Chris Davis is slumping, but this could be the place to give him a shot. Davis is 8-23(.348) with 11 walks, four homers, and five RBI off of Aaron Sanchez. Jonathon Schoop is 9-25 with a solo homer off of Sanchez. Both Adam Jones and Pedro Alvarez have homered off of Sanchez as well, but they are a combined 5-43 off of him in their careers.

If you don’t trust Cahill (and you have no reason not to, by the way), Alcides Escobar has two RBI off of him and is just $2,800.

Justin Bour is worth a look here against Tyson Ross. Bour is 3-6 with a double, a RBI, and two runs off of Ross.

Go figure, Franmil Reyes is the only current Padre to homer off of Dan Straily. I also like Eric Hosmer here. The counting stats will come.

Carlos Gomez can maybe be added to a cheap stack. Gomez is 6-20 with two homers and five RBI in his career against King Felix. Wilson Ramos and C.J. Cron have also homered off of Felix, but that is Cron’s only hit in ten at bats. All of the other nine ended with a strikeout.

Next: DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdowns

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