DraftKings MLB Picks June 19: Verlander is in another elite situation

DENVER – MAY 6: Exterior general view before the Colorado Rockies game against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field on May 6, 1995 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks June 19: Verlander is in another elite situation

We have a full 15 game slate on our Tuesday with three ace pitchers and a solid second tier. Where can we save enough to use some Rockies and Mets? Let’s take a look!

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Rain is likely early at Wrigley again tonight, but it should clear out in time to get the game in. Of course, that’s what we thought last night. There is a chance of rain in Cincy almost throughout the game, so I think I’m avoiding starting pitchers in that one.

There is a lot less wind tonight. There is a 12 mph wind blowing in from right in Cleveland, which could help the pitchers out. There is also a stiff wind blowing at 18 mph out to center in San Francisco, but that’s normal.

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 $20 in free DraftKings dollars, 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

CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 14: Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians delivers the ball against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 14, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Justin Verlander ($13,300): I will remind you that this was an elite matchup for Cole last night as well. However, Cole had never faced the Rays. The Rays are hitting just .189 against Verlander in 53 at bats with just one run and 13 strikeouts. This is an elite matchup that I actually believe in and would spend the money on. However, like last night, Cleveland’s starter has equally impressive numbers against a team he has dominated for over $2,000 less.

Mike Clevinger ($10,800): The White Sox are only hitting .209 against Clevinger in 67 at bats with two homers and five runs to go with a staggering 23 strikeouts. Clevinger may have the best strikeout potential on the slate, and he wont break the bank to use him. Clevinger has racked up 63.6 DraftKings points in two games against the White Sox this season. He could score right up there with Sale and Verlander tonight and save you some cash in the process.

Cole Hamels ($9,700): The Royals are only hitting .206 against Hamels in 97 at bats with three homers, eight runs, and 20 strikeouts. Those are numbers that are worth looking into, but Hamels is no longer elite, and is priced like it here. The conditions in Kansas City are favorable for hitters again tonight, but most of this tier just under the elite has matchup problems. Last night the Royals still only mustered three runs on Bartolo Colon. The potential is still strong here.

Jose Berrios ($9,300): There are a couple of reasons that Berrios is here and Sale is not. Chris Sale has a 4.60 ERA in 13 career appearances (10 starts) at Target Field. Berrios has a 3.12 ERA in eight home starts, and held Boston to three runs in his only career start against them. Due to the strikeout potential and his numbers at home, not to mention how good Berrios has been in the last month, and he is the pitcher to have if using one from this game.

Middle Tier:

Mike Soroka ($8,900): The Blue Jays are decent at best with Donaldson out. Soroka has a 1.69 ERA in his two road starts this year. Toronto mostly plays as a hitter’s park, but the Toronto hitters haven’t been doing a whole lot. It’s a far better park that Soroka’s home one for pitchers. There is good potential here, even for this price.

Vince Velasquez ($8,600): Velasquez turned in a strong outing against the Rockies after being blasted by Milwaukee the start before. There is always risk involved with Velasquez, but he picked up 24.1 DraftKings points on the Cardinals in St. Louis earlier this year. The Cardinals are only hitting .213 off of Velasquez now with just a solo homer by Marcell Ozuna to show for their efforts. There is solid potential here tonight.

Freddy Peralta ($7,800): Peralta dazzled in his debut against the Rockies, but struggled in his second start against the Twins on May 19th. Since then though, he has only allowed four runs in five AAA starts. This is a good spot for Peralta here in a pitcher’s park against an unspectacular offense. Don’t expect another outing like his debut, but he could flirt with 20 DraftKings points here.

Carlos Rodon ($7,100): Covey came crashing back to Earth last night. Rodon could suffer the same fate, but Cleveland is only hitting .224 with just one homer and nine runs in 134 at bats against Cleveland with a solid 37 strikeouts. Those numbers are more than good enough for this price. Rodon had a bit of a subpar outing against Cleveland earlier this year, giving up two runs in five innings with only four strikeouts. He should go more than five in this one though, giving him potential for a score in the high teens.

Bargain Pitchers:

Dereck Rodriguez ($6,700): Rodriguez put up a solid 14.8 DraftKings points against Miami in his last start. The kicker here is that Rodriguez turned in his best start of his young career at home against the Phillies. Miami’s offense still doesn’t scare me. I expect another solid to strong outing from Rodriguez here.

Dan Straily ($6,400): The Giants are only hitting .205 with three homers and seven runs in 88 at bats with 17 strikeouts. Straily has shown the ability to rack up strikeouts at times in his career, but he has also shown a penchant for being hit hard. I don’t expect a great game from Straily, but in a pitcher’s park, he should be able to rack up enough strikeouts to bail him out of the runs he gives up.

Jason Hammel ($5,000): Hammel pitched his best game of his Royals tenure against this same Rangers team in Arlington on May 27th, striking out ten in 5.1 scoreless innings. Don’t count on a repeat performance, but Hammel has the track record here. The Rangers are only hitting .243 with a homer and eight runs in 103 at bats off of Hammel.

Sal Romano ($4,800): Romano has been decent against bad teams like the Royals, Mets, and Marlins. There is good potential here against a Detroit team that still isn’t hitting all that well. There is risk involved not only in the average pitcher, but the weather situation, but if you want a really cheap GPP dart, Romano fits the bill.

DENVER, CO – APRIL 7: Tony Wolters #14 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates and is doused with water after earning a base on balls with the bases loaded for a walk off RBI walk against the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field on April 7, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Washington Nationals vs. David Hess:

Hess has pitched fairly well, including once against this Nationals squad. However, Hess has surrendered eight homers in six games, including four in the last three starts. Teams are starting to get to him. That vaults Harper and Juan Soto into elite status. Anthony Rendon, Daniel Murphy, and Trea Turner are all worth a look as well.

Atlanta Braves vs. Jaime Garcia:

The Braves are hitting .302 off of Garcia in 43 at bats with two homers and seven runs. There is decent potential if you want to play Garcia since Freeman is a lefty and Acuna is still out. However, I’m starting my stack with Ozzie and Freeman, working my way to Dansby Swanson and maybe a little Markakis for good measure. Whoever starts at catcher is a good play here too. I’m leaning towards Flowers.

Colorado Rockies vs. Jason Vargas:

Vargas has been very solid for the Mets so far, but that isn’t going to happen at Coors Field. Vargas has a 11.40 ERA in three career Coors Field starts. I’m stacking this one! Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story are elite options. Blackmon and Iannetta fall just out of that tier, as do Ian Desmond and LeMahieu. The only one that I would really shy away from here are Parra. Everyone else is in play if they are in the lineup.

Houston Astros vs. Blake Snell:

Blake Snell has allowed three homers and six walks in his last two starts. Those are two things that plagued him earlier in his career. He has not faced Houston this year, but his past stats against them are downright ugly. Now that Snell is struggling a bit, I’m more inclined to throw Altuve, who has two solo homers off of Snell, and Gattis at him and see what sticks. Gattis and Bregman have also homered off of Snell in his career. George Springer is 2-4, but only has one run to show for it. Correa and Yuli Gurriel are worth a look as well.

Chicago Cubs vs. Rich Hill?

I wouldn’t be shocked if DraftKings removed this one from the slate all together. Rain is going to be in and around Chicago all day, so the chances of getting one game in aren’t good, let alone two. Anyway, if this game is in, and Hill is out there…. Rich Hill is back in Wrigley, where he has enjoyed moderate success over his career. However, he wasn’t facing Rizzo, Bryant, and Javier Baez. I also like Addison Russell and Albert Almora here. I don’t expect Hill to be long in the game though since this is his first start off of the DL.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Felix Pena:

Pena struggled in relief earlier this year, so yeah, let’s start him. Works for me! We can stack against him without breaking the bank like we would in Coors. Goldy is still expensive, but guys like Jake Lamb, Ketel Marte, and Nick Ahmed are very affordable. David Peralta is also too good to pass up in this matchup. The Angels bullpen could get a workout in this one.

Oakland vs. San Diego:

Yes, stack this entire game. Eric Lauer and Paul Blackburn are two of the worst starters available tonight, and the bullpens behind them aren’t much better. For Oakland, Khris Davis is nearly an elite option here. To back him up, Lowrie and Semien are great mid-range options. Mark Canha, Chad Pinder, and Jonathan Lucroy are also good plays on the cheap. For San Diego, none are very good hitters besides Hosmer. Behind him, we are chasing power. I also like Pirela hitting leadoff. For the power, I want Renfroe, Travis Jankowski, and Villanueva if I go with a full blown stack. I don’t really trust the Padres, so I will mostly use them as filler for other stacks.

Next: Other notes for 6-19

ANAHEIM, CA – MAY 02: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates his solo homerun with Justin Upton #8 for a 1-1 tie with the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Angel Stadium on May 2, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

I like Marco Gonzales, but not in Yankee Stadium. There is too much right handed power in that lineup. Aaron Judge is an elite play. Stanton and Sanchez are a notch below. Miguel Andujar is a cheaper option that could be in for a good game as well.

Matt Boyd has pitched well lately, but mostly at home, which is one of the most pitcher friendly parks in the majors. Now he travels to one of the most hitter friendly to face a team with quite a bit of right handed power. On the high end, I like Eugenio Suarez, but Adam Duvall is a great pick for a discount price here.

Matt Koch has been solid enough to not stack against, but I’m still a fan of Mike Trout and Justin Upton here. I likely wont go any deeper than that, but I want some exposure.

German Marquez pitched well against the Mets in CitiField earlier this year. I’m not on a stack here, but I still like Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith for the power potential.

Washington has not announced a starter yet, but I’m not crazy about the Orioles offense anyway. The only one really on my radar is Manny Machado, but if the Nats throw a lefty out there, Mancini, Danny Valencia, Adam Jones, and Schoop are worth considering.

Francisco Lindor is the only current Cleveland player to hit a homer against Carlos Rodon. However, Jose Ramirez is 5-15 lifetime against Rodon and could be worth a look as well. Brandon Guyer, the lefty masher, is also back at a very low price.

I don’t trust the Detroit offense, but Candelario and Nick Castellanos are still worth a look against the volatile Sal Romano.

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Middle Tier:

I don’t like the Seattle offense enough to stack on Domingo German, but it could be done. My Seattle exposure is probably going to be Span and Dee Gordon, but Kyle Seager, Cruz, and Haniger are all worth a look as well.

The Phillies got to Mikolas a little last night, and they could do the same to Weaver here. Carlos Santana and Cesar Hernandez have both homered off of Weaver already. Hoskins and Odubel Herrera are worth a look again tonight as well.

Belt and McCutchen have both homered against Dan Straily. So has Mac Williamson, and he is really cheap. A streaking Panda is also worth a look here.

Mitch Moreland is the only current Boston player to homer against Jose Berrios. However, Benintendi is still worth a look here. I’m not convinced that Betts is worth the price, especially with the Rockies at home.

Mike Montgomery has dominated the Dodgers in relief and has been a huge boon to the rotation since moving out of the bullpen. It’s hard to trust using him against a red-hot Dodgers offense though. I don’t see the Dodgers beating on him, but Matt Kemp is still in play for me here. I also like Kike Hernandez with a lefty on the mound.

I still like Freddy Peralta enough not to stack here, but it’s hard to ignore Starling Marte and Austin Meadows. I may dabble with them in a lineup or two.

If you are looking for a dart throw, Jose Abreu has both of the White Sox home runs against Mike Clevinger.

Adrian Beltre hit a home run last night, and has to be a strong candidate to do it again. He is the only current Ranger to hit a homer against Jason Hammel. However, Elvis Andrus is worth a look with his price still in this range.

Bargain Shoppers:

You wont see Brian Dozier at $3,500 often, and he really shouldn’t be here. Chris Sale has a 4.60 ERA in 58.2 innings pitched at Target Field. Dozier is 12-41(.293) with three homers and a staggering 11 RBI against Sale. Even LoMo has a homer off of Sale in his career! I’m not stacking on Sale, but there is no way I trust him enough to use him with numbers like that at Target Field.

The numbers for the Brewers against Jameson Taillon say stack, but the stadium says no. Hernan Perez has done a bulk of the damage against Taillon with three homers and eight RBI in just 15 at bats! The rest of the team has one homer and three RBI. Braun has the other homer, and the struggling Orlando Arcia has the other two RBI.

Paulo Orlando is 3-5 with a solo homer and a steal against Cole Hamels. Salvy and Drew Butera have also homered off of Hamels in his career.

Next: DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdowns

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