DraftKings Main MLB Picks July 4: Cole is money vs. Rangers

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – APRIL 04: Captain, the Texas Rangers mascot, waves the team flag after the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Opening Day at Globe Life Park in Arlington on April 4, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Main MLB Picks July 4: Cole is money vs. Rangers

Happy Independence Day out there! Make sure you are safe in your celebrations, and be courteous to your neighbors. We have a pretty even split today. There are seven games in both the early and main tournaments, with the Nats and Red Sox starting earlier than everyone else. That is available in all day and showdown modes. We have some good pitchers at night as well, but much like the early tourneys, the middle tier is thin.

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There is no rain tonight, so we can just enjoy the baseball! The only wind is a brisk 14 mph wind in from left in Arlington. However, the weather is still good for hitters.

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. We have plenty of writers on here who give you relevant information no matter which site you play on!

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

PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 22: Patrick Corbin #46 of the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers a pitch in the third inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 22, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Trevor Bauer ($13,600): The Royals are hitting a solid .259 against Bauer, but they only have three homers and ten runs in 135 at bats. The 32 strikeouts are a little low, but we already know that this is a breakout season for Bauer. His past stats haven’t really been close to what he has done this year. Bauer only has 27.8 DraftKings points in two starts against the Royals though. Cole is a much better option, and is $600 less.

Gerrit Cole ($13,000): Cole has absolutely dominated the Rangers this year. In three starts against Texas, Cole has 101.4 DraftKings points. This is a stark contrast to McCullers, who has struggled in Arlington. I’m avoiding all Rangers hitters here because I expect another dominant start for Cole. I’m thinking high 20’s on the low end.

Middle Tier:

Patrick Corbin ($11,100): The Cardinals are only hitting .231 with a homer and five RBI in 52 at bats against Corbin with 13 strikeouts. The Cardinals have struggled against lefties lately with the exception of Robbie Ray. However, the writing was on the wall for Ray. His numbers at home and against the Cardinals were terrible. Corbin’s home numbers are worse as well with a 3.70 ERA in ten starts, but his price is already adjusted. Corbin still has the strikeout upside at a reasonable price decline.

Rich Hill ($8,700): Hill has held the Pirates to a .133 average in 30 at bats with one homer and three runs to go with seven strikeouts. We saw Pittsburgh hold their own against Kershaw last night, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a decent showing against Hill. However, the middle tier is weak, and Hill has much better career numbers against Pittsburgh than Kershaw. I promise. Hill is a decent mid-range option tonight.

Bargain Pitchers:

Marcus Stroman ($6,500): Stroman has made two really strong starts off the DL. Maybe the time off cured what his issue was early in the season. Stroman was horrible over the first six weeks of the season. However, he has only allowed one earned run in 12 innings since his return. He gets to face a Mets offense that really isn’t scaring anyone right now. There is a ton of potential at a very affordable price here. This may be the best time all season to use Stroman.

Andrew Suarez ($6,200): Suarez’s only start against the Rockies came in Coors earlier this year. He put up a solid 15.1 DraftKings points in that one. I would take that production for the price. Suarez really only made one mistake pitch in that game, so there is solid potential here.

Sal Romano ($5,100): Romano has been decent at home, so there is a little upside here. The real allure here is that Romano does not have the price inflation that Reds pitchers were getting against the White Sox. The Sox offense has a lot of power, but they still strike out a lot. That gives Romano a little bit of upside, but make no mistake about it. Romano still isn’t getting a quality start or much higher than ten DraftKings points.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 03: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers congratulates Max Muncy #13 after his solo home run during the first inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on July 3, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Cincinnati Reds vs. Dylan Covey:

Covey was rocked in his last start. Now he gets to take on one of the hottest offenses out there in the second best hitting environment in all of baseball. Good luck! The Reds are scoring runs in bunches right now. The usual suspects, Votto, Scooter, and Suarez, are all high priced. Even Scott Schebler‘s price is up there now. For a cheaper play, you can drop to speedster Billy Hamilton, or Tucker Barnhart, who is still batting second in what has become a loaded lineup.

Houston Astros vs. Mike Minor:

I’m not taking anything away from Minor. He has had a very good season, but he is just running into an elite offensive unit. Altuve and Springer are in play, but I might like Bregman more than both of them. Gurriel and Max Stassi have both homered off of Minor in the past. It’s tough for Minor with all of this right handed power in really good hitting conditions.

Cleveland Indians vs. Trevor Oaks:

Oaks gave up 12 hits in five innings in his lone start of the season against the White Sox back in April. There is a reason that Oaks was back in the minors. Decent prospect or not, this is cruelty to animals (yes, pitchers are animals. Just ask them). Cleveland has had a big offensive series anyway. They don’t need post game fireworks in KC. Lindor, Michael Brantley, Yan Gomes, Jose Ramirez, and Yonder Alonso will provide plenty.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Clay Holmes:

Holmes will make his first major league start against the Dodgers in L.A. More animal cruelty. Holmes has done well at AAA, and has only allowed one run over four innings in two major league appearances this year. However, the Dodgers are really mashing right now. Max Muncy and Matt Kemp have had a huge series so far. So have Bellinger and Chris Taylor. That’s going to continue. The toughest question is going to be whether to use Puig, Grandal, or Kike for the fifth piece of your stack.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 30: DJ LeMahieu #9 of the Colorado Rockies is congratulated by Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies after scoring on pass ball from third base during the fourth inning against pitcher Kenta Maeda #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Brandon Nimmo and Asdrubal Cabrera are worth a look if you don’t believe in the recent surge of Marcus Stroman. I’m avoiding Mets hitters again though.

Miles Mikolas still has good numbers, but he only has nine strikeouts in his last three starts combined. The upside is no longer there, so I’m not paying that price. I would rather take some of that and use Goldschmidt against him.

The only damage really done to Andrew Suarez in his first go round in Coors was the three run homer hit by Trevor Story. Arenado is always worth a look with a lefty on the mound. Other than that, I’m not lining up to use Rockies against Suarez. He has had a strong season.

The Giants are expensive, but they just may be worth it. Tyler Anderson has pitched better lately, but he got destroyed by the Giants earlier this year. Brandon Crawford, Posey, and Gorkys Hernandez homered in that game. When it comes down to it, Hernandez is possibly my favorite play because of the reasonable price, and because Hernandez will likely bat leadoff.

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Middle Tier:

I’m not stacking against Sal Romano since he is pretty decent at home. Daniel Palka is hitting well. Jose Abreu and the power of Matt Davidson are always worth a look in a hitter’s paradise like this one.

I can make a hard case for stacking against Corey Oswalt. I can also make a hard case for using him. Instead, I will likely sprinkle in a Toronto player here and there. I don’t want to get too invested into either side of this one. Teoscar Hernandez and Curtis Granderson are my favorite pieces here, but you can make a case for Solarte as well.

Josh Harrison is the only Pirate to hit a homer off of Rich Hill so far. David Freese is also worth a look on the cheap. I’m not willing to spend more than $4,000 on any Pirate tonight though.

Bargain Shoppers:

Lucas Duda is starting to heat up just in time for the Royals to trade him. At any rate, he has already homered off of Trevor Bauer before, and he is just $3,300. Alcides Escobar is 10-30 wtih a homer and six RBI against Bauer, and provides more salary relief.

Next: DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdowns

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