DraftKings Main MLB Picks July 14: Chase the strikeouts

CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 22: Cleveland Indians fans wait out a rain delay before the start of the game against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on June 22, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Main MLB Picks July 14: Chase the strikeouts

We have a pretty even split this Saturday, which is a nice change from the last couple. There are seven afternoon games, and six night games. What happened to the other two? Well, the Jays and Red Sox do battle earlier than everyone else, so you only have showdown or all day for that one. Milwaukee and Pittsburgh are even earlier than that for the start of their doubleheader, so if you are doing the all day one, get those lineups in early! This will cover the six game main slate. There are no true aces and a shallow middle tier, so pitching is going to be an adventure.

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Rain could delay the start of the game in Cleveland, but right now it look as though it’s smooth sailing after 8pm. The only wind of note is the customary San Francisco breeze.

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!

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ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 08: Andrew Heaney #28 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches in the fist inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Angel Stadium on July 8, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Andrew Heaney ($9,500): The Dodgers are only hitting .125 against Heaney in 32 at bats with no homers, three runs, and 11 strikeouts. Given the fact that many of the Dodgers’ best hitters hail from the left side, I can see the allure here. However, this is a road game, where Heaney has a 5.57 ERA in eight road starts. His price is the deal breaker for me since you can get just as many strikeouts if not more from Clevinger.

Mike Clevinger ($8,800): Clevinger’s price took a dive after he was kicked around by Cincinnati last week. You know what? Despite allowing five runs, Clevinger still picked up 19.5 DraftKings points because of the strikeouts. Clevinger pitched well against the Yankees earlier this year, racking up 29.5 DraftKings points and ten strikeouts in 7.2 innings. With the lack of a real lock at the top, I’m leaning towards the massive strikeout upside of Clevinger even against the Yankees. He may still hit 20 even if he gives up five runs!

Middle Tier:

Alex Wood ($8,600): This seems like an awful lot to pay for average numbers. Wood picked up 11.3 DraftKings points in his earlier start against the Angels. Average. Wood has a 3.88 ERA on the season. Again, average. Wood has a 3.68 home ERA. Again that’s a pretty average number. So are the four strikeouts that he picked up in the first Battle of Los Angeles. If you are playing Wood tonight you are essentially betting that Wood can magically reclaim last year’s stuff. Good luck with that. Wood will get you average numbers, but I see little upside here. He could be worth a look in cash games since average can win you money.

Jon Gray ($7,200): Gray was as shocked as the rest of us when the Rockies exiled him to the minors at the end of June. Gray has elite strikeout upside, but he can also give up runs like Brian Matusz. In case you didn’t know, Matusz posted a dreadful 10.69 ERA in 12 starts for the Orioles in 2011. Gray resembles that at times. Then Gray has 119 strikeouts in 92 innings pitched. The strikeout upside is clearly there, and the Mariners have to play Cruz in the outfield if they want his bat in the lineup. Maybe the trip to the minors shook him in a good way. Maybe it shook him in a bad way. We really wont know until the second inning, and by then it’s too late to switch. However, the elite strikeout numbers will leave a lot of people chasing the value here, especially at this price.

Bargain Pitchers:

CC Sabathia ($6,700): CC may be older than the dirt he stands on, but he is still 6-4 with a 3.34 ERA. He has been better at home, but Sabathia was filthy against Cleveland earlier this year. He put up 25.7 DraftKings points in six shutout innings, striking out seven and only allowing three hits. Over his career, the Tribe are only hitting .214 against Sabathia with only two homers and 16 runs in 206 at bats. There is a bit of concern with the weather here, especially since a rain delay could push start time past CC’s bedtime. If this is delayed, I will look elsewhere, but Sabathia’s numbers are good enough to roll the dice in GPP formats.

Luis Perdomo ($5,100): If you haven’t thought I’m insane yet, you might now. Short slates with bad pitching certainly make for some interesting picks. But you know me. I can back this up. The Cubs are hitting just .143 in two career starts against Perdomo with just two runs and five strikeouts. None of that jumps off the page. He lives in a pitcher’s park, but Perdomo has a 11.57 ERA there this year. The kicker? Perdomo has allowed just one homer all year, but that 2.10 WHIP is about twice the legal limit. You have to be crazy in a GPP for this pick, but I can guarantee low ownership.

ATLANTA, GA – JUNE 24: Mark Trumbo #45 of the Baltimore Orioles hits a pinch-hit two run home run in the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on June 24, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Baltimore Orioles vs. Martin Perez:

Okay, I’m starting to sound like a Cubs fan circa 2007, but I WILL GET MY BALTIMORE HOMER TONIGHT! I don’t usually stack Orioles, but when I do, it’s against a middling lefty. Oh, and Martin Perez is making his return from the DL. This isn’t just some hare-brained idea either. The Orioles are hitting .323 against Perez with six homers and 23 runs in just 127 at bats. Mark Trumbo has two of the homers and six of the RBI, so the stack starts there. Schoop has a homer and four RBI. Machado, Adam Jones, and Valencia have the other homers. Guess which five Orioles I’m taking tonight. Get on the bus to Homer City! Driven by Martin Perez!

Texas Rangers vs. Yefry Ramirez:

Yefry wasn’t awful against the Yankees in his first major league start, but he wasn’t good either. Texas has a ton of left handed power, and some of it was on display last night against Cobb. I like Gallo a lot here tonight as well. Choo and Mazara belong in the conversation, and it looks as though Rougned Odor is coming around. And there is always room for Elvis Andrus leading off. Voila! There’s a stack!

Colorado Rockies vs. Wade LeBlanc:

LeBlanc has been outstanding this year, but I just can’t use him here. The Rockies are hitting .338 with six homers and 13 runs in just 65 at bats against LeBlanc. Keep in mind that the Rockies bludgeon lefties even on the road. This is going to be another ugly game, and as we have seen all week, Coors Field is going to decide the cash line. Don’t miss out! Story and Arenado are sure plays, and LeMahieu is just a shade below. Chris Iannetta is worth a look. So is lefty specialist Noel Cuevas. If you have the cash, Ian Desmond is a good pick as well. However, the most damage has been done by Carlos Gonzalez. CarGo is 6-18 with three homers and five RBI against LeBlanc.

Chicago Cubs vs. Luis Perdomo:

Past stats be damned. Cub fans don’t care much for the past anyway, right? Recent is where it’s at, and that is what Perdomo would rather we forget. He has a 7.09 ERA in six starts, and a 11.57 ERA at home. That WHIP is a deadly 2.57 at home. Anyone in a Cub uniform is dangerous here. Rizzo and Bryant are the top picks, and Baez is just below. After that, I’m leaning towards a little salary relief with Addison Russell and a do it all guy in Ben Zobrist. Despite these horrible stats, Perdomo has only allowed one homer in 26.2 innings this year. The most bizarre part is that Perdomo has actually averaged more than four innings per start.

SEATTLE, WA – JULY 8: Ryon Healy #27 of the Seattle Mariners holds up teammate Mitch Haniger’s bat after Healy hit a three-run home run off of starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela #49 of the Colorado Rockies that also scored Kyle Seager #15 of the Seattle Mariners, Nelson Cruz #23 during the sixth inning of a game at Safeco Field on July 8, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Aaron Judge has the only homer and all of the RBI for the Yankees against Mike Clevinger. He is the only Yankee that I’m really interested in tonight since the price on Hicks is out of control.

Let’s see, Mike Trout and Justin Upton are not average, so putting them in there against the 2018 average version of Alex Wood seems like a good idea. Especially when you consider that these guys are still priced like they are facing Kershaw.

At first glance, many of the Mariners are reasonably priced. I see Haniger as too expensive, but Span, Kyle Seager, and and Ryon Healy are all reasonably priced and all have big time power potential at Coors. You can stack against Jon Gray if you want. I want some exposure, but I think I’m going away from the stack. Too much chalk, and not enough upside. I could see Gray shining in his return.

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Middle Tier:

I really like Yan Gomes at this price against CC Sabathia. Gomes and Kipnis have the homers against CC, but Lindor and Jose Ramirez are each batting .500 against Sabathia in 12 and ten at bats respectively.

I’m not sure how much Dodger exposure I want to Heaney, but considering his road woes, Matt Kemp and Chris Taylor look very tempting in their price range. Justin Turner is worth a look as well.

The stats somewhat lean towards Shark as the A’s are only hitting .212 off of him. However, they do have ten runs in 80 at bats. Samardzija’s bloated ERA has me staying away, even on a night where pitching is largely terrible. Piscotty and Semien have the A’s homers off of Shark. That’s the place to go if you still need your A’s homer. Avoid Khris Davis since he is just 1-10 off Shark. Lucroy is even worse at 3-22.

Bargain Shoppers:

If you have read this at all in the past, you know I don’t stack Giants. One part is that the offense just isn’t that explosive. The other is that their home park is not conducive to big offensive numbers. That holds true tonight. Brett Anderson has allowed eight runs in 56 at bats, but only one homer, to Panda. I’m big on Brandon Crawford here, who is 5-11 with two RBI against Anderson, and is just $3,500. McCutchen is worth a look as well.

Many are on Kyle Hendricks as well, but I ask, why? What about his 4.81 road ERA is so tempting? What about the Padres .262 average against and eight runs in 42 at bats says yes, play me? The 12 strikeouts are nice, and I would use Hendricks if he weren’t the second most expensive pitcher on the slate. His price is just too high. I would rather use Hunter Renfroe against him since Renfroe has a homer and four of the six RBI. Wil Myers is worth a look as well.

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