DraftKings Early MLB Picks July 26: Which pitcher will hurt us the least?

CHICAGO – JULY 06: Cubs fans leave Wrigley Filed, after the Chicago Cubs defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-2, July 6, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The Tribune Company, which owns the Cubs and the ballpark, has reached a deal, reported to be worth around $900 million, to sell both to the Ricketts family which built its fortune through TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. The Tribune Company, which is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, will need court approval as well as approval from Major League Baseball for the sale to go through. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks July 26: Which pitcher will hurt us the least?

This is a rough early slate with only two afternoon games out of the 11 today. Both are available in showdown mode as well, so I wouldn’t blame you if you passed on the whole DraftKings early slate. For those of you wanting to throw something at it, it’s going to be an interesting one. No one pitcher really stands out above the others, but there is one that carries more risk. Is it worth using him for low ownership? Let’s look at this a little closer.

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The wind and rain are staying away from both of these, which is important with a Wrigley game on the slate. The wind is blowing slightly out to right in Wrigley, which could give the lefties a slight boost.

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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PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 21: Zack Godley #52 of the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 21, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Zack Godley ($8,200): If you are nervous about Godley, you have every right to be. He has a 5.37 ERA in 11 road starts this year, and a 5.59 ERA in two career starts at Wrigley. Godley has better strikeout potential than anyone else on the slate, but it’s not like it’s high enough to offset him giving up four or five runs. Godley held his own against the Rockies over the weekend, and was good in Atlanta in his last start before the break, so I see the potential here, but that risk is ominous.

Middle Tier:

Nick Tropeano ($7,400): Tropeano looked solid against the Astros in his return from the DL even if he did struggle with his command. I would say that Tropeano has the best matchup here since the White Sox are still pretty bad in most metrics, but he does have a 5.40 ERA in six home starts. Not that I think the White Sox are going to touch him up. It’s just that chasing Godley and the strikeouts may not be the worst idea. Tropeano is my favorite cash player, but I don’t think he has the upside to help you take down a GPP.

Bargain Pitchers:

Dylan Covey ($6,800): Covey has a horrid 6.06 ERA in seven road starts. Even though he is in a pretty big ballpark, The Big A is still mostly a hitter’s park. Covey had a brilliant start in Seattle over the weekend, which helped to lower his road ERA and raise his price. That may not have done us any favors today. Covey wont dominate the Angels like he did the Mariners, but I definitely see the allure here. Covey put up some good numbers before a disastrous month between Father’s Day and the All Star Break. He is probably more likely to put together a good start than Chatwood, but the blow up potential is also worse.

Tyler Chatwood ($6,300): It’s a bit surprising to have Chatwood as the lowest priced pitcher this afternoon, especially with Covey taking the mound as well. That said, Wrigley has been about as kind to Chatwood as Coors was. Chatwood has a 5.64 ERA in 11 home starts this year. His WHIP is a terrifying 1.75. Against an offense like this with the wind blowing a bit out to right. this has bad news written all over it. The particularly disturbing trend though is the lack of strikeouts. Chatwood has rung up just eight batters in his last three starts combined while walking 13. Add to that the fact that Arizona is hitting .263 with two homers and 21 runs in 114 at bats, and we have reason to steer clear here.

PHOENIX, AZ – OCTOBER 04: Jake Lamb #22 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a single during the bottom of the first inning of the National League Wild Card game against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field on October 4, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Trout is expensive, and should be. Even if he doesn’t hit a homer against Dylan Covey, I still expect double digit DraftKings points here. I don’t know just how exposed I’m going to be here as I’m leaning more towards Arizona in Wrigley, but Trout and the catcher are good starts for Angels. I’m also not opposed to Kinsler at second if Baez sits again.

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Middle Tier:

Jake Lamb has homered twice off of Tyler Chatwood in 16 at bats. Chris Owings and David Peralta have hit Chatwood well also. The surprising thing is that Goldschmidt is just 3-19 with one RBI against Chatwood. He may not be worth the price today.

Addison Russell has smacked two homers against Zack Godley already. I’m not really going to go crazy with Cubs today. I think I would rather play Russell and Zobrist than Bryant and Baez.

As long as Jose Abreu is this cheap, I have no issue using him. Especially when you consider Goldy’s history against Chatwood and Rizzo’s 2018 funk that he can’t quite get out of. I also like Yoan Moncada batting lefty against Tropeano here. That is his best side.

Bargain Shoppers:

I’m liking David Fletcher as a cheap pivot, but it would also mean moving off of Lamb.

Game by Game breakdown 7-26. dark. Next

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