DraftKings Early MLB Picks July 28: Pay up for Clevinger

NEW YORK – OCTOBER 29: A general view of the exterior of Yankee Stadium prior to Game Two of the 2009 MLB World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies at Yankee Stadium on October 29, 2009 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks July 28: Pay up for Clevinger

The Yankees and Royals are now playing a doubleheader today. The first game with be in showdown mode. No word from DraftKings yet as to whether this will affect the all day slate or not. At any rate, we have three afternoon games that serves as the early DraftKings tournament. As opposed to most slates this small, there are actually some intriguing pitching options here. Who can win us some cash? Let’s take a look!

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The only threat of rain is in New York again, but there is a very slim chance of a delay. This game will play. The winds are calm as well, so enjoy your pitchers!

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!

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 22: Vince Velasquez #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch against the San Diego Padres in the third inning during game two of a doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park on July 22, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Mike Clevinger ($10,300): For the purposes of this slate, Clevinger is an ace, and a damn good one for this price. He has an elite matchup against a Tigers team that only mustered two runs in six innings against Clevinger earlier this year. The Tigers are hitting just .167 against Clevinger overall with no homers and four runs in 54 at bats, but have only struck out 12 times. That is the thing holding me off of Clevinger, but honestly, there isn’t a ton of strikeout potential on this slate. I’m looking for the pitcher most capable of dominating in their matchup, and that is Clevinger without a doubt.

Middle Tier:

Jose Quintana ($8,200): Quintana has actually pitched well away from Wrigley, even against the Cardinals. Quintana has already started against the Cardinals three times this year, only giving up four earned runs in 16 innings. However, he hasn’t had many strikeouts, and lost two of the three meetings, so that has limited his upside. Still, Quintana’s 3.07 ERA in 11 road starts is good enough on a short slate. The Cardinals are hitting a robust .305 off of him in 105 at bats, but only have three homers and ten runs with 23 strikeouts. There is decent potential here.

Miles Mikolas ($8,000): Mikolas has slowed down after a really hot start, but his numbers are still very good. He also has sustained a brilliant 1.99 ERA in nine home starts this season. Mikolas has racked up 38.1 DraftKings points in his two starts against the Cubs this year. He hasn’t really piled up strikeouts, but then again, neither has Quintana. If I’m taking a pitcher from this game, it’s Mikolas.

Vince Velasquez ($7,800): The numbers for Velasquez don’t look all that good, but that is mostly because of his awful numbers at home. Velasquez actually has a 2.42 ERA in eight road starts. This is a hitter’s park, so I wouldn’t expect a dominant performance, but Velasquez has nice strikeout upside against an offense that has suddenly gone cold. Velasquez has the highest ceiling of anyone but Clevinger.

Bargain Pitchers:

Matt Harvey ($5,300): If you want to go cheap, your options are Harvey and Liriano. Neither are enticing. That said, Harvey was dominant in his start against the Phillies this year, allowing just one hit in five innings while striking out five. Now the bad news: Harvey is coming off of his worst start as a Red against the other Pennsylvania team. The Phillies have been almost as good offensively as their cross state counterparts lately. I would stay away from this simply because there are better options, but if Harvey nets you 20 DraftKings points, again, he could help you take down a GPP.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 24: Nick Williams #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park on July 24, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 7-4 in 16 innings. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

I’m not really high on any Cubs today, but if I go after Mikolas, it will be with the power potential of Baez and Schwarber and not much else. Rizzo is tempting, but he hasn’t really hit that well all season. I don’t see that magically changing this afternoon.

The favorite stack spot is going to be Indians against Liriano, but actually, Liriano has not been completely horrible against them. Still, with the way Jose Ramirez is going, I’m expecting at least 80% ownership. Lindor hits lefties well enough to go with him here. He is also 4-11 against Liriano lifetime. If Rajai Davis is in the lineup, he is the best way on the slate to save money. Davis is 14-41(.341) with a homer, two steals, two RBI, and eight runs against Liriano. Brandon Guyer has a homer and four RBI, and is also really cheap. Anchor this stack with Edwin, who has two homers and four RBI off of Liriano in his career.

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Middle Tier:

I can’t really see any Reds player to go after Velasquez with since Schebler is out and Gennett is struggling. However, if I do go with any part of this game, it will be the speed of Peraza or Hamilton. There just isn’t enough left handed power to get excited about since Votto is in a terrible slump as well.

Nick Williams is on fire right now, so I am definitely using him against Harvey. Maikel Franco is also hitting well, and he is 3-8 with two homers and three RBI off of Harvey in his career. Odubel Herrera has also homered off of Harvey. A mini Phillies stack isn’t a bad idea against those who try to get cute by using Harvey.

Bargain Shoppers:

Dexter Fowler has been playing more with Mike Matheny out as skipper in St Louis. That’s good for us since he is 7-16 with a homer and four RBI against Quintana. Pham and DeJong have also homered off of the Cubs lefty.

I am completely off of Tigers today unless you are really broke and want to throw a $2,800 V-Mart out there. I don’t expect anything good from this entire offense today.

Game by Game breakdown 7-26. dark. Next

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