DraftKings MLB Main Picks March 30: Darvish Does Dallas

SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 29: Joey Lucchesi #37 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park March 29, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Main Picks March 30: Darvish Does Dallas

There are three games in no man’s land, so the main DraftKings MLB slate is the same as the early one: Six games. The three mid afternoon tilts between the Braves-Phillies, Astros-Rays, and Rockies-Marlins takes a lot of bats out of the split slate, but if you’re really interested in those, there’s a turbo slate for the 6pm eastern games and a showdown for Braves-Phillies.

DraftKings MLB Main Pitcher Plays:

Top Tier:

Eduardo Rodriguez ($9,000): If you aren’t willing to spend (too much) on Maeda (I’m not….more on that later), then there isn’t a lot to like about the pitching on this slate. Eduardo Rodgriguez has held the Mariners to a .234 average, but they have three homers and 11 runs in only 64 at bat. The strikeout rate it going to help, but will it be enough to offset the runs Rodriguez will most likely give up? I’m not sure it will be.

Yu Darvish ($8,800): 2018 was a lost season for Darvish. What better way to turn over a new leaf in 2019 than by facing his former team? After the year Darvish had last year, it’s right to question how he’s going to look this year. However, Darvish’s strong spring should alleviate the doubt. His matchup against Volquez can’t hurt either.

Middle Tier:

Dereck Rodriguez ($7,500): Rodriguez had strong rookie numbers last year, but faded a bit down the stretch. He did start twice against the Padres in 2018, and predictably dominated. Rodgriguez put up 47 DraftKings points, allowing just two runs in 14 innings while striking out 13. This Padres lineup does have power potential, but most of it is from the right side. I love this price point on Rodriguez in a matchup like this. He seems way too cheap!

Bargain Pitchers:

Dakota Hudson ($6,100): Hudson is cheap because he’s facing the Brewers. I get it. However, he posted a 2.63 ERA in 27.1 innings last year and had a dominant spring. I doubt the Cards let him throw more than 90 pitches though, so that seriously caps his upside. Still, I can see Hudson getting close to 20 DraftKings points here. That’s a solid bargain.

Nick Margevicius ($4,800): It’s so very tempting to use anyone against the Giants right now. The 22 year old rookie only has two years in the minors where he compiled a 14-9 record and 3.00 ERA while striking out 208 and walking only 25 in 183 innings. The control is a nice thing to see, but it’s also one of the things that doesn’t always translate to major league success. No matter how anemic the Giants offense may look, they are still major leaguers and there are still a couple of All Stars there. Margevicius had a solid spring, and I would expect a solid debut. For anything less than $5,000, he’s worth a look.

My picks: Darvish, D. Rodriguez

OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 19: Matt Chapman #26 of the Oakland Athletics is congratulated by Khris Davis #2 after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum on August 19, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB: Main stack options

Chicago Cubs vs. Edinson Volquez:

The Cubbies haven’t homered against Volquez in 53 at bats, but they have walked a staggering 12 times and scored nine runs. With that many runners on base, if someone does get a hold of something, chances are a Cub or three will be on base. Javier Baez is tops on my list with Rizzo and Bryant not far behind. While Volquez does allow a lot of baserunners, he doesn’t give up a lot of home runs. That said, he has a 6.29 ERA in 13 career starts at Rangers Ballpark and has allowed 10 homers in those starts. Albert Almora and Jason Heyward are great bargain picks depending on where they land in the order.

Oakland Athletics vs. Felix Pena:

The A’s hit Pena hard in a small sample size last year, but the three homers in two games speaks for itself. Matt Chapman and Khris Davis had the homers (big surprise) and Jurickson Profar had a homer off of Pena as a member of the Rangers. I also like the power potential of Semien and Stephen Piscotty. I prefer Robbie Grossman if he bats leadoff because of the lower price, but if Grossman winds up lower in the order, I’m not sure he’s worth it.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Kenta Maeda:

The Snakes are hitting .365 with four homers and 13 runs in only 74 at bats against Maeda. Jake Lamb is 9-27 with three homers and six RBI. Nick Ahmed and Eduardo Escobar have the other homers. Adam Jones had a nice start for his new team, so throw him in there with David Peralta, and you have a nice contrarian stack against Maeda. Maeda has a solid 3.27 career ERA at Dodger Stadium, but you know he wont go deep into this game. That does make me a little nervous given the relative strength of the Dodger bullpen.

Boston Red Sox vs. Mike Leake:

The Sox are hitting a robust .299 against Leake in 117 at bats with four homers and 17 runs to go with just 13 strikeouts. Safeco is a pitcher’s park this time of year, but not enough to offset what Boston has done to Leake. Devers, J.D. Martinez, Jackie Bradley, and Mitch Moreland have the homers while Xander has a .417 average against Leake. Only Christian Vazquez (0-6) and Eduardo Nunez (2-11) have struggled against Leake. Go nuts kids!

TOKYO, JAPAN – MARCH 20: Infielder Tim Beckham #1 of the Seattle Mariners hits a two-run homer to make it 9-4 in the 5th inning during the game between Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome on March 20, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB daily notes:

I don’t know that I trust Darvish revenge against the Rangers, but I do trust Asdrubal Cabrera against Darvish. Cabrera is 5-16 with a homer, two steals, and three RBI against Darvish in his career.

A lot of people are going to run Eduardo Rodriguez against the Mariners, but I wont be one of them. This Seattle offense isn’t bad against lefties, and could be even better with Domingo Santana in the fold. Tim Beckham has three homers already, and has taken Rodriguez deep before in his career. So have Edwin and Dee Gordon. I don’t like this enough for a full stack, but I do like a couple of pieces for the Mariners here

More from FanSided

So the Padres are throwing a 22 year old rookie out there and you want to take a shot at him. I get it. Where do you start though? Brandon Belt is about the only power threat the Giants have, but is fighting the platoon splits. Yangervis Solarte and Connor Joe are also worth a look on the cheap, but I wouldn’t get crazy here. This offense is as bad as it looks on paper. If Mac Williamson is back though, he looks like the best option.

I like Zack Godley, but there’s only a few pitchers I would start against the Dodgers. He’s not one of them. The numbers are strong enough on his side, but I would rather go after him with guys like Justin Turner and Chris Taylor. Both have homered twice off of Godley already. Cody Bellinger is tempting too, but the price is a bit of a turn off. Corey Seager is still super cheap, so I can get on board with that play as well.

Strangely enough, left handed Kole Calhoun is the only Angel that currently has a homer against Brett Anderson. I understand the want to stack Angels against a lefty – this team is loaded with right handed power – but a full on stack may not be a great idea. The current Angels are just 7-49 off of Anderson. Mike Trout is 1-9! I would sooner take a shot with Cozart or Jefry Marte on the cheap.

The power of Joey Gallo looks oh so good against Yu Darvish. Darvish is a very good pitcher, but he has always given up a fair share of home runs. I like Gallo as a one-off play here.

Next. DraftKings Early MLB picks March 30. dark

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