Main DraftKings MLB Picks April 13: Is Verlander worth it?

Main DraftKings MLB Picks April 13: Is Verlander worth it?

Our even split of the DraftKings MLB slate continues with the seven games on the main slate. Pitching depth is more prominent on the early slate. The night slate has Verlander in a pitcher’s park, a couple of rookies, and a whole lot of uncertainty. Which direction is the right direction?

More from DFS

• DraftKings Open Championship picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
• Genesis Scottish Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
• Rocket Mortgage Classic DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
• US Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
• RBC Canadian Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup

Unlike the early slate, there is some concern with thunderstorms around Dallas. That’s unfortunate since the wind it going to be blowing out to right at 18 mph at the start and increasing to 22 mph as the night goes on. However, it looks like they can get this game in, but an in game delay is likely. You weren’t going to use pitchers in this one anyway. Hitters seem safe at this point.

There is a nice 12 mph wind out to left in Seattle in the early innings, but the wind will diminish and the rain chance may keep the roof closed anyway. The Cards and Reds are playing south of the border, and will enjoy very warm temperatures and a 15 mph breeze out to left.

Khrush Davis was at it again with his fifth homer in the last three games, but the Houston offense torched the Seattle pen. Not enough late night exposure and too much Carrasco had me closer to last than first. Who would have thought that Giolito as half the price of Carrasco would outscore him by 25 DraftKings points.

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, and we all attack the slate from different angles.

For you first time players, if you would like a free $10 ticket on DraftKings, use this link for the referral bonus with your first deposit of $5 or more!

Main DraftKings MLB Pitcher Plays:

Top Tier:

Justin Verlander ($11,100): I’m struggling with this one. Something has to give. On one hand, Verlander racks up the strikeouts, and has dominated the current Mariners. They are hitting just .200 against Verlander in 80 at bats, but they have smacked five homers. Still, Seattle has only scored seven runs against Verlander and struck out 21 times. There is a lot to like with Verlander, but this Seattle offense is really cooking right now.

Middle Tier:

Merrill Kelly ($8,500): Kelly pitched well against the Padres earlier this year, so he’s worth a look here. There are a ton of average or worse pitching options on the late slate. Kelly stands out as one of the better youngsters here. Strahm has not pitched well and was bludgeoned by this team last year. That gives Kelly the inside track for the win. Kelly also dominated Boston his last time out, so that makes him look even better for a second go round with the Padres.

Zach Davies ($7,700): Wait…..before you call me a hack, hear me out. Davies has only given up two earned runs in 10.2 innings pitched this year. On top of that. he has held the current Dodgers to a .204 average in 49 at bats with two homers and four runs. Davies doesn’t rack up the strikeouts, so there is a ceiling here. However, you can leverage the Dodgers stackers here. There are bound to be some. Worried about the road start? Well, that’s the really good part. Davies has only allowed one run in 14 career innings at Dodger Stadium.

Bargain Pitchers:

Jason Vargas ($6,200): You can’t expect miracles from a value arm, but if you’ve ran with Vargas at all over his 12 year career, you already know what you’re getting. The Braves are only hitting .213 against Vargas with five homers and 12 runs in 136 at bats. Of course, he only has 30 strikeouts, but that’s part of the deal. There are a couple of one offs here, but overall I think Vargas has a solid game for the price. In his only career start at SunTrust Park, Vargas went five scoreless innings.

Adrian Sampson ($6,000): Sampson has pitched well so far for the Rangers, but pitchers could be in trouble here depending on the weather. Sampson is mostly a ground ball pitcher, so there is enough upside to consider leveraging A’s ownership. It’s going to be high with the way that offense has gone. Pitching options are thin on this slate, so Sampson isn’t as bad of a pick as you may think.

My picks: Kelly, Davies

DraftKings MLB: Main stack options

Cincinnati Reds vs. Adam Wainwright:

Waino is really only for use in St. Louis (against the Padres) right now. He was hit hard by the Pirates in his first start of the season. Now with a Reds team that has five homers and 20 runs in 127 at bats in a small stadium with the wind blowing out, I don’t see him faring any better. Monterrey is no Great American Ballpark, but it will do. Joey Votto is the big target here. He is 14-46(.304) with three homers, 11 runs, and eight RBI against Wainwright. Scott Schebler and Tucker Barnhart have the other homers. I wouldn’t rule out Kemp, Puig, or Eugenio Suarez getting into one either.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Tanner Roark:

Roark is struggling again, and the Cardinals have already hit him well. They own a .302 mark with two homers and 21 runs in only 126 at bats with just 22 strikeouts. Only two homers doesn’t really jump out and say stack, but the high average and run totals suggest that you don’t need a homer for this to pay off. Marcell Ozuna is 13-41(.317) with a homer and seven RBI. Harrison Bader has the other homer. Kolten Wong is hot anyway, and has three RBI in five at bats against Roark. Yadi Molina has four hits and four RBI in 14 at bats. Matt Carpenter would be the other piece of this stack.

Cleveland Indians vs. Homer Bailey:

It’s easy to do math with Homer Bailey on the mound. He has given up a run per inning this year. It’s also easy to stack Cleveland knowing this. The Indians have five homers and 11 runs in just 56 at bats despite the .232 average. Kevin Plawecki and Hanley each have two homers off of Homer. Jose Ramirez has the other one. I’m still on Brad Miller and Leonys Martin as cheap ways to finish off this stack.

Texas Rangers vs. Marco Estrada:

A fly ball pitcher with the wind blowing out? Sure! The Rangers are hitting .283 with seven homers and 18 runs in just 106 at bats. Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo each have a pair of homers against Estrada. Nomar Mazara, Logan Forsythe, and Rougned Odor have the other homers. The only one I may shy away from is Joey Gallo since he is 0-7 against Estrada. That said, Gallo is having a renaissance year of sorts, so he’s not a bad pick either.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Matt Strahm:

Arizona has absolutely destroyed Strahm so far. They are hitting .355 with three homers and ten runs in just 31 at bats. Adam Jones, Ketel Marte, and Eduardo Escobar have the homers. Wilmer Flores kills lefties, so he’s in. David Peralta hits lefties well enough to put in there, but Nick Ahmed may be a better pick.

Main DraftKings MLB daily notes:

It only makes sense to take a couple of shots at Jason Vargas, right? Markakis has two homers off of him despite the low average. Ronald Acuna is the way to go though. Tyler Flowers is just 1-9 against Vargas, but the hit is a home run.

More from FanSided

• Thunder projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
• NWSL Challenge Cup news: Courage ruthless against Washington, Racing remain perfect
• 2023 Women’s World Cup: Ary Borges and Brazil showed the entire world what they are about
• Trea Turner’s rough season goes from bad to worse
• Brewers attempt to troll Elly De La Cruz backfires 456 feet

Pete Alonso. If he’s in the Mets lineup, he’s in mine. Sean Newcomb is a solid pitcher, but with the way the Mets offense is rolling, I want a few righties against him.

Adrian Sampson has pitched well in relief, but I wouldn’t roll him out there against the A’s. Ramon Laureano homered off of him last September. Khris Davis has five homers in his last three games. Those are the two I would start with, and I really like Semien leading off at his price.

I will have some exposure to Royals with Jefry Rodriguez on the mound. He struggled in the National League last year and got to face pitchers with regularity. Alex Gordon is tops on my list here. Mondesi and Whit Merrifield are worth a look as well.

Fernando Tatis Jr. did homer off of Kelly earlier this year. That is about the only exposure I really want to Kelly though. He was strong against this team the first time around.

Justin Turner and Corey Seager have hit the homers against Zach Davies. Those are the only Dodgers I’m really interested in here.

Dennis Santana has been sharp out of the bullpen for the Dodgers, but there is no reason for him to be so expensive. I would much rather run Brewers against him. Christian Yelich is expensive and worth every penny. You can also take a shot with more left handed power. Mike Moustakas and Travis Shaw stand out.

Verlander has given up long balls to the Mariners. I’m not even opposed to using a couple of Mariners in the same line with Verlander looking for a cheap homer. The only problem is that few Mariners are cheap anymore. Omar Narvaez is though, and he has a homer against Verlander. Edwin has two, but he’s about the only Mariner that isn’t hot right now. Mitch Haniger and Tim Beckham have the other homers, and their prices have decreased enough to at least consider leveraging Verlander ownership if he’s not in your build.

I still don’t feel that MadBum is right, and the Rockies have hit him hard in his career, but a bulk of that came at Coors Field. Trevor Story has three homers and seven RBI off of MadBum. Arenado has slugged two homers against him as well. This is the place to take a couple of shots with Rockies righties.

That Houston offense went nuts last night, and it could keep up against Felix. The Astros are hitting a solid .268 against him with five homers and 27 runs in 198 at bats. It’s the usual suspects with the homers. Bregman, Correa, Springer, Altuve, and Michael Brantley have them. That’s an expensive five man stack. I would rather pick a spot or two and go with it.

We promised some big news for Fantasy CPR, right? Well here it is! We are now looking for PAID writers to join our team to write about fantasy sports. Seasonal or DFS, any sport you want – get your voice heard and get paid for talking fantasy sports. Apply today HERE!