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Early DraftKings MLB Picks April 18: Jump on Corbin

By Mike Marteny

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Patrick Corbin #46 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the New York Mets during the second inning at Nationals Park on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Patrick Corbin #46 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the New York Mets during the second inning at Nationals Park on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 17: Cole Hamels #35 of the Chicago Cubs delivers a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 17, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Early DraftKings MLB Picks April 18: Jump on Corbin

The Thursday slate is split again with four games making up the early DraftKings MLB tournaments. There are a couple of good pitchers, a couple of gas cans, and maybe one or two places to save money. We’re going to need it!

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The rain chance in Detroit increases as the day goes on. If this game starts late or is delayed in game, there is a good chance that it doesn’t get finished. There isn’t much to like about hitters in this game anyway with a gusty 18 mph wind in from right. There is also a 12 mph wind in from right in Atlanta and a 12 mph crosswind in Minneapolis that should make the game nice and chilly.

Giolito got hurt and Keller got tossed, so that derailed the early lineup. I didn’t have Carrasco, so that derailed the turbo lineup. I did hit and Gausman and Hamels, but didn’t have the Rays stack in that one. I got minimum cash in a couple of lineups, but I needed more Gausman/Hamels lines.

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!

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TORONTO, ON – APRIL 13: Clay Buchholz #36 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch in the first inning during MLB game action against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre on April 13, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Early Pitcher Plays:

Top Tier:

Patrick Corbin ($10,300): The overall numbers for Corbin against the Giants aren’t great, but some of those are skewed by Chase Field. The Giants are hitting .263 in 224 at bats against Corbin, but the only have three homers and 19 runs. The Giants don’t strike out a whole lot, but Corbin is easily the best pitcher of the entire slate. You are paying five figures for peace of mind today, not for strikeout potential.

Mike Soroka ($9,100): There are some conflicting reports about whether it will be Soroka or Toussaint today but Rotowire has Soroka slated as the starter. This comes a couple of days after the Braves said he wouldn’t be summoned. They are both similar in price and similar in upside today. I like either one of them against the average at best Arizona offense. It really doesn’t make much of a difference who starts.

Middle Tier:

Michael Pineda ($8,200): The Twins let Pineda up to 96 pitches in his last outing, so it appears as though they are going to let him go deeper into game. Six innings is about what we can expect from Pineda. He hasn’t elevated his strikeouts to where they were before the injury, but he has still been effective in three starts this year, going 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 15 innings. Pineda isn’t a sure thing, but he may have the nicest upside on the slate.

Drew Pomeranz ($7,900): Washington is hitting a solid .256 against Pomeranz with three homers and five runs in 39 at bats. The 10 strikeouts does stand out though. Mostly because Pomeranz isn’t a big strikeout pitcher. This Washington offense is pretty good, but if Pomeranz can stay away from one guy in particular, this could be a pretty good day.

Bargain Pitchers:

Tyson Ross ($7,000): Ross has had an issue with walks this year, but he has kept the ERA under controls and has 15 strikeouts in 18 innings. I’ll take those numbers for this low of a price. The White Sox are much more dangerous against lefties. Ross’s first home start for the Tigers was a gem, and he only walked one in seven innings in that one.

Clay Buchholz ($6,000): Buchholz held that suddenly potent Rays offense to just one run in six innings and threw just 79 pitches in his Blue Jays debut. Buchholz isn’t going to go deep into the game. I’d be shocked if he topped 90 pitches. However, if he is as efficient as he was against the Rays, there’s no reason Buchholz can’t go six strong here as well.

My picks: Corbin, Buchholz; Pineda, Ross

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – APRIL 16: Jorge Polanco #11 of the Minnesota Twins hits a solo home run as Danny Jansen #9 of the Toronto Blue Jays catches during the third inning of the game on April 16, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Early Notes:

Luke Weaver is the clear stack bait on this slate. The Braves hit him hard last year with Markakis boasting a homer and four RBI. Acuna had a homer and two RBI. Both had two hits. Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman, and Matt Joyce are all hitting .500 or better. Of course, it was only one game, but still. Lots of lefties against a struggling righty in this park spells trouble for Weaver.

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Who’s the one guy that Pomeranz needs to stay away from? Rendon? Nope. Rendon is 0-2 with two striekouts. Zimmerman? Nope. He’s 0-6. It’s Michael Taylor, who is 3-3 with a double and two homers. Howie Kendrick has homered off of Pomeranz as well.

You could take a shot with a couple of Arizona lefties, but they don’t have much. David Peralta borders on an elite play, and Eduardo Escobar is worth a look. Maybe Ketel Marte, but I don’t think I want a whole lot of exposure here. There are better places to attack.

It may surprise you that all three Giants homers against Corbin are by left handed batters. Steven Duggar has one, but it’s his only hit in five at bats. Brandon Crawford has the other two and is a solid 11-40(.275) overall. Yangervis Solarte is 3-8 with five runs and two RBI. The good news is that all of these guys come cheap if you want to try to leverage Corbin ownership.

Miguel Cabrera has the only homer for the Tigers against Ivan Nova so far. Nick Castellanos has four RBI. Beyond that, the Tigers offense really hasn’t done much. A Detroit stack would definitely be contrarian here, and the numbers kind of support it. The issue here is Nova’s strong outing against the Indians and Yankees on the road.

Taking shots at Tyson Ross may not be a horrible idea. The first one that comes to mind is Yoan Moncada. Beyond that, Leury Garcia and Tim Anderson are about the only other ones I’m really on. It’s going to take a few homers to win the early slate, and I just don’t see a lot of them in this park.

Minnesota is a different story. Buchholz was strong in his Jays debut, but with the way Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario are hitting, he could have a couple more blemishes than he did in his first Toronto outing.

I’m not sure how many Blue Jays I want either with Pineda dealing. He has allowed one homer in each of the last two games though, so there’s a good chance someone will hit one. Justin Smoak is the best bet. Smoak is 5-10 with two homers and five RBI in his career against Pineda.

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