Early DraftKings MLB Picks May 4: Tyson Ross chalk day

CINCINNATI, OH – MAY 03: Derek Dietrich #22 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a three-run home run in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on May 3, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Early DraftKings MLB Picks May 4: Tyson Ross chalk day

The Yankees and Twins start early today, so they are only on the showdown and all day slates. There are four other early games before the big ten game main slate. This will concentrate on the four game early slate.

DraftKings MLB Early Pitcher Plays:

Top Tier:

Carlos Carrasco ($10,200): The Mariners are only hitting .217 against Carrasco in 83 at bats, but they do have four homers and nine runs. The good news is that Carrasco has racked up a staggering 32 strikeouts in that span. The Mariners gave Carrasco by far his best start of the season in Seattle. Carrasco cracked 40 DraftKings points in that one, so there is outstanding upside here. Carrasco is worth the money.

Middle Tier:

Mike Soroka ($8,900): Soroka didn’t pitch well against the Marlins in relief last September, but that means nothing now. Soroka has dominated in his three major league starts this year, averaging 23 DraftKings points per start. There is good strikeout upside here, and really, there’s nothing not to like. I can see a Carrasco fade for Soroka in GPP formats, and I’m going to try to cram both of them in my lineup.

Bargain Pitchers:

Mike Leake ($6,700): Leake was solid in his first start against Cleveland. That’s pretty much what Leake has been in his career against Cleveland: solid. Leake netted 12.7 DraftKings points in the first game against the Mariners. Honestly, both the guys below him can top that. I don’t see any reason to use Leake in GPP formats, but I can see it in cash. Both Ross and Bailey are pretty volatile.

Tyson Ross ($6,400): The Royals are hitting just .135 with no homers and two runs in 74 at bats with 20 strikeouts against Ross. You usually have to pay an elite price tag for those kind of numbers. And it’s not like Ross has started slow either. The 4.03 ERA is right around his career mark. The thing that really stands out though is that Ross has already dominated the Royals this year, picking up 30.2 DraftKings points in his first start against him. Ross is the closest thing to a must play on the afternoon slate.

Homer Bailey ($6,200): Bailey is nothing to write home about, but he is also not the worst pitcher on the slate like he is priced as. That means he’s a strong value play. The current Tigers are only hitting .200 in 35 at bats against Homer with one homer, two runs, and ten strikeouts. That really stands out since Bailey isn’t known as a strikeout pitcher. There is a whole lot to like about Homer at this price.

My picks: Carrasco, Ross; Soroka, Ross

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – APRIL 12: Anthony Rizzo #44 of the Chicago Cubshits a two run home run in the 1st inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Wrigley Field on April 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Early Notes:

Yu Darvish has been much better lately, but he still feels very overpriced, even on a short slate. Does it have to do with Kyle Hendricks just dominating the Cardinals? Maybe. Just don’t expect that from Darvish. He has always had a high walk rate. That puts Matt Carpenter high on the list. Marcell Ozuna is 3-6 with three RBI off of Darvish, so put him in there too. Goldy is 0-6 lifetime against Darvish though.

More from FanSided

The Cubs have ten homers against Michael Wacha in just 160 at bats with a .331 average. This is the stack of the afternoon, and possibly of the day. Schwarber is 3-9 with two homers and four RBI. Willson Contreras is 3-10 with two homers and four RBI as well. Kris Bryant is 10-34(.294) with two homers and eight driven in. Yesterday’s offensive hero is the one that has really blasted Wacha though. Rizzo is 20-42(.476) with three homers, ten runs, and seven RBi. The only one I would avoid here is Jason Heyward, who is just 2-16 against Wacha in his career.

Many see Homer Bailey’s name and the stack light goes off. Niko Goodrum has the homer off of him, and there’s a lot to like about a cheap Jeimer Candelario batting leadoff. After that, I don’t really have any interest in Tigers. Bailey doesn’t give up a ton of hard contact, and this is a pitcher’s park.

Jose Ramirez has the only homer against Mike Leake for Cleveland in 121 at bats. I would much rather run Cubs against Wacha when you look at the prices on the Cleveland bats. Ramirez is still pretty cheap. I can see a case for Jason Kipnis, and Leonys Martin is 6-11 in his career against Leake. Beyond that I don’t see anything.

Jay Bruce has hit two solo homers against Carlos Carrasco in his career. Mitch Haniger and Ryon Healy have the others, and yes, those are solo shots as well. Carrasco just hasn’t allowed enough Mariners on base for them to string together big innings. Any of those three are decent one off plays, but I think I’m staying off of this one completely.

Starlin Castro batting cleanup for just $3,300 is tempting, but no one else on the Marlins is. This is just not a good spot for them, and they are priced accordingly.

The Braves are 9-18 in limited exposure against Trevor Richards and he has shown nothing this year that makes me want to take a shot with him. Acuna and Charlie Culberson have both homered off of Richards. Freddie Freeman and Camargo look like good plays as well. This is a solid alternate stack to Wrigley.

Next. DraftKings Main Slate MLB Picks - May 4. dark

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!