DraftKings MLB Picks June 21: Freeman crushes Strasburg

ST LOUIS, MO – JUNE 20: Zac Gallen #52 of the Miami Marlins makes his MLB debut pitching against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on June 20, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks June 21: Freeman crushes Strasburg

It’s the longest day of the year! The Cubs and Mets have a matinee tomorrow, but we still have 14 games for our main DraftKings MLB tournament. As with the rest of the week, rain is going to be an issue. Let’s see who’s affected tonight before we go any further.

Main DraftKings MLB Pitcher Plays:

Top Tier:

Chris Sale ($12,000): The Blue Jays took it to Sale earlier this year, but he has been a different pitcher since April ended. Sale only has one game of less than 10 strikeouts since the end of April. He also has a 1.79 ERA in that span. To say he’s been lights out is almost an understatement. This Toronto offense is starting to come around, but I see them getting shut down here. Sale has been dominant for the last six weeks.

Trevor Bauer ($11,100): Bauer threw a four hit shutout against this same Tigers team last week. Of course, Bauer’s ERA is nearly three runs higher at home. If Bauer gives up three runs here, we are likely going to be disappointed with the final tally. However, do you think the Tigers can score three off of him? After what we saw last week, I have my doubts.

Matt Boyd ($9,700): Boyd gave up just one run to Cleveland in six innings earlier this year. The Indians are hitting only .235 against Boyd but they do have three homers and eight runs in 85 at bats. That said, most of the damage was done by two guys. If Boyd can work around them, I see another strong start here. He probably shouldn’t be under five figures, but I’ll take the discount.

Middle Tier:

Griffin Canning ($8,500): The Cardinals just got owned at home by the Marlins pitching staff, so it seems safe to roll Canning out there. His WHIP is under 1 and he averages more than a strikeout per inning. If Canning can limit the long balls, he could be a really good pitcher. I have a feeling he’s going to look like one against a Cardinals offense that has gone cold. Most of the runs that the Cardinals scored on Florida came against the bullpen. Canning should be in for a strong game here.

Aaron Nola ($8,000): Seeing Nola this cheap almost makes him an autoplay for me tonight. Nola racked up 15.6 DraftKings points in Miami earlier this year, and his home ERA is less than half of what it is in the road. Nola isn’t going to give up half a run here, but I would be shocked if he gave up more than two. This looks like an easy quality start at a very affordable price.

Sonny Gray ($7,900): Gray has only given up one run in two career starts against the Brewers. That’s really impressive when you consider the ballpark those games were played in. Gray doesn’t give up a lot of homers, and he has handled lefties this year. He has dominated the current Brewers. He has never faced Yelich, but that’s okay. If Yelich gets to him, so be it. Gray will still get nice numbers.

Bargain Pitchers:

Taylor Clarke ($6,800): Clarke’s best start of his career came against the Giants in San Francisco when he racked up 16.9 DraftKings points. All of Clarke’s other double digit DraftKings point games have been at home, so we do have a reason to be optimistic about him facing the Giants again. If Clarke gets us around that total again tonight, I think we’ll all be happy with that effort for the price.

Ariel Jurado ($6,500): Let’s be honest, we all knew Jurado was going to get tagged in Cincy. That game also highlighted the risk we take every time we try to use Jurado. The lack of strikeout can make the end result ugly. However, Jurado has a few things going for him tonight. First off, the White Sox strike out liberally. He should get six punchouts at a minimum. Jurado also has a 3.10 ERA in seven home appearances. Jurado’s price is good enough to take a shot with him in a lineup or three.

Eric Lauer ($6,100): Lauer’s numbers aren’t good. His peripherals aren’t good. The only thing good is his home ERA and his first start against the Pirates. The rest of the numbers say that may be a fluke. However, he goes to a pitcher’s park that limits right handed power. As far as road starts go, it doesn’t get any better for Lauer. And wow, he’s cheap. Let’s not forget that before his disaster in Coors last week that Lauer held the Yankees to one run in Yankee Stadium.

My picks: Sale, Gray, Gray, Nola, Canning, Gray

ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 25: Shohei Ohtani #17 hits a two run home run scoring Kole Calhoun #56 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Angel Stadium on July 25, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Stack Options:

Washington Nationals vs. Dallas Keuchel:

This has nothing to do with Keuchel’s expected workload or anything like that. The Nationals are hitting .357 against Keuchel in 84 at bats with two homers and ten runs. Brian Dozier and Howie Kendrick have the homers. Anthony Rendon is 2-4, but hasn’t homered yet. Yan Gomes is cheap and is 6-17 against Keuchel. Michael Taylor is a solid punt as well.

Los Angeles Angels vs. Michael Wacha:

The Angels offense is humming right now, and Wacha has a 7.36 ERA at home. After a triumphant return to the rotation in Miami, Wacha is back to struggling again. The Angels are going to have to sit either Trout, Ohtani, Calhoun, or Upton in every game of this series, but I would strongly consider using the three that don’t sit. Tommy LaStella is a great option, and Jon Lucroy is the only current Angel that has homered off of Wacha. David Fletcher is a nice option as well, and who could forget about Pujols returning to St Louis? You can’t buy that kind of narrative!

Texas Rangers vs. Reynaldo Lopez:

I don’t really make it a point to stack against a pitcher as talented as Reynaldo Lopez, but he is really struggling right now. It’s going to be hard not to, especially with the heat and humidity in Arlington. Odor is way too cheap here. Ronald Guzman is a great cheap play as well, and Willie Calhoun is growing on me. That means we have plenty of money left over to spend up for Choo and Elvis Andrus and still get decent pitching.

Seattle Mariners vs. Whatever garbage pitchers the Orioles throw out there:

Does it even matter at this point? Yacabonis? Yack! Gilmartin? I’ve never heard of Gil Martin. Is he Steve’s son? The Orioles bullpen is even worse than the starters, so this is all in time on Seattle. Dan Vogelbach, Mallex Smith, and Kyle Seager are my favorites. Honestly, all of the Seattle bats are super cheap. Only Vogelbach is more than $4,500. Seager, J.P. Crawford, Tim Beckham, and Dee Gordon are all under $3,800. There are so many great options here that I will likely have at least one Mariner in every lineup, and a couple of full on stacks.

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 22: Fans of Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees cheer as he takes his at bat in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals on May 22, 2017 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB daily notes:

Brad Peacock is going to have a hell of a time in Yankee Stadium. I want to play Aaron Judge here, but Stanton has struggled since his return. There’s a chance that Judge struggles too. Gregorius and Brett Gardner are probably my top targets, but I’m not going to get too carried away here.

Joe Musgrove hasn’t given up less than three runs in a start in over a month now, so it’s safe to say the wheels are off. Sure, he might pile on a few more K’s against San Diego, but this San Diego offense is going to score a few runs. Maybe quite a few. Hunter Renfroe is the one that really stands out, but Franmil Reyes and Eric Hosmer are worth a look too. Maybe a cheap Josh Naylor if he starts.

Trent Thornton has actually been really good on the road, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to trust him in Boston. Benintendi hasn’t pounded righties like he did last year, but he’s still a strong play. Rafael Devers is probably my favorite here. I really can’t argue with Mookie or J.D. Martinez either. Considering the name attached to them, they are pretty cheap. I think I would rather go really cheap with an always underrated Brock Holt. He’s money against righties.

I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t trust Jurado, and the White Sox have enough bats that we can throw at him. Eloy Jimenez and Yoan Moncada are my favorites. Abreu isn’t far behind.

Chase Anderson continues to struggle. The Reds are an all or nothing team, but they have slugged six homers in just 83 at bats against Anderson. Eugenio Suarez has two of them. Phillip Ervin, Jose Peraza, Derek Dietrich, and Puig have the others. I’ll be using a couple of these guys tonight.

Miguel Sano is 3-6 with two homers and four RBI against Jake Junis, so I will have a lot of Sano tonight. Max Kepler is 6-15 with a homer against Junis. No one else has hit him really hard, but I’m liking Nelson Cruz as well with it hot and humid and the wind blowing hard out to left.

The wheels are coming off of Samardzija. His overall numbers against Arizona aren’t horrible, but his road ERA and first start against Arizona this year border on it. David Peralta has homered off of him twice. The bad news is that those are the only hits for Peralta in 17 at bats against Shark. Jarrod Dyson and Adam Jones are safer places to poke the Shark.

I like Jalen Beeks, and he has mostly pitched well, especially away from the Trop. Still, he gave up just two hits against the A’s two weeks ago, but still only netted 10.9 DraftKings points. The Rays have had the quick hook with Beeks all year. I don’t think he’ll go deep enough to warrant the price. I like Khris Davis and Marcus Semien against him since they are so cheap. You could make a case for the smoking Ramon Laureano too.

Tanner Anderson has been good in his first major league start, and I expect him to be good again. However, he only has eight strikeouts in those two starts. His price is a bit too high against a dangerous Rays offense tonight. Brandon Lowe homered off of him in Tampa. I like him and Kiermaier here, and maybe Choi on the cheap.

I’ve quit stacking Dodgers based on principal alone, but if you want to go back to it, this may not be a bad spot. The Dodgers have smacked seven homers in just 69 at bats against German Marquez. Muncy and Joc Pederson have two each. Kike Hernandez, Justin Turner, and Bellinger have the others.

CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 08: Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians reacts as he runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Houston Astros during Game Three of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB one-off plays:

Freddie Freeman is the ultimate BvP play tonight. Freeman is 17-50(.340) with four homers and 16 RBI against Strasburg in his career. Most of the Braves have hit Strasburg well too, but you definitely want Freeman.

Is Jose Altuve right yet? If so, Altuve is 9-28(.321) with two homers against Paxton. I want Altuve on the cheap here. Jake Marisnick is also a nice cheap punt too. He is 9-16 lifetime against Paxton with a couple RBI.

Sandy Alcantara had his worst start of the season against the Phillies earlier this year, but he still didn’t allow a home run. That takes a huge bite out of the potential of this lineup. Bryce Harper is 3-5 with three walks and two RBI lifetime against Alcantara. He’s worth the price.

More from FanSided

As bad as Eric Lauer’s numbers have been for most of the year, Only Josh Bell has really hit him hard from Pittsburgh. On top of that, Lauer hasn’t allowed a homer to a Pirate in 44 at bats. There are better places to attack tonight.

Francisco Lindor has two homers in 22 at bats against Matt Boyd. Jose Ramirez is only 5-21, but he has a homer and four RBI. Those are really the only Cleveland players I have any interest in. From the Tigers side, it’s just as limited. Maybe Nick Castellanos. Maybe.

If you want to go after Chris Sale, there are a couple of cheap options. Luke Maile, Teoscar Hernandez, Randal Grichuk, and Lourdes Gurriel have all homered off of Sale before. Grichuk is the only one I would consider betting on to do it again.

I don’t know that I really trust anyone in this St Louis offense right now, but Paul Goldschmidt is cheap and he can’t struggle forever. He’s worth a dart throw for the price at this point.

I don’t trust Sonny Gray, but he has only given up one run in two career starts against the Brewers. How long can he keep that up? I don’t know, but he has never faced Christian Yelich. Gray doesn’t give up a lot of long balls, but if someone gets to him, it will be Yelich.

The Royals don’t hit a lot of home runs, so it’s not a shock that they haven’t hit one in 51 at bats against Martin Perez. However, they have scored ten runs. You can spend top dollar for Whit or Mondesi and hope they go deep, but I’ll spend half that on Martin Maldonado and hope he continues his torture of Perez. Maldonado is 7-12 against him lifetime.

There isn’t a lot to like about the Giants offense, but it is loaded with potential one off punt plays on the cheap. Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik, and Mike Yastrzemski are all under $4,000 facing a rookie righty.

We essentially need a 25+ DraftKings point night from Walker Buehler at his price. I doubt that happens against a Colorado team that just destroyed the Padres then swept the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Buehler only netted 18.3 against the Rockies the first time around. I would rather throw Charlie Blackmon out there as a one off at potentially low ownership.

If Mike Leake were ever going to pitch a perfect game, it might be here. However, I’m not going to stumble all over myself to pay that high price. Leake is a solid pitcher, but he still doesn’t rack up the strikeouts and the Baltimore offense isn’t that bad, is it? Jonathan Villar is the obvious one off play here. I don’t know that I have the confidence to go with anyone else from Baltimore.

Next. MLB DFS Pitching Primer June 21. dark

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