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DraftKings MLB Picks July 3: Walker Buehler’s Taking Off!

By Mike Marteny

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 21: Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Walker Buehler (21) in action during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies on June 21, 2019 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Will Navarro/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 21: Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Walker Buehler (21) in action during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies on June 21, 2019 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Will Navarro/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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DraftKings MLB
CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 19: Starter Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field on August 19, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Pitcher Plays:

Top Tier:

Walker Buehler ($10,900): Sale is struggling, especially against the Jays. German is returning from the IL. Clevinger isn’t safe. Buehler is far and away the top option tonight. Arizona is only hitting .180 with a homer and five runs in 50 at bats with 14 strikeouts. Not impressed? How about this: Buehler racked up 40.8 DraftKings points against the Diamondbacks back on June 3rd in Phoenix and hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in a non-Coors Field start since April.

Mike Clevinger ($9,700): DraftKings is really making this tough for us. On one had, Clevinger has held the Royals to a .231 average in 104 at bats with only one homer, two runs, and 31 strikeouts. Those border on elite numbers. On the other hand, Clevinger has given up 12 runs in two starts since his return from an extended (and not so extended) IL stint. The good news is that Clevinger has only allowed two homers in those games. The bad news is one of the teams was the Orioles.

Clevinger’s velocity is there, so I will be willing to take this risk in one or two lineups, but I’m nervous because the weather in KC favors hitters again and we saw what happened to Bauer last night.

Middle Tier:

Griffin Canning ($8,700): To be honest, I’m nervous about using any Angels tonight. They may still be numb and just going through the motions. Or they are going to come out here and take it to the Rangers like they did last night. I don’t think we get an in between game, so I kind of just want to fade the whole thing. However, I am here to inform, so Canning put up a solid 15.7 DraftKings points against the Rangers earlier this year. He’s worth a look depending on which side of this you fall on.

John Means ($8,400): The only thing you can really knock Means for is not going deep into games. He hasn’t gone more than six innings since May 6th. On the other hand, Means hasn’t given up more than three runs in a start since April 29th. He’s going to get us plenty of outs and a handful of strikeouts. The ceiling isn’t really high, but the 2.50 ERA isn’t a fluke. That means his floor is plenty good enough to use him, even in GPP formats.

Bargain Pitchers:

Shaun Anderson ($6,800): In case you haven’t been paying attention to this series, the Giants pitching has absolutely owned the Padres. Anderson pitched six strong in his first outing against San Diego this year, putting up 21.3 DraftKings points. That is a fantastic return for this price. With the way the Padres are scuffling right now, I expect a similarly strong outing from Anderson here.

Reynaldo Lopez ($5,600): Let’s put this whole thing in perspective: Lopez has a 6.12 ERA this year. He has allowed only two earned runs to the Tigers in 12 innings, piling up 63.8 DraftKings points in those games. We may only be able to play Lopez against the Tigers, but as long as he keeps playing them on nights where we are in desperate need of value, I’m all for it!

NOTE: I’m playing Lopez whichever slate he pitches on. If Detwiler starts the nightcap, I’m very interested in him for $5,900 against the Tigers as well. The rotations will be set later today, but I want any White Sox pitcher, even Dylan Cease if he doesn’t pitch the day game. That’s our value.

My picks: Buehler, Means; Buehler, Detwiler; Buehler, Anderson; Anderson, Detwiler