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MLB DFS Pitching Gems Of The Day July 12: Welcome Back With Gerrit Cole

By Brandon Lauderback

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MARCH 29: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros throws in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on March 29, 2019 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MARCH 29: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros throws in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on March 29, 2019 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) /
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FanDuel MLB
FanDuel MLB: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MAY 07: Starting pitcher Caleb Smith #31 of the Miami Marlins delivers the ball against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 07, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

MLB DFS Pitching Plays

Caleb Smith – This may be one of the only chances we get to use Smith at 8K, before he goes back up. Before his injury, Smith was really racking up the strikeouts averaging around seven per game. In today’s game, he gets the Mets, who can struggle to put runs on the board, more often than not. After a solid performance against a really solid Atlanta team, he will get players such as Cano, Ramos, Lagares, and an extra strikeout with Vargas forced to hit. Pete Alonso also has a high K rate, but he is almost a lock to hit a home run in this spot. Smith gives up big HC, and FB numbers to RHH, but only Alonso, and Frazier are the big power threats on that side on the plate.

Pitch Mix – Smith uses the fastball the most, followed by the slider, and the change. Before his injury, Caleb was getting solid whiffs from the slider around 37%, and in his last game, his fastball had a massive increase in the GB rate, up to 40%. The fastball and change have duel movement, and if he can maintain a higher GB rate, it will be a very solid game from the young prospect.