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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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Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Danny Duffy pitches in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images)
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Danny Duffy pitches in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images) /

MLB DFS Pitching Plays

Danny Duffy – Duffy is by far one of the least flashy plays, but he gets an elite match-up against Detroit. They have the second-highest K rate in the league at 26%, along with a .149 ISO, and a 77 wRC+ which are all horrible numbers. His recent form is also very solid, with four quality starts in his last five games, and last time against the Tigers, he scored 40 FD points. The only real threats in this lineup are Castellanos, and the red hot Candelario.

Pitch Mix – We will focus primarily on his pitches against RHH, since he will face most righties. Duffy uses the fastball the most, followed by the slider, and curve. All three get around 25% whiffs, which isn’t great, but his GB numbers are good. He gets solid movement on his pitches, and honestly, at this price, he should be one of the safest options on the entire slate.

Dallas Keuchel – Keuchel gets a nice park upgrade pitching on the road in San Diego, and while his low strikeout numbers to start the season are a slight concern, he has gone into the seventh inning during the past two outings, giving up no more than three runs in four games. The Padres have the highest K rate in the league at 26.2%, and while they have been hitting a good bit of home runs lately, they still strike out quite a bit.

Pitch Mix – Dallas will face eight righties, and against RHH, he uses the sinker, and cutter the most, mixing in the slider, and change. As mentioned, the strikeouts are down, which means the whiffs per swing are down, but each pitch has over 50% GB, except for the slider. The velocity and movement numbers are down from last year, but it seems to only be affecting his strikeouts. It could be temporary, as he gets back up to speed, or it could be intentional to better place his pitches. Either way, the match-up is elite, along with the price, he is a strong cash game play.