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MLB DFS Picks and Pivots: August 2 – Gingergaards debut

By Brian Tulloch

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 07: Dustin May #12 of the National League Futures Team pitches during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Progressive Field on Sunday, July 7, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 07: Dustin May #12 of the National League Futures Team pitches during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Progressive Field on Sunday, July 7, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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MLB DFS
DENVER, CO – JULY 17: Mike Yastrzemski #5 of the San Francisco Giants hits an RBI single off of Jon Gray #55 of the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a game at Coors Field on July 17, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

MLB DFS – Building Our Bats:

With a 13+ IRT in Coors Field and with Shaun Anderson and Peter Lambert on the mound, there is not going to be a lot of reason to avoid a game with 20+ run potential. In fact, the last time these two met in Coors, just a few weeks back, two of the four games in the series went for 19 and 21 runs so this becomes a fade at your own risk kind of spot.

The Rockies will take on RHP Shaun Anderson, who took the mound in Coors in that last series and lasted just 4 innings after surrendering 8 hits and 4 ER. The issue for Anderson this season has been LHB, giving up a .222 IS, .364 xOBA and 41% HC rate and with Charlie Blackmon, David Dahl and Daniel Murphy at the top of this line-up, it could be another long day for Anderson.

Every single batter 1-5 in the Rockies line-up, including Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story, has a .200+ ISO mark against RHP this season and with Anderson’s middling 16% K rate, there is just not enough swing and miss stuff to have me move off this spot for the Rockies.

The nice part about this slate is that we have more than enough salary to pay up for the expensive Rockies and can get additional relief by using some seriously under-priced Giants bats against RHP Peter Lambert.

Lambert on the year is giving up a massive .310 ISO to LHP, with a .427 wOBA and 50% HC rate and when you see Brandon Belt ($7.6K) and Scooter Gennett ($6.8K) in the heart of this Giants line-up at THOSE price points – it is simply a lock and load situation. Belt has always hit exceptionally well in Coors Field, and his 51% fly-ball rate (versus a sub 30% GB rate) against RHP in 2019, makes this an ideal spot in the thin air to build around him on FantasyDraft where he has IF and OF eligibility.

Scooter has been miserable this year, there is just no getting around it, but with a move to San Francisco, do not overlook him here considering he had a .226 ISO mark against RHP in the previous two seasons.

To round out this build, we need a one-off from a third team on FantasyDraft and with $6.3K remaining, Justin Upton stands out to me even in a tough match-up against RHP Mike Clevinger. Clevinger has been downright nasty this season, with heavy usage (over 55%) of his slider against RHB which has generated a 54% whiff rate. Historically, the slider is a pitch that Upton has handled exceptionally well, sporting a .231 ISO and 42% HC rate which puts him in a spot to pay off his price tag with one swing of the bat.