MLB DFS Pitching Primer: Saturday, 8/17 – Marquee matchup for Marquez on main slate
By Dan Palyo
MLB DFS Pitching Primer: Top GPP Pivot
Jose Berrios (9.1k FD, 9.8k DK) @ Texas
Berrios and his Twins will take on the Rangers tonight in the third game of this series that features temperatures in the high 90’s. The Ballpark at Arlington is already a great hitters’ park, but when you add in the heat and humidity it becomes an elite hitting environment that rivals Coors Field. The teams combined for 19 runs in the opener and then some solid pitching from Odorizzi and Minor held both teams in check last night.
The park factor is not in Berrios’ favor tonight, but the matchup is sweet. The Rangers have been struggling offensively for the better part of a month, and have been missing their best slugger Joey Gallo badly. They are striking out 24% of the time, while Berrios has limited hitters from both sides of the plate to a stingy .294 wOBA.
The old rule of thumb was “don’t play Berrios on the road” as he has had some severe home/road splits for much of his young career. But he could be starting to turn the corner as he was dominant in both of his last two road starts against the Marlins and White Sox. Yes, those two teams are bad offensively, but you’d have to go all the way back to the middle of May to find a road start in which Berrios allowed more than three earned runs.
Berrios is a tad risky in this spot which is why he appeals to me as a GPP option mainly. The Texas bats can heat up as quickly as the weather has but I also think this is a spot where he could strike out double-digit hitters. He’s fairly priced on both sites and makes for a great pivot off the expensive DeGrom and some of the cheaper pitchers who may be more popular.