MLB DFS pitching gems August 21: Verlander in a dream spot

3 of 6

CLEVELAND, OHIO – JULY 09: Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros participates in the 2019 MLB All-Star Game at Progressive Field on July 09, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

MLB DFS Pitching Plays

Justin Verlander – I am not sure I really have to tell anybody that JV is the best overall play on the day by a landslide. Detroit is really bad, against RHP, they have a 25% K rate, 45% GB rate, and a .152 ISO. JV on the year has a 3.27 xFIP, 35% K rate, 34% GB rate, and 41% HC. It does not matter how many righties, or lefties he will see because these Tigers are horrible on both sides of the plate.

Pitch Mix – Justin is an old school type of pitcher. Very fastball heavy, using it 50% of the time, then has a slider, and curve to round out his pitching arsenal. The fastball gets just over 30% whiffs, slider over 30%, and curve over 40%.

That slider is getting a lot of ground-balls well over 50%, the curve has been over 40% as well. His fastball gets 11 inches of movement, which is very impressive considering its velocity is on average 95 MPH. This is something I have talked about many times during the course of this season, and the reality is that Detroit will struggle in a big way today.