We have a nice 13 game slate on our hands, but there aren’t many arms I can vouch for, so I’m going to give you my favorites and mention a couple that I’m looking to fade.
Lucas Giolito vs. Kansas City Royals – $9,900 on DraftKings
Lucas Giolito is finally becoming what we all believed he was supposed to be as a top prospect. In four of his last five starts he has posted seven or more strikeouts and has also gotten the win (28.5% K% on the year). Giolito is coming off his complete game shutout masterpiece (9 Ks, 1 BB) against the Astros in his last start. Now we get a Royals team who comes to town with a decently high whiff rate (21.9%) and I think Giolito is going to dice them up. I don’t see any reason why Giolito won’t continue his dominance.
Stephen Strasburg vs. Atlanta Braves – $11,800 on DraftKings
Strasburg is coming into Atlanta with a 30.6 percent K rate (ninth-best mark in MLB) and a 27.7 percent hard-hit rate (second-best), but is also coming into the game as a slight underdog. Along with that its supposed to be 90+ degrees in Atlanta and this is not an offense or ballpark I would like to attack at this price tag. I’m leaning on the Strasburg fade which allows me to stack up some Coors bats and we will find some value on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Trevor Richards vs. San Francisco Giants – $8,200 DraftKings
Trevor Richards is a very solid pitcher who I love playing when he’s in Miami. He shows the ability to strike out a handful every time he heads to the mound. I love his chance for a win here as I think the Marlins could get to Shark. The Giants are a dreadful offense with a 24.3% K rate and I don’t worry about anyone getting to Richards in that lineup one bit.
Martin Perez vs. Milwaukee Brewers – $9,100 on DraftKings
Martin Perez has been on a resurgence this year but this is where we are pumping the brakes. If DraftKings was kinder and provided a discount on Perez we would be more interested because on paper he looks like a great play, but this matchup says otherwise. The Brewers are not a team to attack and Vegas agrees with their 4.5 run implied total. Look to fade Perez in this matchup and revisit him in his next start.
Marco Gonzales vs. Texas Rangers – $6,900 DraftKings
Texas is terrible against left handed pitchers and I don’t see why Gonzales can’t cruise through this lineup. Gonzales is another pitcher we love playing when he is at home. Against the Rangers last time he accrued 14.7 DraftKings points in Texas, We don’t see any reason why he won’t eclipse 22 and return mega value here. The Rangers strike out at 23.6% K rate, which should help Gonzales and his 16.4% K rate.
Jason Mezrahi contributed to this story