DFS Pitching Picks for 5/7 – Throwing a Brave Dart

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Cash Game Stud; 

Noah Syndergaard @ San Diego Padres – $10,100 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel

Syndergaard finally delivered last week, with a complete game shutout against the Reds. Now he heads into a very very pitcher friendly ballpark against a team that strikes out a lot. Sign me up. Syndergaard is a sinker ball pitcher, which is a pitch that the Padres as a whole struggle against. There’s a couple guys you could be afraid of, if you want to call it that, and that’s Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado. Hosmer hits sinkers pretty well, with a .495 wOBA and a .274 ISO. Manny is just plain and simple heating up and that’s a scary sight. I still love what Syndergaard did in his last start by just pounding the strike zone (71% strikes) and creating swing and misses and ground balls. I’m 100% confident and feel safe with using Syndergaard as my SP1 on both sites.

Cash Game Options;

Jon Lester vs Miami Marlins – $9,500 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel

In his last start Lester looked amazing, going seven strong and striking out eight in a win over the Mariners in Seattle. Unfortunately for us he got really priced up in this matchup. Although the price has jumped, I still like him. The Marlins are one of the worst teams in the league in terms of power against lefties, so we don’t have to worry about any balls leaving the park. A big thing here to watch is the weather. If the wind is blowing in, like it was on Monday, then Lester is even more of an amazing play. Wrigley’s weather is huge in that ballpark, it could change the whole complexion of the game. Lester is a lock and load against this Triple A lineup the Marlins keep throwing out there. A big thing for me if the whiff percentage on the changeup, which Lester throws a ton. Six players have over a 30% whiff rate against the changeup, that is no bueno. They don’t want to win and they sure play like it.

Collin McHugh vs Kansas City Royals – $8,200 DraftKings, $8,600 FanDuel

This is a perfect bounce back spot for Collin McHugh. He recently got touched up by the Minnesota Twins, but in all reality it was just a bad matchup for him. This Twins team does not strike out and is just a better team than everyone expected. McHugh at home this season holds a 3.03 ERA with a spectacular 11.21 strikeouts per nine. He is especially strong against right handed bats, making this matchup even better, as he will face six righties. As an early -220 favorite I love McHugh as an SP2 option on DraftKings and a decent tournament play in MME contests on FanDuel.

GPP Dart;

Max Fried @ Los Angeles Dodgers – $8,800 DraftKings, $8,700 FanDuel

I know people will read this and think I’m crazy, but the Dodgers aren’t all that great against left-handed pitching. Against LHPs this season the Dodgers have struck out 112 times, which is third worst in the league. They have a .245 batting average, which is 15th in the league. Yes the Dodgers are an amazing team, but against left handed pitchers they are just average. They all hit fastballs well, but Fried gets the platoon advantage against their best hitters in Bellinger, Seager, Muncy and Joc. Another thing Fried has going for him is his curveball, which the Dodgers all whiff against at very high percentages. Fried will go lower owned and I love him in tournaments.

Top Fade;

Jose Berrios @ Toronto Blue Jays – $10,400 DraftKings, $10,700 FanDuel

Jose Berrios is naturally a guy I don’t love playing away from Minnesota, and he’s shown why this season. His strikeout numbers drop over two strikeouts per nine innings. The thing I don’t like the most is his ERA jumps from 1.98 at home all the way to 4.26 on the road. His wOBA is .352 on the road and .222 at home. It’s almost like Berrios is a completely different pitcher and is not comfortable away from his home park. Now, I know the Blue Jays just got diced up by Martin Perez Monday night. We must remember that baseball changes from day to day just like that. This isn’t a spot where I think Berrios gets blown up, but I don’t think he pays off this price tag.