MLB DFS Pitching Picks for 4/30

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On this Tuesday evening we get a large 15-game slate with a tonof great pitching options. So let’s dig in on my five favorite options.

Top Tier

Trevor Bauer @ Miami Marlins – $10,900 DraftKings, $11,400FanDuel

Trevor Bauer has been nothing short of spectacular this season.Bauer is 3-1, posting a 1.99 ERA, as well as racking up at least sevenstrikeouts in every game this season except one. He travels to Miami and facesa team that is bottom five in average and HRs on the season. Although Miami ismiddle of the pact in strikeouts, they are dead last in drawing walks on theyear. This bodes for many balls to be put in play or being whiffed on. WithCleveland opening as a -200 favorite and the game total being set at 7, I seeBauer posting a clean outing here. The Indians have shown that they will letBauer go until he can’t anymore, as he leads MLB in pitches per start. Not tomention his tournament upside is the highest on the slate.

Blake Snell @ Kansas City Royals – $10,500 DraftKings, $11,200 FanDuel

I know we all got hurt by Blake Snell last week against these same Royals, but I don’t see that happening again. In Snell’s last start he gave up one extra base hit and four timely singles that ultimately ran him out of the game. Snell is an elite talent and has one of the highest upsides on this slate. The Royals are a terrible team that has strikeout hitters up and down their lineup. So far this season the Royals have only two players below a 20% K rate, Whit Merrifield (16%) and Alex Gordon (19.5%). Against curveballs this season the Royals have really struggled, as everyone has a whiff % over 30% other than Merrifield. I firmly believe Snell bounces back in a huge way and dominates the team that ran him off the field in his last start.

Walker Buehler @ San Francisco Giants – $9,900 DraftKings,$9,400 FanDuel

The pitcher friendly park here is what is really drawing my eye.Walker Buehler has been somewhat unspectacular this season, although I see aturnaround in a huge way in this one. Opening as a -160 favorite with a totalat low seven, I see this being another low-scoring affair as he squares of withDrew Pomeranz. We all know the exceptional talent that Buehler possesses, wejust have not seen it on the field other than his start against Cincinnati twoweeks ago. I know the Giants are bottom of the league in strikeouts per game,but they are also bottom in the league in every hitting statistic. Over Buehler’sshort career he has been able to neutralize left-handed bats. This is huge,because one of the Giants’ best hitters is Brandon Belt, a lefty. If he canneutralize the power of Belt, I am not scared of any hitter in this lineup. Asa team they are batting only .210 on the season. The strikeouts will come forBuehler and this is his breakout. I am all over Buehler today, in one of myfavorite pay up spots.

Mid Tier

Vincent Velasquez vs. Detroit Tigers – $8,700 DraftKings, $8,200 FanDuel

Let me start off by saying his price on FanDuel is ridiculous with the amount of strikeout upside this guy has. To start the season, Velasquez holds a 1.99 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. The Tigers are coming into town with all the strikeouts you could imagine. Just on Sunday, Reynaldo Lopez., let me say that name again so it sinks in, Reynaldo Lopez carved them up for 14 strikeouts. Oh, and that was only in SIX innings. There are strikeouts up and down this lineup and the Tigers are just a terrible offensive team. The Tigers are 29th in the league in strikeouts per game with 10.15. On the season they are batting .229 as a team and are dead last in home runs. When Velasquez is on, and he is hitting his spots he has ridiculous upside. I think he must be your tournament play on FanDuel and definitely in consideration for your SP2 on DraftKings.

Julio Teheran .vs San Diego Padres – $8,000 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel

As I am writing this I’m just getting tilted already, as this is slightly gross. Let’s dig in to the good things, though, and let me show you why they outweigh the bad here. San Diego is very strikeout prone, as they average 9.57 Ks per game. To righties, Teheran loves to throw his slider, as he does 35% of the time, and the Padres as a whole aren’t very good against it. Besides Franmil Reyes and Manny Machado, the Padres don’t make very solid contact versus sliders. Now I know Teheran isn’t great, but he is a very solid pitcher at home. The trouble Teheran has are with lefties and he won’t be facing any in this lineup that scare me the slightest bit. I love Teheran as a lower priced pitcher, especially for tournaments, as I feel he will go pretty under-owned.