Ethan Thiel 
There was a full slate of games on Wednesday, June 19th. We actually played 16 games as the Phillies and Nationals had a doubleheader. Snell had one of the worst starts of his career while Corbin bounced back after a few tough starts and a couple of rainouts. Points and salaries are based on DraftKings. I covered the early games here and my fellow colleague, Mark Paquette, covered the late games.
Early Winner
Patrick Corbin ($8,200)
Corbin started the first of two games against the Phillies Wednesday and pitched really well. He pitched seven full innings while striking out eight and giving up only one earned run. He gave up four hits, three walks, and one solo home run. This was a good bounce-back performance for Corbin, who has not pitched well lately. He gave up 16 earned runs on 22 hits over his last 12 innings. He improved to 6-5 on the year and his ERA is now at 3.90. His WHIP is at 1.20 and his K/9 is in good shape at 9.95.
Corbin’s Outlook
Corbin’s next projected start will come at home against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, June 23rd. The Braves’ offense has been good all year, averaging 5.41 runs per game and nearly 7.5 in the month of June. Their June team batting average of .293 trails only the Rockies and they have hit more home runs than any other team in that span with 37. They have been susceptible to the strikeout, though, and rank seventh in that category in June. The Braves’ offense has been too good to think Corbin can back this great start up with another one. We will be looking elsewhere for pitcher points come Sunday.
Early Loser
Blake Snell ($9,500)
Blake Snell had one of the roughest outings for a starting pitcher we have seen all year. He was only able to get one Yankee out while giving up six earned runs on two hits and four walks. Snell gave up a homer to Gary Sanchez. He netted a horrible -14.85 points. We know the Yankees’ lineup is starting to shape up, but this was more of a control problem than anything as shown with the four walks. Snell had been good going into Wednesday and had an ERA of 3.70 to go with a WHIP of 1.17. His K/9 was at a healthy 12.07.
Snell’s Outlook
Snell might not find his next start to be much easier as he faces off agaisnt the Minnesota Twins, on the road, on Tuesday June 25th. The Twins have scored more runs this year than any other team and average nearly six a game. They also lead the league in team batting average and home runs. Snell should be plenty rested but expecting a bounce-back performance agaisnt the top offense in baseball is asking a bit too much. We will be staying away for his start in Minnesota.
Late Winners
Max Scherzer($11,700)/Mike Trout ($4,800): It is so easy to write-up two of the best players in the game, but on the roll these guys are on, what the heck! Trout has homered in three of his last four games and is up to 22 on the year. His on-base percentage is an absurd .462 and .474 for the month of June. He is the best player in the game. Scherzer is making a case of regaining the crown of best pitcher in the league. He is simply on a dominant roll, making his “struggles” of early in the season a distant memory. In his previous three June starts (not including last night’s gem) he was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA, 34 strikeouts, 12 hits allowed and three walks over 22 innings.
Scherzer’s and Trout’s Outlooks:
Only an injury can slow these two behemoths down. Well….maybe not even that! A full-blown shiner from a broken nose did not bother Scherzer in the least last night.
Late Losers
Texas pitching staff/bullpen (minus Lance Lynn and Mike Minor): Last season, Globe Life Park was the best park to score runs in and was the third easiest to hit a home run in. This season it is currently middle of the pack in both categories, but as the brutal summer heat begins to build (the last two games were the first pair in 90 degree heat) and continues through September, expect the rankings to return to their normal place at the top of the list. This spells trouble for next few months for arms in Texas (and visiting teams too) while bats should feast. Oh, did I mention that Texas has one of the worst bullpens in the league?
Texas Outlook:
Look for Texas bats, such as Joey Gallo when he is healthy, Nomar Mazara, Rougned Odor and Elvis Andrus to only get better while the time to pick on arms on Texas in DFS contests is here! Globe Life Park might be the second-most common park to stack in the rest of the season, only behind Coors (of course). And do not ignore the visiting team when they come into town either!
