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DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Tuesday 7/23/19
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We have a full 15-game schedule ahead of us for this Tuesday slate with minimal weather. The cities we do need to key in on are New York and Milwaukee though, with both projected to have rain in the forecast. With that in mind, let's get to some aces...
Pitchers
Chris Sale FD - P 10200 DK - SP 11000
Opponent - TB (Yonny Chirinos) Park - TB
FD - 42.22 DK - 24.31
Sale has returned to his ace form recently and he's tough to fade on every slate. After struggling mightily in his first four starts of the season, Sale has rebounded to a 3.25 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over his last 16 starts. More importantly. Sale has 158 Ks in 99.2 innings in that span, which is simply one of the best K rates in the Majors. Strikeouts are king for DFS and there's no better bet for double-digit strikeouts when Sale takes the hill. Tamps Bay has a propensity to strike out too, ranking 23rd in K rate this season.
Stephen Strasburg FD - P 10000 DK - SP 10700
Opponent - COL (Jon Gray) Park - WSH
FD - 40.12 DK - 22.04
Strasburg has been one of the best pitchers in the game this season and we always have to consider pitchers against the Rockies when they're on the road. Something changes with this offense when they step out of Coors Field, as they have the worst road OPS in the Majors dating back to last season. That's extremely worrisome against a guy like Strasburg, who's pitching to a 3.52 ERA and 1.09 WHIP this season. He's done that while striking out 151 batters across 127.2 innings of action, which is scary against a Rockies offense who ranks 26th in K rate.
Catcher/First Base
Eric Thames FD - 1B 2800 DK - 1B 4500
Opponent - CIN (Tanner Roark) Park - MIL
FD - 11.14 DK - 8.36
Thames price has only gone down as the season has progressed and that simply makes no sense. This dude has been killing righties throughout his Milwaukee tenure and that's carried over to this season. Since 2017, Thames has a .529 SLG and .888 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. That's why he traditionally bats in the heart of this potent lineup and that's huge considering they're projected for more than five runs at the friendly confines of Miller Park.
Paul Goldschmidt FD - 1B 3100 DK - 1B 4000
Opponent - PIT (Chris Archer) Park - PIT
FD - 11.67 DK - 8.79
Don't look now but Goldy is starting to get out of his season-long slump. Over his last 14 games. Goldschmidt has five homers and 17 RBI. That's the stud bat that we've been waiting for all season long and it's just a matter of time before he goes on an absolute tear. What makes him attractive here is a matchup with Chris Archer, who's pitching to a 5.36 ERA and 1.41 WHIP so far this season. That's why the Cardinals are projected for more than 4.5 runs and Goldy should play a huge part of that at this bargain price tag.
If you're in need of a catcher, Yasmani Grandal has a premium matchup and is always a great option.
Second Base
Jason Kipnis FD - 2B 3200 DK - 2B 3600
Opponent - TOR (Aaron Sanchez) Park - TOR
FD - 11.11 DK - 8.45
Kipnis continues to be disrespected by these DFS sites and it's truly mind-boggling how cheap they keep his price. We're talking about a guy who has an OPS in the .800-range against right-handers for his career while posting a wOBA north of .350. That's all you can ask for from someone priced so cheaply, especially when you consider how hot Kipnis is right now. Over his last 28 games, Kipnis has an average north of .300 en route to an .869 OPS. Facing Aaron Sanchez is huge too and we'll go over that more later in the article.
Starlin Castro FD - 2B 2000 DK - 2B 3700
Opponent - CHW (Dylan Covey) Park - CHW
FD - 9.18 DK - 7.17
This might be the first time that I've written up Castro all season but he does intrigue me in a matchup like this. This is simply all about price, as Castro is too good of a player to be a minimum priced bat on FanDuel. He's still hitting in the heart of this order and has had a better career than that price would indicate. In fact, Castro has a .279 career AVG and .725 career OPS. Those are by no means special numbers but it's incredible for a $2,000 player. Facing Dylan Covey is the main reason we like him though, with the Chicago righty pitching to a 6.06 ERA and 1.56 WHIP for his career.
Shortstop
Francisco Lindor FD - SS 4300 DK - SS 4900
Opponent - TOR (Aaron Sanchez) Park - TOR
FD - 14.67 DK - 11.19
We absolutely love the Indians on this slate so that means we have to adore Lindor. Let's go over why we like Cleveland, as Aaron Sanchez is simply one of the worst arms in the game right now. That's evident by his 6.26 ERA and 1.75 WHIP, which is truly scary against one of the hottest lineups in baseball. Lindor is just the guy we want to exploit that superior matchup, with the All-Star shortstop hitting .297 over his last 58 games while providing an OPS just shy of .900 in that span.
Dansby Swanson FD - SS 3200 DK - SS 4400
Opponent - KC (Danny Duffy) Park - ATL
FD - 12.35 DK - 9.48
Swanson has quietly had a breakout year for the Braves and he's definitely in consideration with the platoon advantage in his favor. So far this season, Swanson is generating a .357 OBP, .519 SLG and .877 OPS against left-handers. That's why he typically bats second against southpaws and that's big against a guy like Danny Duffy. The Kansas City lefty is currently pitching to a 4.52 ERA and 1.39 WHIP, which is pretty much the guy we've seen throughout his disappointing career.
Third Base
Brian Anderson FD - 3B 2600 DK - 3B/OF 4200
Opponent - CHW (Dylan Covey) Park - CHW
FD - 9.51 DK - 7.33
Anderson has quietly been doing work in Miami all season long and we definitely think he makes for a great cheap option in a matchup like this. Unlike Castro, Anderson has actually been productive for the Marlins. In fact, Anderson has four doubles, two homers and eight RBI over his last nine games. That alone makes him attractive in a matchup like this, with Covey's aforementioned numbers making him one of the worst pitchers in the league.
Josh Donaldson FD - 3B 3800 DK - 3B 4900
Opponent - KC (Danny Duffy) Park - ATL
FD - 13.25 DK - 9.91
Donaldson has recaptured his All-Star form and we have to love him against a lefty. Over his last 35 games. Donaldson has 15 homers, six doubles, 22 walks and 33 RBI en route to a 1.100 OPS. Those are incredible numbers and it's no surprise that his price has risen so much. He's absolutely obliterated left-handed pitching throughout his career too, posting an OPS north of .950 against southpaws while generating a .291 ISO and .404 wOBA.
Outfield
Austin Riley FD - OF 3000 DK - OF 4300
Opponent - KC (Danny Duffy) Park - ATL
FD - 12.19 DK - 9.29
Riley is mired in a dreadful slump right now but this price drop makes him an enticing option. This rookie is still providing a .514 SLG and .815 OPS, which is really all you can ask for from someone in this price range. Like the rest of these Braves, he too gets the platoon advantage in his favor against Duffy. That's bigger for him than anyone else though, with Riley generating a .333 AVG, .857 SLG and 1.274 OPS against left-handers so far this year.
Jake Bauers FD - OF 2900 DK - 1B/OF 3500
Opponent - TOR (Aaron Sanchez) Park - TOR
FD - 11.33 DK - 8.55
Bauer is the final piece to our Indians stack and he's one of the few cheap guys we can trust on this offense. While his numbers aren't as pretty as the other Cleveland options, he has a lot of potential in a matchup like this. Sanchez dreadful numbers are a major reason why, as that gives Bauer the platoon advantage. The talented lefty has a career OPS nearly 80 points higher against right-handers and he absolutely raked at the minors with the platoon advantage in his favor. He's extremely hot right now too, hitting .346 over his last 15 games.
Hunter Renfroe FD - OF 3300 DK - OF 4500
Opponent - NYM (Jason Vargas) Park - NYM
FD - 11.22 DK - 8.5
Renfroe is way too cheap on these sites and many people don't realize just how special of a season he's having. Renfroe actually ranks Top-3 in the NL with 28 home runs and that's truly amazing considering how low these prices are. What really makes him an enticing option here is that he gets to face a lefty. With the platoon advantage in his favor, Refnroe is generating a .739 SLG and 1.064 OPS so far this season. That's huge against a guy like Jason Vargas, who's got an ugly 5.18 xFIP.
