Following Monday’s top-heavy slate, Tuesday contains several strong mid-level starters to consider for daily MLB lineups.
Gamers can choose from pitchers of all varieties. There are borderline aces (Sonny Gray, Johnny Cueto, James Shields), high-strikeout gambles (Gio Gonzalez, Francisco Liriano, Trevor Bauer) and steady mid-card hurlers (Michael Wacha, Anibal Sanchez, Jason Hammel). Picking two starting pitchers on DraftKings feels like a punishment some days. This is not one of them.
Instead, Tuesday’s pitching catalog offers a buffet of choices. Even if there’s no prime-cut steak on display, there are several appetizing alternatives. (Note: Don’t eat the pitchers, or any person for that matter.)
1. Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics @ HOU ($10,100)
Pony up for a scorching-hot Sonny Gray, Tuesday’s priciest pitcher. Alongside a pretty 1.61 ERA, the righty has recorded 41 strikeouts through his last five starts, going at least six innings in every outing this year.
Gray has created his own good fortune, generating MLB’s second-best hard-hit average (17.1 percent) behind Garrett Richards. He has kept the ball in the park all year, allowing one homer. While the Houston Astros will test that trend, they also strike out in bunches.
Although stuck in last place, the Oakland Athletics get a vulnerable righty in Roberto Hernandez, giving Gray a high victory probability to support a gaudy punchout tally.
2. Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals vs. NYY ($9,000):
Show some forgiveness and overlook Gio Gonzalez’ 4.25 ERA and 1.54 WHIP. Only teammate Stephen Strasburg wields a higher batting average on balls in play (BABIP) than the lefty’s .387 mark, far below his career .291 clip. With a 58.2 ground-ball percentage and 18.4 hard-hit average, the baseball gods are playing a cruel joke that will soon subside.
Throw in a 2.75 FIP and 8.92 K/9 for good measure, and this is the same old Gonzalez, holder of a 2.80 home ERA since joining the Washington Nationals in 2012.
Not only must the New York Yankees’ lefty-loaded lineup face a hard-throwing southpaw, they must do so without targeting Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field. Playing by National League rules, they also must bench one of their aging sluggers, probably Mark Teixeira, with Alex Rodriguez manning first base.
3. Jason Hammel, Chicago Cubs @ SD ($8,700)
Granted, a matchup at Petco Park isn’t what it used to be. Offseason acquisitions transformed the San Diego Padres’ offense from dreadful to average. Justin Upton and Matt Kemp make them better, but the club still sports a .703 OPS and 21.0 strikeout percentage against right-handed pitchers.
For $1,000 cheaper than opponent James Shields—who is recording tons of strikeouts but getting hit hard during an odd year—Jason Hammel is the better value play. Along with a 3.11 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, the righty sports a 3.37 FIP and 41:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
He allowed four runs in their earlier meeting at Wrigley Field, with a Wil Myers three-run homer doing most of the damage. Even if he returns from a wrist injury on Tuesday, the outfielder is no guarantee to be back to 100 percent.
4. Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox vs. CLE ($8,200)
Since getting shelled for nine runs by the ferocious Detroit Tigers, Jose Quintana has allowed six runs through his past four starts, racking up 28 strikeouts through 26 innings. His 4.35 ERA still suffers the aftermath of that horrid outing, but his 3.15 FIP and 8.56 K/9 ratio have recovered.
The Cleveland Indians are not the Tigers. Before his start to forget, Quintana twirled six scoreless frames against Cleveland. In an small sample size, lefties are 3-for-32 against him, which bodes well for the southpaw mitigating Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and Brandon Moss.
5. Michael Wacha, St. Louis Cardinals @ NYM ($8,300)
If his 2.06 ERA wasn’t sullied by a 5.36 K/9 rate and 3.68 FIP, Michael Wacha would warrant a higher spot against the New York Mets. Finally feeling the absences of David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud, they possess baseball’s third-worst OPS against righties.
There’s hope for the 23-year-old, as he netted a season-high seven strikeouts against Cleveland on Thursday. The St. Louis Cardinals have led him to five victories, but an offense with diminished power against lefties will face Jon Niese—another starter with a misleadingly low ERA.
Gray and Gonzalez are better pitchers, and Hammel and Quintana don’t have the eye-popping numbers to net high usage rates. Despite terrific early success and a great matchup for Wacha, regression looms around the corner.
6. Trevor Bauer, Cleveland Indians @ CHW ($6,800)
A cheap, high-upside tournament play, Trevor Bauer has compiled 44 strikeouts through 41.2 innings. He has also issued 19 walks and gotten torched twice before striking out 10 Cardinals last week.
Most of the lower-tiered starters are washed-up veterans or unappealing youngsters. Bauer is wild and inconsistent, but he can win contests on a good day. Anyone looking to save money with their second starter should consider taking a flier on him.
Note: Advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs.
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