Pitchers
For the Pitcher Chart as well as Hitter picks and analysis, click NEXT!
Justin Verlander
Verlander will face the Yankees in Yankee Stadium. There is nothing appealing about the matchup for Verlander, so this play is mostly betting on Verlander’s talent. Verlander has an OTT of 3.5 (see pitcher chart), tied for lowest on the slate. He has the highest strikeout rate of all the starting pitchers on Monday, and will hold the platoon advantage against the Yankees best three hitters. At a price of $12,600, I won’t play Verlander in cash games, but I believe he has 30 point upside and will have some tournament exposure.
Caleb Smith
Smith will face the Padres in Petco Park. The Padres strike out 26.4% of the time, highest rate in the league. Smith has a 31.7% strikeout rate on the season, so there is plenty of upside at $8,100. With an OTT of just 3.5, Smith also has some safety for cash games. He’s my favorite pitcher on Monday’s slate.
Marco Gonzales
Gonzales will face the Rangers in Safeco Field. The Rangers strike out 25.8% of the time, third highest rate in the league. Gonzales is a big favorite and also has an OTT of 3.5. With the fourth worst wRC+ in the league, the Rangers could struggle to score in this matchup. At a price of $6,900 on DraftKings, Gonzales is a fantastic SP2 for tournaments, and a possible SP2 in cash games depending on the Rangers’ lineup.
For the Pitcher Chart as well as Hitter picks and analysis, click NEXT!
Pitcher Chart
To see my favorite hitters for today’s slate, click NEXT!
The pitching chart will be updated often. Make sure to check back for the newest information, especially if a column is currently incomplete!
Last Updated: 5/28/2018 – 9:37 AM CT
| Pitcher | Team | L/R | $Line | OTT | K | +/- | K% | IP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. deGrom | NYM | R | -137 | 3.5 | 6.5 | 3 | 33.3 | 6 2/3 |
| M. Fried | ATL | L | +126 | 4.5 | 3.5 | -1 | 26.9 | 4 1/3 |
| L. Weaver | STL | R | -114 | 4 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 21.9 | 5 2/3 |
| B. Suter | MIL | L | +105 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 18.2 | 5 |
| C. Smith | MIA | L | -110 | 3.5 | 6.5 | 3 | 31.7 | 6 |
| E. Lauer | SDP | L | +102 | 3.5 | 5 | 1.5 | 18.9 | 6 |
| H. Bailey | CIN | R | +140 | 4.5 | 3 | -1.5 | 12.9 | 4 2/3 |
| M. Koch | ARI | R | -152 | 4 | 3 | -1 | 14.3 | 5 |
| A. Suarez | SFG | L | +110 | 5.5 | 3 | -2.5 | 22.7 | 4 1/3 |
| C. Bettis | COL | R | -119 | 5.5 | 4 | -1.5 | 16.1 | 5 |
| V. Velasquez | PHI | R | +113 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 28.4 | 5 1/3 |
| B. Stewart | LAD | R | -122 | 3.5 | 4 | 0.5 | 13.6 | 4 2/3 |
| J. Verlander | HOU | R | -126 | 3.5 | 7 | 3.5 | 33.5 | 6 |
| D. German | NYY | R | +116 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 27.2 | 5 |
| A. Sanchez | TOR | R | +168 | 5 | 4 | -1 | 16.8 | 5 1/3 |
| D. Price | BOS | L | -183 | 3.5 | 5 | 1.5 | 23.3 | 5 2/3 |
| T. Skaggs | LAA | L | -173 | 4 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 25.4 | 6 |
| M. Boyd | DET | L | +159 | 5 | 4 | -1 | 19.6 | 4 2/3 |
| C. Archer | TBR | R | +120 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 22.8 | 6 |
| T. Cahill | OAK | R | -130 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 2 | 25.2 | 5 2/3 |
| D. Covey | CHW | R | +176 | 5 | 3 | -2 | 19.6 | 4 1/3 |
| A. Plutko | CLE | R | -192 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 19.6 | 5 |
| D. Fister | TEX | R | +149 | 4.5 | 4 | -0.5 | 15.9 | 5 1/3 |
| M. Gonzales | SEA | L | -162 | 3.5 | 6 | 2.5 | 21.7 | 5 2/3 |
| L. Lynn | MIN | R | -104 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 21.8 | 5 2/3 |
| J. Junis | KCR | R | -104 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.5 | 21.8 | 5 1/3 |
| G. Gonzalez | WAS | L | -136 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 24.6 | 6 1/3 |
| A. Cobb | BAL | R | +126 | 5 | 4 | -1 | 11.6 | 5 |
Key
L/R = Lefty or Righty
$Line = Money Line
OTT = Opposing team’s run total
K = Projected Strikeouts
+/- = K-OTT
K% = Strikeout Percentage
IP = Innings Projection
Many factors can change between the time I write this article and the time lineups lock. I’ll do my best to update the article, so checking back frequently is encouraged. You can also ask questions on Twitter or Facebook. I’ll do my best to get to all of them!
To see my favorite hitters for today’s slate, click NEXT!
Hitters
Mike Trout/Angels
Trout will face Matt Boyd in Comerica Park. Trout will have the platoon advantage and will bat in a favorable lineup spot. The Angels have a team run total of five, giving Trout plenty of chances to score. He’s priced up a bit, but I’m paying down at my pitcher spots today, so I’ll be able to afford a few pricey bats. Trout is locked into my cash game lineup. Justin Upton is also on my radar. He’s underpriced at $3,900 on DraftKings, and provides value for cash games. For tournaments, Shohei Ohtani and Ian Kinsler are in consideration as well.
Paul Goldschmidt
Goldschmidt will face Homer Bailey in Chase Field. Goldschmidt has struggled this season, and looking at his numbers, the main concerns are his HR/FB rate, his BABIP and his strikeouts. While the HR/FB rate could be down due to the humidor, but the first two of those stats are often considered “luck” stats that will regress to the mean. As for the strikeouts, Goldschmidt has struck out 31.4% of the time this year, the highest rate of his career. I’ve avoided him in cash games for most of the year, even at his cheap prices, but when he faces a pitcher with a low strikeout rate, I’m more tempted to take him. Bailey has just a 12.9% strikeout rate, and with Goldschmidt priced at $4,100, I’ll have Goldschidt as my cash game first baseman.
Coors Bats
If you’re playing the all day slate, you’ll want exposure to the Coors bats. The Rockies will face lefty Andrew Suarez. Nolan Arenado is the top option from this game, with Charlie Blackmon a close second. Many will be scared off of Blackmon due to a lefty on the mound, but I don’t expect Suarez to last long in this game. At his price, I may leave him for tournaments, but I’ll have plenty of exposure to Blackmon. Trevor Story, Ian Desmond, and Chris Iannetta are all in play for cash games considering Suarez’s wide platoon split. Suarez has given up a .231 wOBA to lefties, but a .428 wOBA to rigities. Even with limited at bats against Suarez, they can reach value. On the Giants side, Andrew McCutchen is the only bat I’m currently considering in cash games. If Iannetta is not in the lineup, I’ll strongly consider Buster Posey as well. The rest of the Giants are tournament plays to me, as there are multiple offenses I like better than the Giants on Monday.
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