by EMac
Glean insight from one of the game’s best in STLCardinals84’s MLB Head-to-Head/50-50 Picks, as he lists picks he’ll actually be targeting in his cash games below. Each day you can get in-depth analysis by position for FanDuel Head-to-Head, Double-up and/or 50-50 games. Expert Picks are posted every day there are 4 or more MLB Games, and the picks & analysis will be posted daily by 10 AM EST or 2 PM EST 1
Note: EMac handles MLB “Expert Picks” on weekends for FanDuel.
Pitchers
Saturday, the number one shopping day in America! DFS is honoring that tradition with decent pitching options at every price point, so grab your grocery list and let’s get to work!
Early
Alex Cobb – Tampa Bay Rays – Cobb is taking on the Seattle Mariners who were blanked last night by Eric Freakin Bedard. Cobb is a much better pitcher than Bedard and similar production is in play today. Seattle has put up a .300wOBA against RHPs this season garnering them an anemic 24th place ranking in that category. Current Mariners are hitting .203/.247/.405 against Cobb with 8XBHs an 18Ks in 79ABs.
Jeff Samardzija – Chicago Cubs – The Shark is a great pitcher but he has received pitiful run support from his teammates who have managed to score just 28 runs in his 11 starts. If the wind is at least neutral today, Samardzija is an intriguing option with his K upside (the Marlins lead the Majors with a 23.7% K-rate against RHPs).
Other Pitching Options – Matt Garza (though the Pirates are 9th in runs scored at home, PNC Park still plays as a pitching advantage) and Alfredo Simon(though his Ks are inconsistent, the Phillies offense is in a funk this season).
Late
Chris Sale – Chicago White Sox – Sale has been great since returning from the DL and though he is pricy, he is one of the “safer” options today albeit with a tough matchup against the Angels who are 7th in runs scored at home with 5rpg. The numbers I like to see are those of the current Halo bats against Sale .115/.167/.262 with 3XBHs in 61ABs.
Max Scherzer – Detroit Tigers – Boston is 22nd in runs scored on the road and 21st with a .306wOBA and 10th with a 21.5% K-rate against RHPs (which surprised me a bit considering that they have some decent LHBs Ortiz, Pierzynski, Drew, Holt, Sizemore, etc.) . Scherzer has had 7+Ks in 9 of 12 starts this season.
Other Pitching Options – Andrew Cashner (fresh off the DL, but does get the Nats in Petco), Bartolo Colon (yes he throws one pitch these days, but there is just enough movement on it to miss bats and AT&T Park is beneficial to SPs with the cooler marine layer in the evenings coming off the Bay) and Blake Treinen (at $4.2k you can really get in some impressive bats and with the Padres scoring just 3.8rpg at home I will have a lineup variation with Blake in my cash games).
Catchers
Early
Devin Mesoraco – Cincinnati Reds – Mesoraco has a .447wOBA and 9HRs against RHPs in 88Pas this season. He is facing Roberto HernandezCarmona today, so if he is in the Reds lineup, get him in yours.
Jason Castro – Houston Astros – While Kyle Gibson has been able to keep the ball in the park so far this season, he has serious troubles with LHBs allowing a slash line of .287/.331/.412 and 14XBHs in 136ABs this season.
Other potential options may surface as starting rosters are released. Be sure to check out theRotoGrinders Lineup Page which updates in real-time as MLB lineups are announced.
Late
Evan Gattis – Atlanta Braves – El Oso Blanco has a .375wOBA and 17XBHs in his last 115ABs againstLHPs and Wade Miley has been known to give up a home run or three (well actually FOUR in his last outing against Cinci).
John Jaso – Oakland Athletics – Jaso has cooled off a bit after starting this season on a tear, however, Kevin Gausman has been horrible against LHBs so far in his career with a .495 SLG and .811 OPS in 93ABs.
First Base
Early
Adam Lind – Toronto Blue Jays – Often overlooked by DFS gamers who focus on Edwin Encarnacion, Lind gets a nice matchup today with RHP Shelby Miller who has really struggled with lefties on the season .283/.381/.462 in 106ABs while Lind in turn crushes RHPs .383/.458/.628 in 94ABs.
Adrian Gonzalez – Los Angeles Dodgers – well last night was a major disappointment, so I expect his ownership numbers to be down. Do not sleep on A-Gone who will get a HR before he leaves Colorado. Jhoulys Chacin has struggled with his command this season and Gonzalez should get a couple ABs with runners on base today.
Other First Base Options – Ryan Howard (your Buddy Ryan/Cris Carter MLB equivalent – All he does is hit HRs. No seriously he is on pace for just 140 hits this season with 30 of them being HRs), Anthony Rizzo(how long is Randy Wolf really going to last today until the Cubbies get to the Miami bullpen) and Jason Giambi (likely will be in the lineup with this lefty/righty matchup against Nick Tepesch.
Late
Miguel Cabrera and Brandon Moss – they are good, play them.
Jose Abreu – Chicago White Sox – well, so far the only thing that has kept Abreu from hitting home runs is the DL. Even with missing two weeks he is still on pace for 44 dingers. Matt Shoemaker has been very homer prone in his career with 5 in just 29 innings this year and 52 over the last two minor league seasons.
Other First Base Options – Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler are in play against David Phelps and Lucas Duda is an interesting option against Tim Hudson.
Second Base
Early
Dee Gordon – Los Angeles Dodgers – after going hitless for a whopping nine at bat stretch without a hit earlier this week AND sitting against a LHPthere were actually whispers that Gordon may lose his starting job to a platoon situation. His two triples, 3 RBI and 1 SB last night should quiet that crazy talk. Ride the streak while you still can.
Ben Zobrist – Tampa Bay Rays – don’t forget that as a switch hitter The Zorilla is equally adept against RHP and LHP with better power against southpaws.
Jason Kipnis – Cleveland Indians – don’t be afraid to sprinkle a few Cleveland lefties in your lineup against Nich Tepesch today.
Late
Daniel Murphy – New York Mets – while I do like Tim Hudson as a GPP pitching option today, I am not afraid to take a bat or two against him if the price is right. Murphy is a great option against RHPs this evening and I think he will be a good differentiation play.
Anthony Rendon – Washington Nationals – track the news as Rendon left the game early last night with a thumb injury. Prior to that he hit his third home run in his last five games and over the last week he has a slash line of .316/.381/.789 and a 1.170 OPS.
Other Second Base Options – Check out the RotoGrinders Bargain Bin Baller Page for potential punt options that will likely emerge as the lineups are released today.
Third Base
Early
Juan Francisco – Toronto Blue Jays – Francisco is a great selection when facing RHPs, especially ones that can get eaten up by LHBs like Shelby Miller.
Evan Longoria – Tampa Bay Rays – after just FIVE extra base hits in the month of May, Longoria already has three in June. He is still a great play againstLHPs.
Late
Manny Machado – Baltimore Orioles – well that was an exciting dustup last night and I am expecting Machado to come out tonight and let his play do the talking. Sonny Gray is a solid pitcher, but Machado is going to be a special player and I will have him on a lot of my lineups again tonight.
Eric Chavez – Arizona Cardinals – a great play in lefty/righty situations, they just seem to be getting fewer and farther between.
Connor Gillaspie – Chicago White Sox – your sneaky hot corner option if you are not going to roll with Machado.
Short Stop
Early
Hanley Ramirez – Los Angeles Dodgers – he is good, you should play him.
Jose Reyes – Toronto Blue Jays – as you have been hearing from many sources, Reyes is healthy and producing in a myriad of ways (hits, walks, runs, steals and power).
Jimmy Rollins – Philadelphia Phillies – Hmm, I may have to rethink my Alfredo Simon pick as I am liking a lot of Phillies today, even though only two have made the recommendations so far.
Late
Jed Lowrie – Oakland Athletics – in the late games I am going to go heavy with Lowrie against Kevin GasCanMan, in the event he is not in the lineup I will look at Everth Cabrera, Ian Desmond, J.J Hardy or Andrelton Simmons for the best price fit in my rosters.
Outfield
Early
Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista – Toronto Blue Jays – Cabrera and Joey Bats have been phenomenal against RHPs with .357wOBA/16XBHs and .392wOBA/17XBHs respectively. It could be an ugly first game for stlcardinals84* today.
Junior Lake – Chicago Cubs – Lake is an interesting option today against the terrible Randy Wolf and I think he will be overlooked by most gamers. He has a solid .337wOBA against LHPs this season.
Carlos Gomez – Milwaukee Brewers – Cargo Lite has been a BEAST against RHPS this season with a .404wOBA and 24XBHs in 129ABs.
Michael Brantley and Michael Bourn – Cleveland Indians – don’t forget about Mike and Mike in their great matchup against Nick Tepesh today. They have both been solid against RHPs with .365wOBA and .385wOBA respectively.
Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier – Los Angeles Dodgers – roll out anyone from this trio of Dodgers against Jhoulys Chacin in Coors Field and you will be on course for an afternoon filled with Extra Base Hit delight (Editor’s Note: your actual off-field results may vary based on personal circumstances beyond RotoGrinders control).
Late
Coco Crisp and Yoenis Cespedes – Oakland Athletics – I really hope Crisp is in the lineup today in what should be a scorefest in Baltimore, however, he has been having neck issues so only play him once you know he is confirmed. Cespedes on the other hand will be on most of my all-day and late-slate H2H rosters as I really like him for a HR.
Justin Upton – Atlanta Braves – Upton has DESTROYED LHP this season with a .644wOBA and 6HRs in just 32ABs. Add in the fact that Wade Miley gave up 4HRs in his last outing and you have a perfect recipe for your afternoon cookout.
Gerardo Parra – Arizona Diamondbacks – Parra is always a solid selection in lefty/righty matchups as he is usually at the top of the order, but be wary of Kirk Gibson shenanigans and have a backup option in place.
Nelson Cruz and Adam Jones – Baltimore Orioles – Cruz already has 17HRs against RHPs and Jones has a healthy .349wOBA against same-handed pitching dating back to 2012.
Hunter Pence and Angel Pagan – San Francisco Giants – if you don’t believe in Bartolo Colon, fire up a couple Giants and have a fun evening watching Colon attempt to hit and get hit.
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