While Saturday usually features plenty of contest options for daily fantasy baseball players, you might want to make sure to get in early on June 27.
With only four major league games starting after 7 p.m. ET and few quality options on the mound among those games, fantasy players will be better off playing either morning or all-day contests. With that in mind, here is a look at the best pitching options available throughout the day.
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers ($12,300)
This is a high price, especially for someone who hasn’t looked like his dominant self lately. Clayton Kershaw has allowed three earned runs in each of his last two starts, and his 3.33 ERA is much higher than what we have come to expect from the MVP.
However, his strikeout numbers are what you need to focus on, with 131 total in 100 innings this year. Kershaw has at least seven punch-outs in eight straight starts, including a combined 41 over his last four.
Add this to a quality matchup against the Miami Marlins, who struggle scoring runs in a park that is extremely difficult to hit home runs, and Kershaw should have a dominant showing to warrant the cost.
Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees ($10,600)
The last start was a bad one, as Masahiro Tanaka allowed seven runs (five earned) against the Detroit Tigers. This was a combination of regression to the mean after three impressive starts as well as simply not having his best stuff.
“I was missing spots and I was missing them by a far margin so I wasn’t really sharp today,” the pitcher explained through a translator, via Howie Rumberg of the Associated Press.
Tanaka should be back to his usual self Saturday against the Houston Astros, who strike out more than anyone else in the majors. The Japanese star should put up numbers that more resemble his previous three games, where he allowed just four earned runs in 21 innings to go with 21 strikeouts and no walks.
Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves ($8,300)
This year has not been great for Julio Teheran, who came into his last start with a 5.07 ERA. However, he seemed to finally click against the New York Mets, pitching seven scoreless innings on just 78 pitches while allowing only one hit.
Although it will be difficult to trust this one start to become a trend, the Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t been great offensively over the past month, either. There is a big risk but also plenty of upside.
Jeremy Hellickson, Arizona Diamondbacks ($6,700)
Jeremy Hellickson is probably the best option in an otherwise bleak evening session. (Michael Wacha and Andrew Cashner have struggled lately, while Garrett Richards no longer strikes people out.) Hellickson has had his rough patches this season as well but has gone exactly six innings with two runs allowed in four of his last five starts.
As a fly-ball pitcher in the spacious Petco Park, Hellickson should provide more solid value in daily fantasy leagues.
Michael Lorenzen, Cincinnati Reds ($4,500)
The Mets are fading fast with the lineup struggling to get on the board each night. This represents a good chance for Michael Lorenzen to continue his recent hot streak.
In his last two starts, the 23-year-old rookie has gone 13 innings while allowing just three earned runs. The young starter is beginning to get comfortable at this level and can provide fantasy competitors with some serious value at this price.
Note: All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
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