Tuesday’s MLB matchups feature several star pitchers, including Madison Bumgarner, Zack Greinke and David Price. Which of these aces is the best bet in DraftKings daily fantasy? Or, is it a wiser move to spend your money on less expensive starters who may outperform their cost?
Here are five of the top pitcher choices for June 23.
Chris Archer ($9,800) vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Chris Archer was touched up for three earned runs in each of his past two starts. He also faces a tough Blue Jays lineup that has scored far and away the most runs in baseball. For these reasons, Archer has a relatively low price tag, significantly less than any of the three names mentioned above.
However, his 2.18 ERA is seventh in MLB and his .207 batting average against is eighth. No pitcher available Tuesday has more strikeouts than Archer’s 116, the fifth-most in the majors. With an average of 24.9 fantasy points per game, Archer is also easily the day’s top scorer.
Dating back to May 7, the 26-year-old is 5-0 over his past eight starts.
Jason Hammel ($8,500) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
The table below shows two pitchers’ stats to this point in 2015. The names may come as a bit of a surprise.
Player A is Jason Hammel, who’s putting together a terrific season for the Chicago Cubs. Player B is Greinke, the Dodgers’ former Cy Young Award winner. The two oppose each other Tuesday, which is a good reason to stay away from both.
But if you’re considering spending $10,500 on Greinke, why not grab Hammel instead for $2,000 less? Greinke is averaging 22.0 fantasy points per contest, only slightly better than Hammel‘s 21.2. In addition, the Cubs righty has yielded two or fewer earned runs in seven of his last eight outings.
Carlos Martinez ($8,300) at Miami Marlins
Carlos Martinez has lasted into the seventh inning in each of his last six starts. In that time, he’s given up a total of just four earned runs.
The St. Louis Cardinals are 11-3 in the 14 games that Martinez has taken the mound this year. Martinez and the Cardinals also have a very favorable matchup against Jose Urena and the Marlins.
Urena is averaging 6.5 fantasy points per game, the lowest of any pitcher throwing on Tuesday. The 23-year-old rookie is 1-3 with a 4.18 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and a .275 batting average against.
Ubaldo Jimenez ($6,900) at Boston Red Sox
Considering he’s scoring 17.1 fantasy points per contest, Ubaldo Jimenez is a decent bargain at under $7,000—there are seven pitchers with higher salaries than him who are posting lower averages. Jimenez hasn’t lost since May 16 and has 27 strikeouts over his last 22.2 innings.
There’s nothing particularly exciting about Jimenez’s overall numbers for the Baltimore Orioles this year, but the odds are in his favor against Boston. The Red Sox pounded out a season-high 13 runs in their last game, while also slugging 13 extra-base hits. It stands to reason there will be a regression to the mean for their offense on Tuesday.
The Orioles are 7-3 against Boston this year, including a three-game sweep in Baltimore two weeks ago. Jimenez made one appearance against the Red Sox on April 17, getting ejected after 3.2 scoreless innings for throwing at Pablo Sandoval. Boston did not yet have a hit at the time.
Chi Chi Gonzalez ($6,800) vs. Oakland A’s
Chi Chi Gonzalez makes just his fifth major league start. However, through his first four he’s allowed only three earned runs. In fact, after eight scoreless innings in his previous outing, Gonzalez was on the verge of his second complete-game shutout.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News took note of the impressive accomplishment:
Gonzalez lost the shutout when he surrendered a two-run homer in the ninth inning, but his numbers to this point are still extremely impressive. In four games, he owns a 0.90 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP, while holding opposing hitters to a .173 average over 30 innings.
At a price of $6,800, Gonzalez is a steal. Daily fantasy players should use him in their lineups until he proves otherwise.
All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via MLB.com unless otherwise noted. Mark Vandeusen is an MLB Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan.
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