There are several top-notch MLB starters throwing on Tuesday, which makes picking just two in DraftKings daily fantasy contests all the more difficult. Scoring big with pitchers becomes vital when there are so many quality arms available.
Whether you’d like to spend for an ace or find a bargain and hope for the best, here are five of the leading options to choose from when selecting pitchers for June 9.
Sonny Gray ($10,100) vs. Texas Rangers
Sonny Gray leads all major league starters with a 1.65 ERA, while his 0.91 WHIP is tied for the second best in baseball. He’s also holding opposing hitters to a .186 batting average in 2015.
Gray has yet to allow more than four earned runs in a single outing this season, and he’s surrendered two runs or fewer in nine of his 11 starts. In addition, the righty has lasted at lease five innings every time and completed eight full innings in each of his last two games.
Why pay $12,000 for Max Scherzer, or $10,900 for Corey Kluber, when you can get the same ace-like stats from Gray at a much better price?
Francisco Liriano ($9,700) vs. Milwaukee Brewers
As noted in the above chart, Francisco Liriano is the only pitcher in the majors holding hitters to a lower batting average than Gray is—and he costs $400 less. The Pirates left-hander has been outstanding over his past three starts, giving up just two earned runs while striking out 29 batters in 19 innings.
Liriano’s 3-4 record and 3.24 ERA aren’t superstar numbers, but he has an extremely favorable June 9 matchup.
Milwaukee owns a .233 team batting average and a .286 on-base percentage, both of which are the worst in MLB. The chance to face a 25-year-old rookie making his first start in the bigs also bodes well for Pittsburgh’s offense.
Dallas Keuchel ($9,100) at Chicago White Sox
Considering what Dallas Keuchel is doing in 2015, he’s an absolute steal at $9,100. Keuchel leads all of baseball with 87.2 innings pitched—he’s tossed at least six innings in every start and eight or more on five of 12 occasions.
Keuchel‘s 1.85 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and .189 batting average against all rank in the top five in the majors. He also won the American League Pitcher of the Month award in both April and May.
The 27-year-old’s moderate price tag this week is a bit of a mystery. After steadily rising all year, Keuchel‘s salary hit a season-high $10,000 for his last start against the Baltimore Orioles. His six-inning, two-run, seven-strikeout no-decision shouldn’t do much to lower his value, especially on Tuesday against a White Sox team with the second-fewest runs scored in the American League.
Eduardo Rodriguez ($7,100) at Baltimore Orioles
As a rookie about to make his third career big league start, Eduardo Rodriguez’s $7,100 cost is actually quite high. However, if he can put together another performance like his first two, he’ll likely be the best bargain of the day.
Rodriguez also struck out seven batters in each of his first two appearances. His ERA and WHIP both stand at exactly 0.61 through 14.2 innings pitched. In his first game, Rodriguez posted 32.3 fantasy points, then in his second he put up 29.4.
Obviously, it’s a tiny sample size, but the 22-year-old has easily the best fantasy scoring average available despite being one of the lower-priced pitchers on Tuesday.
Robbie Ray ($5,000) at Los Angeles Dodgers
If you’ve filled your lineup with stud hitters and need a bargain on the mound, Robbie Ray is your guy.
Like Rodriguez, Ray has made just two starts in 2015, while also allowing only a single earned run. Over 11 innings, Ray has yielded 11 hits and one walk to go along with nine strikeouts. He’ll take the hill for the second time in a row after spending a month in Triple-A between his previous two starts.
Ray faces a tough Dodger lineup that leads the National League with a .335 on-base percentage and a .441 slugging percentage. However, Ray’s opponent, Carlos Frias, has a 4.25 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP this season. At $4,300, Frias is the second-cheapest pitcher on the board. Ray is a gamble, but at least his offense will have a solid opportunity to get him ample run support.
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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