DraftKings MLB: Friday Picks

DraftKings MLB: Friday Picks

This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.

PITCHER

Matt Harvey, NYM vs. ATL ($10,300): Harvey has been terrific after enduring an early-season rough patch, allowing just two runs on eight hits over 20.0 innings in his last three starts, while racking up 17 strikeouts along the way. Expect a fourth-straight strong performance against the league's most impotent offense, which is averaging a measly 3.23 runs per game. His price hasn't recovered to its normal hefty range either, making the Dark Knight an even stronger value play.

Joe Ross, WAS at SD ($9,400): Ross has been reminiscent of older brother Tyson Ross with a 3.01 ERA this season, and he has a good chance of dipping that number even further against Tyson's Padres. The only team averaging fewer than the Padres' 4.00 runs per game that Ross has faced this season are the Phillies, and he has held them to four earned runs with 18 strikeouts in 21.2 innings en route to a 2-0 record. If he finds that level of success against San Diego, $9,400 will be a small price to pay for the young right-hander.

CATCHER

Evan Gattis, HOU vs. CIN ($3,500): Even in what has been a bit of a down year, Gattis has found success against left-handed pitching with a .354 wOBA. The part-time catcher still consistently finds himself in the heart of the Astros' order, and his nine homers in just 47 games indicate that his raw power hasn't diminished. Reds southpaw John Lamb has given up six long balls in his last five starts, so it won't be surprising if Gattis ends up going deep in this one.

FIRST BASE

Paul Goldschmidt, ARI at PHI ($5,300): Goldschmidt has been raking against left-handed pitching this season, posting a .436 wOBA. Considering Phillies starter Adam Morgan rates far below average by every metric, he's likely to end up the latest victim of Goldschmidt's offensive prowess. Morgan's 6.33 ERA and 1.45 WHIP also suggest he's likely to face the first baseman with plenty of ducks on the pond, maximizing the potential for heavy damage.

SECOND BASE

Chase Utley, LAD vs. MIL ($3,600): Brewers youngster Zach Davies has had his issues with left-handed bats this season, and Utley is poised to take advantage. The veteran leadoff man's .354 wOBA in that split is slightly higher than Davies' .340 wOBA allowed, but both are likely to be on the rise after their next encounter. Utley sets the table for a Dodgers lineup with plenty of proficient left-handed bats, so he has a strong likelihood of ultimately crossing the plate once he does get on base.

THIRD BASE

Travis Shaw, BOS vs. SEA ($3,500): Shaw can sometimes be forgotten among all the proficient bats in the Red Sox's lineup, but his .368 wOBA against right-handed pitching indicates that the corner infielder is no pushover in the right matchup. He's also splitting .397 at home and just .284 on the road, making this the perfect time to utilize him with Seattle sending right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma to the mound in Fenway Park.

SHORTSTOP

Corey Seager, LAD vs. MIL ($4,000): One of the aforementioned proficient left-handed bats in the Dodgers' lineup is Seager, whose .362 wOBA against righties is even better than that of fellow middle infielder Chase Utley. The same logic that applied for Utley is also true for Seager, who will have an excellent chance of adding to his team-leading 42 runs batting in the top third of the order.

OUTFIELDER

Yasmany Tomas, ARI at PHI ($3,800): Tomas has been a bit hit-or-miss this season, but most of his hitting has come against left-handed pitching. He has posted a monstrous .409 wOBA against southpaws, and it has already been mentioned that Adam Morgan makes for an excellent matchup even as far as lefties go. This as good a situation as it's going to get for the Cuban outfielder.

Ichiro Suzuki, MIA vs. COL ($3,000): Baseball's new hit king (to some) has gotten to that point due in large part to his success against right-handers, and this season has been no exception. Ichiro has picked up 36 hits and scored 17 runs against them this season, compared to just eight and four, respectively, facing lefties. You could do much worse at $3,000 than Suzuki against underwhelming youngster Jon Gray.

Robbie Grossman, MIN vs. NYY ($3,500): Grossman will become a household name soon enough if he keeps hitting like this, but the Twins slugger is still available for a very affordable $3,500. He has managed at least a .435 wOBA from both sides of the plate this season, using an exceptional batting eye (26.1 percent walk rate) to achieve that mark against right-handers through 69 plate appearances. Grossman is only getting hotter with three homers, three doubles, nine runs and six RBI over his last 10 games, so get him in your lineup for cheap while you still can.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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