Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: Best DraftKings MLB Pitcher Picks for July 22 – Bleacher Report
Some nights, there just aren’t that many quality starters available. I believe that tonight is the night to gamble on some inexpensive pitchers and throw your money behind a lineup of all-star sluggers.
According to numberFire.com, no pitcher is projected to even score 18 fantasy points Wednesday night. Obviously, some pitchers will, but the odds are lower than on most summer days.
Young and Fortunate to Be Pitching Against the National League East
Jake Odorizzi ($8,300) at Phillies
Steve Nesius/Associated Press
The Phillies are 30 games below .500.
30!
According to baseball-reference.com, they average just 3.44 runs per game—the lowest mark in the National League.
Odorizzi was roughed up in his last start against the Bluejays. The best offense in baseball scored six runs in 4.1 innings off the Rays righty.
But before that start, per draftkings.com, Odorizzi had nine straight outings in which he scored at least eight fantasy points. He should flourish against the worst Phillies team of all time.
Mike Bolsinger ($7,200) vs. Braves
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
According to numberFire.com, Bolsinger is the third most likely pitcher on the slate to record a win. They give him a 48 percent chance even though the Braves have taken two straight from the Dodgers in Atlanta.
Bolsinger struggled through his rookie campaign last season. According to baseball-reference.com, he finished with an ERA of 5.5. This season, Bolsinger started really hot, then cooled off in June and early July, but put together back-to-back solid outings before Wednesday’s start.
Wednesday he’ll pitch against a Braves lineup that, per baseball-reference.com, ranks last in home runs and fourth to last in slugging percentage.
Great Because They’re Cheap
Kyle Lohse ($4,300) vs. Indians
Milwaukee’s veteran starter has been really bad this year. Lohse has a 6.17 ERA, the second worst mark of his career, according to baseball-reference.com. He actually leads the leagues in earned runs allowed, and he’s allowing more home runs per nine innings (1.8) than he ever has in his 15-year career.
But fantasy baseball is about value. According to draftkings.com, on June 1, Lohse was a $7,100 player. That $2,800 drop in price gives Lohse a monstrous margin for error. Plus his peripherals, per baseball-reference.com, are better than some of his numbers might indicate.
Lohse‘s strikeout rate is well above his career average. His walk rate is also well below his career average. His FIP, an advanced stat that gauges a pitcher’s projected earned run average were that player to have a league average defense and luck, is 4.83, a full 1.34 points below his ERA.
Lohse has been bad, there’s no denying that, but he’s been unlucky so far this season, and he’s too cheap to pass up.
Kevin Gausman ($4,000) vs. Yankees
Jim Mone/Associated Press
A starter last season for the O’s, Kevin Gausman came out of the bullpen for most of this year but was thrown back into the starting rotation on June 20, according to ESPN.com’s game log. After a disastrous July 7 start against Minnesota, he was dropped to Triple-A Norfolk for two starts.
But he’s back up, and he’s dirt cheap. So cheap, in fact, that numberFire.com ranks Gausman as its second most valuable pitcher of the night (behind Lohse!)
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