Another day and more pitchers making their ML debut. Last night the Mariners got quite the perofrmance from Bryce Miller striking out 10 and walking none. Let me inform you that what he did (10K) in a debut has only been done twice and it was done by Johnny Cueto and Stephen Strasburg. So before you go crowning his ass and claiming that using rookie pitchers in DFS is the way to go, just think of all the shitty ones who have come up and struggled.
What I had originally wrote yesterday when I was thinking Gilbert was Tue and Miller was Wed is how the Athletics offense was good in April but as we turn into May they’ll cool off and Miller for sure benefited from that. He’s a one pitch pitcher at best who got a very generous draw, now that one pitch is VERY good with some wild movement on it, but lets pump the brakes here considering he wasn’t even the best Miller on the mound in Oaktown last night.
Today we have one really good prospect in Brandon Pfaadt who long term projects to be a front of the rotation potential guy for the Diamondbacks. Pfaadt is 6’4, 230, which makes me feel good about my physique potential to be a MLB starting pitcher, but unfortunately nobody wants to see an old Phil Niekro pitch anymore and my command surely wasn’t that great.(there’s a good reason why I played 1B I guess). He has a solid fastball, slider, change balance to his arsenal, long term we might be biting on him more. But today, well… It doesn’t matter because they didn’t have him in the player pool at first.
We also have Gavin Stone who either dawns the nickname Stone Cold or Kidney Stones based on how he performs. Stone has a little bit of Sonny Gray in him and how well he manages to control his command with 4-5 pitches available is going to be key. Doing that vs a veteran Phillies lineup isn’t ideal for your first start and I would bet some good $ that he allows runs in the 2nd inning.
Slate Differences
FanDuel has included G1 of the Mets (Luchessi) Tigers (Wentz) doubleheader in chilly Detroit.
WEATHER
Only two games in California that are outdoors and both are fine.
Oh Look! Logan Webb is pitching. Must be a day game for the Giants today and lookie there, it’s down in Houston.
FRAMBER VALDEZ
I expect a nice pitchers duel with Webb and Valdez today and do not mind trying to jam both into the same lineup as we apply a short slate DK pitching strategy which is game stack SP and move on. Valdez gets the lean as the #1 here, the Giants vs LHP just aren’t that great this season and should go quietly to the airport in this getaway game.
LOGAN WEBB
There’s one MAJOR bat in the Houston lineup we should be worried about in Yordan Alvarez, after that the way Webb is handling RHH and the ice cold RH bats in the Houston lineup give me enough confidence to justify Webb on either site today.
SETH LUGO
Lugo is the only other ‘SP2’ DK option I would justify using today, and considering the likely cheap popular option is Gavin Stone I’ll just watch everyone who uses him get negative while Lugo hopefully gets a 7-10 DK score at worst. If you can’t get Webb with Framber, slide down to Lugo.
PADRES
Machado, Soto, Grisham
San Diego is a frustrating offense, but they get a day game and Luis Cessa who has been hit hard by just about everyone.
RANGERS
Lowe, Jankowski, Semien
Between the Phillies and Rangers, I have to mention one of them against the rookie SP’s after my little rant, no? So yes, I am going to go against the better long term of the two more so because the value that Texas brings with their projected lineup.
PHILLIES
Bohm, Castellanos, Realmuto
Very much hope that JT starts today but could sit with the day game. Otherwise, gimme some reverse splits in the lineup vs the young kid on the mound. The 2nd inning is where the real fun begins.
CATCHER
- JT Realmuto
- Austin Nola
FIRST BASE
- Nathaniel Lowe
- Alec Bohm
- Christian Walker
SECOND BASE
- Marcus Semien
- Ketel Marte
THIRD BASE
I like the AB both of these guys have had yesterday and wouldn’t be shocked if both went yard or at a minimum had a double off the wall in their first AB today.
- Manny Machado
- Evan Longoria
SHORTSTOP
I will take the benefit of having Mookie at SS on DK now. OF is deep and SS is thin here.
- Francisco Lindor (FD)
- Mookie Betts
OUTFIELD – Mt. Rushmore
- Yordan Alvarez
- Nick Castellanos
- Juan Soto
- Fernando Tatis Jr
OUTFIELD – Value
- Trent Grisham
- Travis Jankowski
THE DONGERS CLUB
- Manny Machado – 3B – Padres – Chairman of The Dongers Club
- Alec Bohm – 1B – Phillies
- JT Realmuto – C – Phillies
- Mookie Betts – SS – Dodgers
- Travis Jankowski – OF – Rangers
FAVORITE BET(s)
- Phillies ML (-104)
- Rangers ML (-126)
- Giants/Astros under 7.5
- SGP: Padres -1.5, Soto to get a hit, Machado to get a hit (+180)