Despite the big 15-game slate on Friday night, there are not a lot of pitchers that I like. Between pitchers making spot starts, making their first start back from injury or pitching in hitter-friendly ballparks I was able to cross off a lot of pitchers. While there are a few other pitchers I would consider the top three pitchers below will likely be the focus of my pitching exposure tonight.
Ace
Cole Hamels (FD-$9,700 / DK-$11,100)
I’m giving Hamels a slight edge over Johnny Cueto as my Ace pitcher tonight for two main reasons. First, he is a little be cheaper on both FanDuel and DraftKings and secondly, he has bigger strikeout upside pitching against a Rays’ offense that has the highest strikeout percentage (25.3%) against lefties this season. Hamels has also pitched very well over his last six starts with a 1.96 ERA. Hamels is a solid Cash and GPP option tonight.
Value
Zack Greinke (FD-$9,800 / DK-$8,800)
Greinke could be a candidate to also show up as an “ace” but with a significantly lower salary on DraftKings he qualifies as a “value” play tonight. Greinke was roughed up in his last start in Boston but should have a much easier time against the Padres in a pitcher-friendly park in San Diego. Making his third start since returning from the DL, Greinke should be able to rack up the strikeouts against a Padres’ team that has a 24.5% (2nd highest) strikeout rate against righties this season. He is a great Cash game play but look for Greinke to be very highly owned on DraftKings tonight which might mean you are better off fading him in GPPs on that site.
Gerrit Cole (FD-$9,100 / DK-$7,500)
Cole has had his ups-and-downs this season but he is another pitcher that seems to be underpriced on DraftKings tonight. Cole has pitched better at home this season which is where he will be as one of the biggest favorites on the slate. Cole is a good Cash game play, especially on DraftKings. I expect him to also be highly owned on DraftKings which along with limited strikeout upside could make him worth a fade in GPPs.
Darkhorse
Edinson Volquez (FD-$7,200 / DK-$5,600)
It took quite a bit of digging to find a good Darkhorse pick today but I landed on Volquez. He has pitched better at home this season and is a favorite against the Twins. The Twins have struck out 23.0% (5th highest) over the last 14 days and 21.7% (10th highest) against righties this season. Volquez has also had some success against Twins’ hitters in his career (expect Joe Mauer) allowing just a .242 wOBA with a 21.1% strikeout rate over 147 plate appearances. Volquez could be a good cheap GPP play to help fit in some high-priced bats.
On the Hill – Results
Wednesday
| Type | Pitcher | DK $ | DK Pts | Grade |
| Ace | Jon Lester | 11200 | 28.00 | A+ |
| Value | David Price | 8600 | 21.10 | B |
| Value | Scott Kazmir | 7600 | 6.65 | D |
| Dark | Homer Bailey | 8900 | 17.05 | C |
Season
| Type | A+ | A | B | C | D | F | Tot | DK Cost | DK Pts | DO Score |
| Ace | 35 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 70 | $11,887 | 23.57 | 6.09 |
| Value | 29 | 17 | 17 | 33 | 10 | 37 | 143 | $8,714 | 16.17 | 3.51 |
| Dark | 23 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 74 | $6,682 | 16.04 | 4.45 |
- DK Cost is the average DraftKings cost per pitcher selected
- DK Pts is the average DraftKings points scored per pitcher selected
- DO Score is the Daily Overlay score for each type
Come back to DailyOverlay later today for the MLB Consensus list and some sample MLB lineups.
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