MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 5/11/18
*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*
MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 5/11/18
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After a fairly quiet night on Thursday, baseball is back in full swing Friday and all by one of the games on the schedule will be played at night. Sign up for our Newsletter and try our Playerlab tool, where you can filter the stats that matter the most and help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.
STARTING PITCHERS
Justin Verlander vs. Texas Rangers
Stadium – Minute Maid Park
FanDuel = $11,300
DraftKings = $13,000
Verlander was spectacular after being traded to the Astros last year and has been one of the best pitchers in baseball again this season with a 1.17 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and 11.7 K/9. He is currently on pace to set new career highs by throwing a first-pitch strike to 65.5% of the batters that he has faced and recording a 14.5% swinging strike percentage. Opponents are likely to improve on their .205 BABIP against him, but he has excellent strikeout upside every time he takes the mound. Verlander held the Rangers in check in two previous games against them this season, allowing one run to go along with 16 strikeouts in 14 innings. Expect another productive line Friday.
Marco Gonzales vs. Detroit Tigers
Stadium – Comerica Park
FanDuel = $6,900
DraftKings = $7,000
Gonzales’ 5.19 ERA and 1.44 WHIP don’t make him an obvious play Friday. However, he has a 3.08 FIP and has been incredibly unlucky with opposing hitters recording an unsustainable .400 BABIP. He only has a 1.6 BB/9 and has shown strikeout upside with a 9.9 K/9. The Tigers lineup wasn’t great, to begin with, and is even weaker right now with Miguel Cabrera (hamstring) and Leonys Martin (knee) both on the DL. It’s usually a good idea to lean towards a pitcher with strikeout potential when you are looking for a cheap tournament play and when you combine that for Gonzales with this matchup, it only furthers the case for taking a chance on him.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Freddie Freeman vs. Dan Straily, Miami Marlins
Stadium – Marlins Park
FanDuel = $4,300
DraftKings = $5,300
Freeman kicked off this series against the Marlins in style Thursday, going 5-for-5 with a home run. He continues to be one of the best hitters in baseball and has almost as many walks (23) this year as he does strikeouts (28). He finally has talented hitters in front of him with Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr., so his career high of 109 RBI that he set in 2013 could be in danger. Get him in your lineup against the struggling Straily on Friday, especially considering Freeman’s .416 wOBA against righties this year.
Ryon Healy vs. Matthew Boyd, Detroit Tigers
Stadium – Comerica Park
FanDuel = $3,000
DraftKings = $3,700
Boyd has completely dominated left-handed hitters this year, holding them to a .153 wOBA. Righties have posted a .294 wOBA though, bringing Healy into the discussion Friday. Healy also excels against lefties with a .369 wOBA against them in his career. Boyd doesn’t have overpowering stuff either with just a 6.5 K/9 this season, so Healy is a cheap tournament play to consider.
Others to consider: Mitch Moreland (first base) and Mike Zunino (catcher)
SECOND BASE
Cesar Hernandez vs. Steven Matz, New York Mets
Stadium – Citizens Bank Park
FanDuel = $4,000
DraftKings = $4,000
With all the hype surrounding Scott Kingery, Hernandez continues to be one of the more underrated fantasy assets at second base. He has shown an excellent ability to get on base the last couple of years and currently has a career-high 16.4% BB% this season. He has a nice mix of power and speed as well with four homers and six steals. With a 178 wRC+ against lefties this year, look for another productive game Friday.
Gleyber Torres vs. Kendall Graveman, Oakland Athletics
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $3,600
DraftKings = $3,900
As if the Yankees lineup wasn’t already loaded, Torres has been locked in since getting called up from the minors. Not only has he come up with some timely hits, but he’s batting .344 with two home runs. He was batting .347 in Triple-A before the Yankees called him up as well and it looks like he’ll be manning the keystone for a long time in the Bronx. Graveman is expected to be recalled from the minors to start this game after being sent down due to his struggles out of the gate, making the Yankees an excellent stacking opportunity.
Others to consider: DJ LeMahieu and Alen Hanson
THIRD BASE
Jose Ramirez vs. Jason Hammel, Kansas City Royals
Stadium – Progressive Field
FanDuel = $4,200
DraftKings = $5,100
Ramirez got off to a terrible start this year but is batting .333 with three home runs and three steals through eight games in May. He’s hit at least .312 in both of the last two seasons, so expect his current .283 average to continue to rise. With a 161 wRC+ against right-handers this year, Ramirez will look to keep his hot streak alive against the underwhelming Hammel, who only has a 5.0 K/9 this season.
Miguel Andujar vs. Kendall Graveman, Oakland Athletics
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $2,700
DraftKings = $3,400
Andujar was getting extra-base hits in bunches earlier this season, but he hasn’t recorded one in any of his last 11 games. He has still logged at least one hit in five of his last seven games and has plenty of opportunities to provide counting stats in the Yankees dangerous lineup. Graveman had an 8.89 ERA and 1.84 WHIP earlier this season before being sent down, leaving Andujar as a cheap option with upside at third base.
Others to consider: Nolan Arenado and Maikel Franco
SHORTSTOP
Francisco Lindor vs. Jason Hammel, Kansas City Royals
Stadium – Progressive Field
FanDuel = $4,800
DraftKings = $5,400
Lindor had a massive increase in home runs last year and although his batting average dropped to .273, that was partly because of his abnormally low .275 BABIP, not because he was sacrificing it for power. With a .315 BABIP this year that is right in line with his career mark, Lindor’s batting average sits at .292. He still has 10 home runs and 11 doubles too, leading to what would be a career-high .913 OPS. Like Ramirez, he has excellent potential against Hammel on Friday.
Jedd Gyorko vs. Eric Lauer, San Diego Padres
Stadium – Petco Park
FanDuel = $2,800
DraftKings = $3,800
If there is a lefty on the mound, Gyorko is a cheap option to target in DFS. He finished with an impressive .402 wOBA against lefties in 2017 and has been even better this season with a .593 wOBA. This will only be Lauer’s fourth start this season and after allowing a 1.93 WHIP through the first three, Gyorko could provide significant value if he plays. Of note, Gyorko is shortstop-eligible on FanDuel but is listed at third base on DraftKings.
Others to consider: Didi Gregorius and Paul DeJong
OUTFIELD
Aaron Judge vs. Kendall Graveman, Oakland Athletics
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $5,200
DraftKings = $5,200
Judge has shown no signs of a sophomore slump, batting .311 with none home runs and a 1.018 OPS. His 28.6 K% is still high, but it is slightly down from last season in part because he has only swung at 22.5% of pitches outside the strike zone compared to 24.7% last season. He is batting .351 with eight of his nine home runs this season at Yankee Stadium, so he could really put up some big numbers against Graveman.
Tommy Pham vs. Eric Lauer, San Diego Padres
Stadium – Petco Park
FanDuel = $3,700
DraftKings = $4,900
Pham recently dealt with a groin injury but returned to the lineup Thursday to go 2-for-4 with a home run. He has followed up his breakout 2017 campaign by batting .330 with a .444 OBP this year. After finishing with a .405 wOBA against left-handed pitchers last year, he’s another Cardinals righty who could provide problems for Lauer.
Franchy Cordero vs. Luke Weaver, St. Louis Cardinals
Stadium – Petco Park
FanDuel = $3,200
DraftKings = $3,700
Cordero was one of the rising stars in the Padres organization heading into this season and injuries have opened up regular playing time for him. He’s made the most of the opportunity and is locked into an everyday role moving forward, batting .281 with six home runs and four steals. He’s been deadly when he makes contact, posting a 49.2% hard-hit rate. Weaver isn’t off to a great start and has struggled against lefties, in particular, leaving Cordero as a viable cost-effective option.
Others to consider: Justin Upton and Brett Gardner