It’s a Wednesday split slate in the majors today, but for today’s Index we are going to skip the 4-game early slate and tackle the night slate.
Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom are on tonight’s slate, so we need to find bats to pair with them.
I am not feeling very chatty (good you most likely), so I am skipping straight to my favorite plays of the evening games. Good luck today in your DFS endeavors!
Andrew Benintendi – OF – Boston Red Sox – $4,000
Analysis: Mike Pelfrey vs. anyone is a great way to attack your DFS lineups. A surging Red Sox team in a hitter’s park? Even better. So how has Pelfrey done against lefties this season? He’s allowing a .213 average and a .302 wOBA. Sounds great, right? Wrong. Here’s his other numbers against lefties this season – 1.71 HR/9, 36% hard contact, a .210 BABIP and a 5.24 xFIP. Benintendi has a 36% hard contact rate against RH pitching in 2017. He’s a cheap way to incorporate a Boston bat if you are using deGrom or Scherzer.
Lorenzo Cain – OF – Kansas City Royals – $3,200
Analysis: Speaking of cheap, Lorenzo Cain’s priced has certainly dipped. It’s no surprise considering the Royals futility. The Royals take on lefty Matthew Boyd, a southpaw that truly isn’t very good (Monahan jinx). Cain is a well-known lefty smasher as he sports a .346 wOBA, a .181 ISO and a 31% hard contact rate against lefties since 2016. The ballpark isn’t favorable, but with a lot of bats priced up tonight, you are going to need value. For BvP truthers out there, Cain is 4-for-12 with 2 doubles, a home run, a walk and a steal against Boyd.
Albert Pujols – 1B – Los Angeles Angels – $3,800
Analysis: The quest for 600 continues and against a lefty, Jaime Garcia and at home? I think there is plenty of motivation and narrative to play Pujols tonight. Outside of a date with Coors or the Rangers, this is probably one of the few times Pujols will be someone I like.
Matt Kemp – OF – Atlanta Braves – $3,900
Analysis: Kemp is hot right now and gets a great matchup against Jesse Chavez, a mediocre reverse-splits pitcher with a home run problem. Against RH bats this season, Chavez has a 2.02 HR/9 rate and a 36% hard contact rate. Against right-handed pitching this season, Kemp has a .401 wOBA, a .231 ISO and a 36% hard contact rate and has hits in 10 of his last 12 games.
Stephen Drew – 2B/SS – Washington Nationals -$2,600
Analysis: This one is on the assumption Drew actually plays. I don’t care about the stadium and all of that jazz, this call is strictly a punt play with BvP behind it. The Nationals are taking on Matt Cain, who is not even a shade of his former self in 2017. Drew is a spot starter these days, but if Dusty Baker looks at BvP, Drew should be in the lineup. Against Cain in his career, Drew is 12-for-35 with 5 doubles, 3 home runs and 2 walks. In 2017, Cain has accumulated a .370 wOBA against lefties, a 1.04 HR/9 and a .299 batting average allowed.
Jacob deGrom – SP – New York Mets – $12,000
Analysis: Since there are a few top notch pitching options, here’s my favorite. One of my DFS rules is deGrom at home. Just like Chris Archer at home, Kershaw at home, Bumgarner at home and the list goes on. JDG is lighting up the K scoreboard this season with a 12.09 K/9 rate and a 15% SwStr rate. He’s up against the Brewers who are struggling at the moment, are without Ryan Braun and strikeout 23% of the time against RH pitching. I love Max Scherzer too, but the Giants don’t ‘strike out as much and Scherzer’s price is up there for what appears to be limited K upside (though there is CGSO upside). Anyway, deGrom is in a great spot to get you 30+ points because JDG at home, where he has a 2.19 ERA in 24 innings with 36 Ks.
