Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: Best MLB Pitcher Stats, Picks for April 30

This is one of those days where daily MLB gamers will cringe at having to insert two starting pitchers into their DraftKings lineups.

Thursday's shortened slates will often confound daily fantasy fiends, especially when several squads toss out subpar starters. It doesn't help that after the first obvious and costly selection, the best hurlers are squaring off against each other.

Nobody will have much trouble identifying one starter, but identifying a second in command proves tricky.

1. Chris Sale ($11,300) at Minnesota Twins

Jon Durr/Getty Images

With quality hurlers so scarce, employing Chris Sale against the Minnesota Twins is a virtual necessity, especially in cash contests. 

Through three starts, the Chicago White Sox ace sports a 2.37 ERA and 50.9 ground-ball rate, issuing one walk during each outing. He has only notched 16 strikeouts in 19 frames, but he can blame the Kansas City Royals, who whiff less than anybody in baseball.

The best pitcher also gets the best matchup. No team has hit fewer homers than the Twins, who brandish the American League's second-worst weighted on-base average (wOBA). Sale already exploited the vulnerable opponent during his 2015 debut.

Score	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	K
6-2 W	6	5	1	0	1	8

Those focusing solely on the three late-evening games will especially find playing Sale a must. After him, Alfredo Simon, James Paxton and the opposing Trevor May are the next-best options.

2. Scott Kazmir ($9,500) vs. Los Angeles Angels

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Although no longer a bargain, Scott Kazmir is still Thursday's safest bet after Sale. The lefty is on fire this month, starting the campaign with a 0.99 ERA and 30 strikeouts through 27.1 innings. 

After beating up on the Houston Astros (twice) and Texas Rangers, he now gets a crack at the defending American League East champions. A potent offense last year, the Los Angeles Angels are laboring as Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun—who both fare worse against lefties—try to carry the lineup.

His adversary, Garrett Richards, costs $1,300 more despite stumbling out of the gate with nine strikeouts and seven walks during two starts off the disabled list. Those struggles combined with an Oakland Athletics offense capable of massive scoring outbursts makes Kazmir the better choice.

3. Jacob deGrom ($9,100) vs. Washington Nationals

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

In a tale of two New York City ballparks, Jacob deGrom took a beating inside Yankee Stadium after three sensational outings against National League East competition. Playing a lineup of New York Yankees lefties assembled to exploit the stadium's short porch, deGrom surrendered eight hits, three home runs and six earned runs.

Now he goes back to Citi Field, where the righty has flourished throughout his young career.

IP	ERA	WHIP	K-BB	HR	FIP
82.0	1.43	1.00	81-18	3	2.27

With the New York Mets facing Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals, deGrom will have to claw for a victory. Yet the Mets have already bested Strasburg this season, and their starter comes at a cheaper DraftKings price.

Although deGrom owns a concerning 4.33 fielding independent pitching (FIP) alongside his 2.96 ERA, give him a mulligan for his latest rough outing. 

4. Mike Leake ($7,200) at Atlanta Braves

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Mike Leake is boringly stale. His career 3.92 ERA, 4.23 FIP and 6.20 strikeouts per nine innings signify a fantasy streamer at best, but pickings are extremely slim after the top studs.

The 27-year-old is far more durable than his fellow middle-tier companions, throwing at least seven innings in each of his last three starts. Last season, he averaged 6.5 frames per outing, a solid number in a league quick to look the bullpen's way. Racking up innings matters in DraftKings scoring.

Since joining the Cincinnati Reds in 2010, he has fared better away from the Great American Ball Park's dangerous confines, benefiting from fewer long balls.

	IP	ERA	OPP OPS	HR/9
Home	463.0	4.22	.767	1.24
Away	456.1	3.61	.731	1.05

He'll visit Atlanta to take on the Braves, who have exceeded expectations as a shockingly competent offense. That won't last in a lineup giving Eric Young Jr., Kelly Johnson, Jace Peterson and Alberto Callaspo frequent playing time. Shelby Miller's 2.05 ERA hides a 3.82 FIP and 14-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio, so Leake could certainly edge out a W.

5. Tim Cooney ($5,700) vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Feeling lucky? Filling Adam Wainwright's spot in the St. Louis Cardinals rotation, Tim Cooney will make his MLB debut on Thursday. In a top-heavy listing, he's a potential dirt-cheap punt play given an advantageous matchup in the Philadelphia Phillies.

There's nothing overly impressive about the 24-year-old lefty's minor league resume. He holds a 3.50 ERA and 7.6 K/9 rate through four seasons, but he has brandished exceptional control with 1.9 walks per nine innings.

The Phillies have hit southpaws significantly better than righties this year, but that's likely a byproduct of splitting an already small sample size. Jeff Francoeur represents their best right-handed slugger.

Advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs.

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