Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: Best MLB DFS DraftKings Lineup for June 3
Wednesday afternoon's MLB DraftKings contest is going to be very offensive. Not inappropriate—unless, of course, you're a pitcher—but filled with solid performances from hot hitters with favorable matchups. That's going to make finding the right pitchers for lineups all the more important.
Let's start with the most obvious choice: Pittsburgh Pirates starter Francisco Liriano will cost you $10,000 in DK salary, but he has averaged 20.6 fantasy points per game this season. He's had at least seven strikeouts in seven of his 10 starts, and he's lasted seven or more innings eight times.
In other words, he's pretty consistent. MLB Roundup tweeted this concerning Liriano's strikeout prowess:
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"The amount of strikeouts that Francisco Liriano is capable of getting in such few innings is amazing.
— MLB Roundup (@MLB_Roundup) May 30, 2015"
Liriano and the Bucs will be on the road against the San Francisco Giants. Based on the way he's pitched this season, he has to be considered the safest bet.
For the other pitching spot, we'll go out on a limb and hope Eduardo Rodriguez is as good in his second start as he was in his major league debut. Back on May 28, Rodriguez allowed just three hits in 7.2 innings pitched and struck out seven Texas Rangers.
On Wednesday, Rodriguez will face the Minnesota Twins. The Twinkies have been playing well, but they haven't faced Rodriguez, and he might still be new enough to give Minnesota some of the issues he gave the Rangers.
Rodriguez's DK salary is just $5,500, so he's a bargain that allows you to splurge a bit on the hitters in your lineup. Take a look at my optimal lineup for Wednesday.
| P | F. Liriano | San Francisco | $10,000 |
| P | E. Rodriguez | Minnesota | $5,700 |
| C | Brian McCann | Seattle | $3,900 |
| 1B | Paul Goldschmidt | Atlanta | $5,400 |
| 2B | Dustin Pedroia | Minnesota | $4,100 |
| 3B | Trevor Plouffe | Boston | $4,400 |
| SS | Jhonny Peralta | Milwaukee | $4,100 |
| OF | A.J. Pollock | Atlanta | $4,500 |
| OF | Brock Holt | Minnesota | $3,000 |
| OF | Andrew McCutchen | San Francisco | $4,800 |
Closer Look at Top Hitters
Paul Goldschmidt, $5,400 vs. Atlanta Braves
"When he's going good, we usually have a really good chance to win," Arizona Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said Saturday, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, after Paul Goldschmidt hit two home runs to power his team to a 7-3 win. "That's a fact. The one thing he does is he drives runs in. A lot of guys can get hits, but do they get hits at the right time of the game? Goldy seems to do that."
Well, fantasy owners love him to, Chip. In Goldschmidt's last eight games, he's hit .462 with three home runs and six RBI. He drew a walk in his first two at-bats on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves—the second one came with the bases loaded.
The 23-year-old Mike Foltynewicz has been pretty solid for the Braves this season, but he's about to face one of the majors' best hitters at the wrong time. You need Goldschmidt on your team on Wednesday.
Dustin Pedroia, $4,100 vs. Minnesota Twins
Someone has to score and drive in some runs for Rodriguez so that he can get the win to boost his fantasy points. Dustin Pedroia has a good chance to be that guy. He's facing the Twins' Phil Hughes, and Pedroia has manhandled the veteran right-hander in his career.
In 38 career at-bats against Hughes, Pedroia is hitting .342 with five home runs and 14 RBI. On the season, Pedroia's numbers have been pretty solid, having raised his batting average from .278 to .288 since May 23. With Hughes on the mound, there's a good chance Pedroia could be seeing that average climb a little more on Wednesday.
Jhonny Peralta, $4,100 vs. Milwaukee Brewers
The St. Louis Cardinals were held to just one run on Tuesday night. That isn't likely to happen on Wednesday as the Brewers send right-hander Jimmy Nelson to the mound. In 34 at-bats, current Cardinals are hitting a combined .382 against him.
Chief among the Cardinals who have lit up Nelson is Jhonny Peralta. The St. Louis shortstop is hitting .571 against Nelson in seven at-bats. Peralta is having a marvelous season overall, hitting .306 with eight home runs and 30 RBI. He's also terrorized Brewers pitching this year.
Peralta is 13-for-29 this season against the Brewers, with a .448 average with a home run and four RBI. I like him to have a solid game against a pitcher and a team that he's owned.
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