The following Spotlight Pitchers were selected by Awesemo.com writer Jake Hari. For more analysis on the slate, check out Awesemo’s Rankings and Ownership Projections.
Max Scherzer ($12,600 DK/$12,200 FD)
Scherzer has a great argument for the number 1 pitcher on the night at a price that is surprisingly affordable on DraftKings. He’ll get a Marlins team that has the league’s lowest wRC+ against righties over the last month that just lost their best left-handed hitter in Justin Bour. Coming off four dominant starts as a whopping -375 favorite, Scherzer makes for a fantastic play in all formats tonight.
Cole Hamels ($8,700 DK/$8,900 FD)
Hamels has looked phenomenal in his first 3 starts with his new team, allowing just 2 runs in 18 innings while striking out 20 hitters. His last start was a masterpiece against a Nationals team that had been crushing lefties before he put a halt to their run, and he posted 9Ks in 5 innings against this same Pirates team with a 13.7% Swinging-Strike rate 3 starts ago. The weather here is worth keeping an eye on, but at low ownership with the ability to go 100 pitches, Hamels is a nice pivot to Robbie Ray if you’re looking to get a little contrarian.
Brian Johnson ($6,800 DK/$6,400 FD)
There’s not a ton to choose from in this range, but Johnson certainly makes for an appealing option as a -173 favorite in his home park. In his prior 2 starts, Johnson threw 104 and 98 pitches along with double-digit Swinging-Strike rates in 4 out of his last 5 outings. Strikeout upside and the ability to go deep is exactly what we’re looking for in a pitcher for under $7K, and the matchup against the Rays (23.6% K-rate, .147 ISO in 2018 vs. LHP) shouldn’t worry you either. Sign me up for some Brian Johnson in GPPs tonight as another pivot off of Robbie Ray.
