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.
Trevor Bauer ($13,300 DK/$11,800 FD)
Bauer is once again the top option on the slate as no other player comes within $2,000 of him on DraftKings. The price is well-warranted, as he has continued his sick run through July and will look to top it off with a start against the Twins, who just dealt one of their best hitters in Eduardo Escobar. Minnesota isn’t a great strikeout matchup being that they are lefty-heavy, but Bauer has cruised through much tougher teams with his over 30% K-rate against lefties this year. Because of the options in the mid-tier, Bauer will likely go under-owned compared to just how good of a pitcher (and a play) he is.
Masahiro Tanaka ($10,300 DK/$9,400 FD)
Tanaka gets to follow up his complete game shutout versus Tampa Bay with a matchup at home tonight against the lowly Orioles, who have been hot lately, but will have a tough challenge ahead. Tanaka has found his groove since returning from the DL, posting double-digit Swinging-Strike rates in his last 3 outings and getting lots of chases as well. His 26.6% K-rate against righties this year sets up incredibly well against a team that has no choice but to throw a lineup with 7-8 right-handed bats. The one minor concern with Tanaka is the strength of the Yankee’s bullpen, as they won’t necessarily need him to go very deep, but it was encouraging that he was able to over over 100 pitches in his last start, so that concern may be a bit overstated.
Trevor Cahill ($7,400 DK/$6,900 FD)
Cahill recent mediocre results will keep his ownership in check, but taking a deeper look into his advanced stats, he’s one of my favorite plays on the slate. In July, Cahill ranks 8th in the MLB among starters in Whiffs/Swing% at 34.7% ahead of guys like Chris Sale, Kenta Maeda, and Trevor Bauer in that span, and he’s posted at least 11.6% Swinging-Strike rates in all 3 of his starts this month. Walks are an issue for him, as he’s given 3 free passes in each of those starts, but over the last 30 days, the Blue Jays have a 7.9% BB-rate vs RHP (19th), and also rank inside the top-10 in O-Swing% and First-Pitch Strike% in that time. Vegas is showing respect to Cahill (-165), and if he can avoid an early slip-up, he should be able to go 90-95 pitches and rack up strikeouts against this Blue Jays lineup.