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.
Blake Snell ($11,500 DK/$9,600 FD)
Snell has looked solid since returning from the disabled list, striking out 6 in 5 innings in each of his last 2 outings, and will now get a great matchup at home against Kansas City. The Royals have been atrocious over the last month against lefty pitching, striking out 24% of the time while posting just a .089 ISO and 72 wRC+. The one concern with Snell is his pitch count, but he was able to throw 76 pitches in his last start, and as long as he can get near 90 tonight, he’s got a great chance to mow down the Royals and efficiently rack up strikeouts. He’s a better play over on FanDuel, but I’m paying up for him on DraftKings for the possibility of him making quick work of the Royals.
Jose Berrios ($10,900 DK/$9,100 FD)
Berrios has run has a bit of a rough stretch as of late, but this is a perfect spot for him to turn things around against a White Sox team that is striking out against righties the most (27.2%) of any team in the MLB over the last 30 days. He’s still getting Swinging-Strikes and chases, plus his velocity has been stable, so a healthy dose of 25+% strikeout guys will give him a chance for a “get-right” start. The Twins have still stuck with their ace (100+ pitches in 4 out of his last 6 starts) which is encouraging when you’re looking for upside at this price on DraftKings.He’s already dominated the White Sox in two starts this year posting mid-teens Swinging-Strike rates and well above-average chase rates in those outings, so Berrios is a nice GPP option if you can’t get up to Snell or Corbin up top.
Glenn Sparkman ($4,400 DK/$5,500 FD)
In order to get up to the arms at the top and still have room for bats, it’s worth punting with someone cheap like Sparkman on a huge slate. He will likely have tempered ownership because he’s not a brand name and comes in as a +214 underdog, but as far as missing bats goes, he was impressive in his first start against the Blue Jays 5 days ago. He racked up a 16% Swinging-Strike rate and 35.3% O-Swing% in 4 innings. Sparkman was able to go 75 pitches in that start, so there’s no reason to believe he can’t get 80-85 tonight if things are going well. For near min-salary on DraftKings and in a good pitchers’ park against a team that lacks power at home (.134 ISO vs. RHP in Tampa), Sparkman has a good chance to pay off on a point-per-dollar basis and allows you to get in top-notch bats on DraftKings.
I’m a bit confused. Do you mean Snell does get a great matchup vs. KC? “Snell has looked solid since returning from the disabled list, striking out 6 in 5 innings in each of his last 2 outings, and will not get a great matchup at home against Kansas City.”
It was meant to read “will now get a great matchup…” sorry about the confusion!