Happy hump and Earth day! It is a special day of sorts, but I’d like to point out that any day with baseball is a special day!

Below we’ve got a discussion of the starting pitching situation for the tonight’s late slate as well as the best teams from which to pick hitters.

Pitching Perspective

It seems there is no middle ground in terms of pitching on a given night of MLB DFS. Last night outside of the very top options, we were scratching our heads. Tonight, there are options far and wide.

It lacks much analysis, but Clayton Kershaw ($12,500) is on the bump tonight at AT&T Park. Really, anytime Kershaw takes the mound he’s an instant DFS option, and the same is true for his matchup tonight. The Giants are a less than stellar offense, and this game projects to have very little scoring. The problem in using Kershaw is his inflated salary. Using him takes up 25% of the salary cap. No, that is not a typo, he really is 25% of the cap. Because of his incredible salary, he merely becomes a GPP play for me as I don’t advise stretching yourself too thin offensively in cash games.

His opponent, Madison Bumgarner ($9,800) is also an option tonight and only carries the third largest price tag. Bumgarner’s price is very manageable in a game carrying a total of just 6. Vegas doesn’t see a lot of scoring, and the pitching duel should be quite the watch. Bumgarner’s K/9 is down so far this year, but that is no reason to stray away from him.
My favorite price point to target tonight is Johnny Cueto ($9,500). The Brewers are a mess; literally, a huge, smelly pile of expletives. They are without Carlos Gomez, Jonathan Lucroy and Scooter Gennett and don’t appear to be threatening to any real solid pitcher. Cueto is a stud, and is posting an absurd 10.29 K/9 so far this year. He’ll be pitching in a hitters’ environment, but he’s used to it given his time at Great American Ball Park. He’s posted a 1.98 FIP so far this year. I don’t think you need much more evidence to use him.

I shouldn’t forget to mention David Price ($10,500) is also a great option at home against the Yankees and their left-hand dominant line-up. Price will switch around Beltran and Tex, but will carry the platoon advantage over some of the more dangerous Yankee hitters (McCann and Ellsbury). He’s a great cash game and GPP option given his solid 8.06 K/9.

I’m typically sticking to this top group of pitcher’s, but, also would not be opposed to Cole Hamels ($9,200), Sonny Gray ($8,700) or Doug Fister ($7,400), as secondary options in cash games or GPPs.

Stacking Options

Just as there are feasible pitching options tonight, there are also plenty of offensive stacks.
There is a game in Coors Field, so that is a place to start. Both the Rockies and Padres make for excellent plays tonight in the best run-scoring environment in the league. The Padres get Kyle Kendrick, making them the better option of the two teams, but, having some exposure to the Rockies left-handers against James Shields would be advisable in GPPs. Rockies ownership levels should take a slight plummet today given the fact that it’s Shields on the mound, and it’s a chance to capitalize on it. Using too many guys, or straying from the few solid left-handers, would be ill-advised in cash games, but getting exposure to Coors Field is the main concern here. I would include individual players in this spot, but without the lineups, I don’t feel the need to. Essentially everyone is in play.

If you’re looking to escape the Coors Field game, look to the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays exploded last night as they’re always capable of doing at home. The current total for this one is 9 runs, and I’d take the over. The Blue Jays get the enigma Ubaldo Jimenez, who could be lights out or dreadful. I’m guessing the latter, making the Blue Jays a great stack option. Jose Bautista ($5,100) and Edwin Encarnacion ($4,800) are the king pins here, but I’ll also look to get exposure to those with the platoon advantage, Jose Reyes ($4,500) and Dalton Pompey ($4,000).

I also like the Orioles tonight against Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez is typically a pretty solid GB% arm, but he’s already given up a few homeruns in his appearances this season. The Orioles are getting a solid park shift in their favor and have significant homerun upside as a team. I prefer their big bats in GPPs as opposed to cash games, but like the salary relief of Evereth Cabrera ($3,200) and Travis Snider ($3,800) in cash games.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Mike Pelfrey was pitching today. I like the Royals as a sneaky GPP snack, though their apparent lack of homerun potential drives down their upside. Also, toss in the Houston Astros as a GPP flier as their lineup suits well for left-handed starters like J.A. Happ. Unfortunately though, they get an extreme negative park shift. Lastly, mix and matches of Texas/Arizona should also be on your radar for GPPs as tonight projects for a crazy amount of scoring and both teams are in a solid run-producing environment.

Position Rankings

Catcher

1. Derek Norris – $4,100 – San Diego Padres
2. Russell Martin -$4,300 – Toronto Blue Jays
3. Salvador Perez – $4,200 – Kansas City Royals

First Basemen

1. Edwin Encarnacion– $4,800 – Toronto Blue Jays
2. Yonder Alonso -$4,500 – San Diego Padres
3. Chris Davis – $4,700 – Baltimore Orioles
4. Chris Carter -$3,700 – Houston Astros (GPP preferred)

Second Basemen

1. Yangervis Solarte – $3,700 – San Diego Padres
2. Jose Altuve – $4,200 – Houston Astros
3. Robinson Cano – $4,400 – Seattle Mariners

Shortstops

1. Troy Tulowitzki -$4,800 – Colorado Rockies
2. Jose Reyes -$4,500 – Toronto Blue Jays
3. Jed Lowrie – $3,700 – Houston Astros

Third Basemen

1. Josh Donalson -$4,800 – Toronto Blue Jays
2. Nolan Arenado – $4,200 – Colorado Rockies
3. Evan Longoria – $4,000 – Tampa Bay Rays
4. Kyle Seager – $3,900 – Seattle Mariners

Outfielders

1. Jose Bautista -$5,100 – Toronto Blue Jays
2. Matt Kemp – $5,800 – San Diego Padres
3. Justin Upton – $5,500 – San Diego Padres
4. George Springer -$4,300 – Houston Astros
5. Carlos Gonzalez -$4,400 – Colorado Rockies
6. Adam Jones – $5,300 – Baltimore Orioles
7. Travis Snider -$3,800 – Baltimore Orioles

Starting Pitchers

1. Clayton Kershaw – $12,500 – Los Angeles Dodgers (GPP preferred)
2. Johhny Cueto -$9,500 – Cincinnati Reds
3. David Price -$10,700- Detroit Tigers
4. Madison Bumgarner – $9,800 – San Francisco Giants
5. Cole Hamels -$9,200 – Philadelphia Phillies
6. Doug Fister -$7,400 – Washington Nationals
7. Sonny Gray – $8,700- Oakland Athletics

Article written by Logan Hitchcock exclusively for the #FrontOffice members of TheFantasyFix.com.