DraftKings picks: Altuve, Ellsbury, Kershaw
DraftKings participants may be wise to employ hitting stacks on Monday, as several subpar hurlers are slated to start at hitter-friendly venues. On the flip side, a few cost-effective arms are set to toss at pitcher-friendly parks. After considering all of the options, we are confident to recommend the following names.
Jacoby Ellsbury (Yankees): With a lifetime .295/.347/.447 slash line against right-handers, the outfielder could utilize his diverse skillset against Blue Jays righty R.A. Dickey on Monday at hitter-friendly Rogers Centre. Since joining Toronto before the 2013 season, the knuckleballer has allowed 42 round-trippers across 37 home starts.
Edwin Encarnacion (Blue Jays): With a career .261/.337/.478 slash line against right-handers, the slugger could display his extra-base power at his long-ball-happy home venue Monday. Working in Encarnacion's favor: Whitley will be making just his second start of 2015 after allowing 10 homers across 75 2/3 innings a year ago.
:: Fred Zinkie's Daily Picks ::
Kevin Kiermaier (Rays): The outfielder could improve on his lifetime .282/.338/.511 slash line against right-handers Monday, when he leaves his spacious home stadium for the cozy confines of Fenway Park. Kiermaier will be facing righty Clay Buchholz, who, after posting a 5.34 ERA in 2014, has started this season with a 5.76 ERA in five starts.
Jhonny Peralta (Cardinals): Peralta could serve as a powerful shortstop option when he brings his career .792 OPS against left-handers (.745 vs. righties) into a Monday matchup with the Cubs' fly-ball-prone southpaw Travis Wood.
Yadier Molina (Cardinals): DraftKings participants sometimes search far and wide for productive catchers. Such effort may not be necessary Monday, though, as Molina could be set to improve on his lifetime .279/.353/.417 slash line against southpaws during a matchup with Wood (career 1.28 WHIP).
Matt Holliday (Cardinals): Because of his impressive lifetime .303/.408/.504 slash line against lefties, the outfielder could be part of a Cardinals stack against Wood, who has compiled a career 4.07 ERA.
Jose Altuve (Astros): Altuve has long fared well against left-handers, with a career .891 OPS that exceeds his .701 mark vs. righties. The second baseman could reach base often Monday and score multiple runs against Rangers lefty Ross Detwiler, who has posted an 8.66 ERA and a 2.21 WHIP this season (career 4.00 ERA, 1.40 WHIP).
Evan Gattis (Astros): Gattis could improve on his career .820 OPS against left-handers (.754 vs. righties) when he welcomes the southpaw Detwiler to hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park. The slugger possesses catcher eligibility in DraftKings contests and has ripped 11 career homers across 191 at-bats against lefties. Meanwhile, Detwiler has allowed six homers across 17 2/3 innings this season.
Joc Pederson (Dodgers): Pederson has produced pronounced splits during his brief career, with a .967 OPS against right-handers compared to a .500 mark vs. lefties. On Monday, he could improve upon his stronger splits by homering against Brewers righty Kyle Lohse at hitter-friendly Miller Park. Lohse owns a lifetime 1.1 HR/9 rate and has surrendered eight homers across five 2015 starts.
Adrian Gonzalez (Dodgers): Hitting .371 with eight homers and 20 RBIs, the first baseman has been among baseball's best hitters this season. On Monday, he could continue to display strong pop when he brings his career .303/.378/.536 slash line against right-handers into a matchup with the homer-prone Lohse, a righty, at Miller Park.
Corey Dickerson (Rockies): Dickerson has accumulated a lifetime .930 OPS against right-handers (.693 vs. lefties), and he has thrived at homer-happy Coors Field to the tune of a career 1.084 OPS. He could drive in multiple runs at his home park Monday when he faces D-backs righty Josh Collmenter.
Justin Morneau (Rockies): Morneau is another Rockies hitter who could fare well against Collmenter, as the first baseman has posted a career .296/.373/.520 slash line against righties and a lifetime .336/.374/.521 slash line at Coors Field.
Dallas Keuchel (Astros): Don't expect many strikeouts from Keuchel, who has posted a 5.4 K/9 rate this season after recording a 6.6 mark a year ago. However, the left-hander has logged a 0.73 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP in 2015, going at least seven innings in four of five outings. On Monday, he could continue that success vs. a Rangers lineup that ranks 13th in the American League with a .643 OPS.
Alex Wood (Braves): Because of his early-season struggles (4.03 ERA, 1.48 WHIP), the talented left-hander could be a cost-effective option for DraftKings participants Monday. Wood -- who posted a 2.78 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP a year ago -- had arguably his best outing of 2015 on April 24, when he shut out the Phillies across 5 2/3 frames. Set to again face Philadelphia -- which ranks last in baseball in OPS (.599) and runs (66) -- the hurler could fire a gem at his pitcher-friendly venue.
Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers): With 43 strikeouts across 31 1/3 innings this season, Kershaw is showing the stellar form that resulted in 239 whiffs across 198 1/3 frames in 2014. On Monday, the dominant lefty could secure a win by tossing several quality innings vs. a Brewers squad that ranks 29th in baseball with a .623 OPS.
Jesse Hahn (A's): After posting respectable marks with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP during his 2014 rookie season, the right-hander has produced a 2.86 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP across four 2015 starts. On Monday, he could continue to compile quality innings when he starts at pitcher-friendly Target Field against a Twins lineup that is 12th in the American League with a .653 OPS.
All statistics are accurate through the completion of Saturday's games.