DraftKings picks: Cutch, Kemp, CarGo
With few high-profile hurlers scheduled to pitch Tuesday, DraftKings participants may be able to stack their lineups with desirable hitters. Offensive points will likely abound, so those who play DraftKings need to think carefully when predicting Tuesday's top offensive performers. But while doing so, don't forget to select a pair of hurlers who can post respectable starts. Given the aforementioned criteria, the following players may be of use.
Starling Marte (Pirates): After collecting 25 homers and 71 steals from 2013-14, this multidimensional player has already tallied three roundtrippers and two swipes in the current campaign. On Tuesday, Marte could use his plate skills (career .945 OPS vs. left-handers) and speed to score multiple runs against Cubs lefty Travis Wood (career 4.08 ERA).
Andrew McCutchen (Pirates): Another Pittsburgh outfielder who could thrive in a home game against the left-handed Wood, McCutchen owns a career .989 OPS against southpaws as opposed to an .851 mark vs. righties.
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Dee Gordon (Marlins): Gordon is an attractive option for DraftKings participants, because he can be slotted at either middle-infield position. The speedster struggles against lefties (career .255 average), but he has excelled against right-handers such as Williams to the tune of a lifetime .285 average. And because Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz is no better than average at thwarting opposing base runners, baseball's 2014 stolen-base leader could get the green light if he reaches first.
Adam Lind (Brewers): Hitting .300 as a member of the Brewers, Lind could extend his April surge with a productive game at his hitter-friendly home ballpark against Reds righty Jason Marquis. The Milwaukee first baseman has slugged 126 of his 147 career roundtrippers against right-handers, and Marquis has allowed 43 homers in his past 44 starts, dating back to 2012.
Brandon Moss (Indians): Moss has gone deep 92 times during his Major League tenure, belting 80 of those long balls against right-handers. On Tuesday, he could add to that total when he faces fly-ball-prone righty Hector Noesi (career 5.15 ERA) at hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field.
Prince Fielder (Rangers): Fielder will bring his career .963 OPS vs. right-handers (.799 against southpaws) into a matchup with righty Chase Anderson at hitter-friendly Chase Field on Tuesday. The left-handed slugger could smack a homer off Anderson, who owns a career 1.2 HR/9 rate.
Billy Butler (A's): Butler could reach base multiple times on Tuesday, when he faces Angels southpaw Hector Santiago (career 1.35 WHIP). DraftKings participants should note that the A's first baseman has produced a career .315/.394/.518 slash line vs. lefties.
Steve Pearce (Orioles): The outfielder could be primed for a productive night at hitter-friendly Rogers Centre against lefty Mark Buehrle (career 1.28 WHIP), as his career .868 OPS vs. southpaws compares favorably to his .698 mark against right-handers.
Matt Kemp (Padres): The outfielder could display some power when he brings his lifetime .953 OPS vs. lefties into a matchup against southpaw Tyler Matzek at hitter-friendly Coors Field on Tuesday. The owner of a career 1.39 WHIP, Matzek could struggle against Kemp's Padres, who have fielded a productive offense this April.
Derek Norris (Padres): With a strong platoon advantage, Norris could offer DraftKings participants a cost-effective catcher option on Tuesday. The backstop owns a lifetime .872 OPS against southpaws such as Matzek, Colorado's scheduled starter for Tuesday. By contrast, Matzek has yielded a lifetime .823 OPS to right-handed hitters such as Norris.
Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies): CarGo thrives at Coors Field (lifetime 1.018 OPS) and vs. right-handers (career .911 OPS). Brandon Morrow has kicked off his Padres tenure with a pair of quality home starts, but his career 4.23 ERA and 1.35 WHIP suggest that he could struggle away from pitcher-friendly Petco Park.
Mike Fiers (Brewers): Fiers has not posted great surface numbers this season, but he has tallied strikeout, walk and homer rates superior to his career marks. The hurler has not been a beneficiary of good luck, having so far surrendered a .433 BABIP that should stabilize along with his performance in the coming weeks. Set to face the Reds' Marquis -- who owns a lifetime 4.57 ERA -- Fiers may not need much more than a quality start to notch his first win of 2015.
Carlos Carrasco (Indians): Since the beginning of the 2014 season, the budding ace has posted a 2.57 ERA and a .209 opponents' average across 140 1/3 frames. On Tuesday, the right-hander should have a distinct advantage over Noesi, who has compiled a 5.27 ERA across 68 games (47 starts) since the beginning of 2012.
Jon Niese (Mets): At his pitcher-friendly home park on Tuesday, Niese could be a strong value option against Trevor Cahill and the Braves. The owner of a lifetime 3.47 ERA at Citi Field, the Mets southpaw will face an Atlanta lineup that is light on run-scoring potential. Niese may need little more than a quality start to notch a win over Cahill, who owns a lifetime 4.10 ERA after allowing four earned runs across 2 1/3 frames in his 2015 debut on April 14.
All statistics are accurate through the completion of Sunday's games.