DraftKings picks: Carpenter, Votto, Wacha
DraftKings participants will have a handful of appealing mound options today, as several contests will feature staff aces in pitching-friendly venues. Wise DraftKings participants should at least consider the following bats and arms when setting their lineups.
Matt Carpenter (Cardinals): Carpenter should maximize his opportunities to contribute by hitting second against Phillies righty Severino Gonzalez, who will be making his Major League debut. With a career .840 OPS against righties (.781 mark against lefties), the third baseman could reach base and score on multiple occasions.
Matt Holliday (Cardinals): With a lifetime .309/.379/.527 slash line against right-handers, the Cardinals outfielder also could have success against Gonzalez. Having posted a 4.59 ERA in Double-A last season, the 22-year-old may not be prepared for a veteran Cardinals lineup with several batters who have had strong success vs. righties.
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Matt Adams (Cardinals): Because Adams has recorded a career .844 OPS against right-handers (.537 vs. lefties), he could be an important part of a Cardinals stack against Gonzalez. The first baseman has ripped 30 of his 36 career round-trippers against righties.
Jon Jay (Cardinals): DraftKings participants could use this inexpensive outfielder to complete a Cardinals hitting stack that could be set to score a bevy of runs against Gonzalez. The owner of a lifetime .293 average, Jay has compiled a lifetime .761 OPS vs. right-handers (.715 vs. lefties).
Jason Kipnis (Indians): The second baseman has long fared best vs. righties, posting a career .777 OPS against them that exceeds his lifetime .633 mark off southpaws. He could reach base multiple times or rip a round-tripper against Royals righty Jeremy Guthrie, who has compiled a 4.24 ERA and a 1.2 HR/9 rate in his career.
Brandon Moss (Indians): Moss, who has slugged 82 of his 94 career homers against right-handers, could take the homer-prone Guthrie -- a righty -- deep. The outfielder started the season slowly, but he broke out in a big way by hitting two homers and driving in seven runs against the Tigers on Friday.
Nelson Cruz (Mariners): The outfielder could continue to power the baseball, as he will face Rangers lefty Ross Detwiler at hitter-friendly Globe Life Park in Arlington. Cruz has accumulated a lifetime .902 OPS against southpaws such as Detwiler, who has compiled a 10.95 ERA and a 2.59 WHIP across three April appearances.
Anthony Gose (Tigers): Gose could reach base often, as he will face off against Twins right-hander Mike Pelfrey (career 4.53 ERA and 1.48 WHIP). The outfielder has compiled a lifetime .687 OPS against righties such as Pelfrey (.508 vs. southpaws), and 34 of his 37 career swipes have come with one on the hill. Furthermore, Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki has sometimes struggled to stop opposing baserunners.
Joey Votto (Reds): With a .328 batting average, six homers and 15 RBIs this year, the first baseman seems to have moved past his injury-plagued 2014 campaign. And with a career .319/.431/.552 slash line against right-handers, Votto could extend his April surge against Brewers righty Kyle Lohse at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. So far this season, Lohse has recorded a 7.94 ERA while allowing at least one home run in each of his four trips to the mound.
Ike Davis (A's): Davis has long hit best against righties, off whom he has posted a lifetime .816 OPS (.579 vs. southpaws) and 67 of his 79 career homers. The first baseman could add to his homer tally against Jered Weaver, the Angels' fly-ball right-hander.
Stephen Vogt (A's): DraftKings participants should consider filling their catching spot with Vogt, who has started 2015 in red-hot fashion (.345 batting average, four homers, 14 RBIs). Moreover, the backstop owns a lifetime .757 OPS vs. righties that could go up during a contest against Weaver, who has posted a 5.24 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP across four outings in 2015.
Michael Brantley (Indians): The outfielder has yet to go deep this season, but he has raised his average to .341 after a slow start. With a career .787 OPS against righties (.682 off lefties), he could end his long-ball drought against the homer-prone Guthrie.
Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers): Kershaw could thrive against a Giants lineup that has produced 3.05 runs per game this season. Working at his pitcher-friendly home park, the left-hander could go deep into the game and tally several strikeouts during his duel with San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner.
Tyson Ross (Padres): Ross has struggled with his control this season (16 walks across 22 2/3 innings), but he has racked up 28 K's across his four starts. In his pitcher-friendly home park, the right-hander could toss quality innings and reach double-digits in strikeouts against an Astros lineup that ranks first in the Majors with 166 whiffs. And with Roberto Hernandez (career 4.58 ERA) on the bump for Houston, a quality outing from Ross could lead to a victory.
Michael Wacha (Cardinals): The right-hander has compiled just 12 whiffs across 20 1/3 innings this season, but his ratios (1.33 ERA, 0.93 WHIP) have been superb. Wacha could continue to log effective frames against a Phillies offense that ranks last in baseball with 49 runs scored. And if the Cardinals' offense can support him against Gonzalez, Wacha could also come away with a win.
Anibal Sanchez (Tigers): A right-hander with a career 3.58 ERA, Sanchez could be a cost-effective DraftKings option against Pelfrey and a Twins lineup that ranks last in the American League with a .608 OPS.
All statistics are accurate through the completion of Sunday's games.