There’s Madison Bumgarner and everybody else on this slate. I hate even discussing something this chalky, but Mad Bum is by far the best option on the slate. There are only three pitchers with a 9.0 K/9 or better and only one with 10+, which is obviously Bumgarner. He’s only walking 2.74 batters per nine and he owns the second best xFIP. Now he has a date with the league’s worst offense who are actually worse against LHP! The Braves have a .271 wOBA overall (worst in MLB) but .259 against LHP (also worst in MLB). They strike out significantly more versus lefties at 23% and have (by far) the worst ISO against LHP. This is just a perfect storm on this slate. Bumgarner will likely be owned by all, fade at your own risk.
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There’s nothing wrong with Kyle Hendricks today who is the only pitcher with a better xFIP than Bumgarner on this slate. He’s not going to strike out a ton of batters, but his enormous groundball rate keeps him deep in most ballgames. He has allowed one or zero earned runs in four of his last six starts and has only allowed two homers all season. He’s always going to give you a chance for a win and will battle an under-peforming Dodgers offense that ranks 23rd in the last thirty days. Also keep an eye on the weather in Chicago. If the wind is blowing in, I’d feel even more comfortable rolling out Hendricks.
This is your weekly reminder that Yordano Ventura is a bad pitcher. So many crooked numbers for Ventura, where do we start? He’s allowed 26 ER over his last 32.2 IP which is good for a 7.16 ERA. He has allowed at least three earned runs in six straight starts and has now surrendered seven homers in that same span. He’s walked 19 compared to striking out 17 which certainly isn’t helping his cause. Now he has to take on the sneaky Cleveland Indians who are the 6th best offense in the last 30 days and only three teams have scored more runs in that span. Throw in the fact that Progressive Field has surrendered the third most runs this season and it could be a blood bath for Ventura today.
That’s all folks! Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more player analysis and news as starting lineups are released! Commentary based on DraftKings strategy and scoring.