It must be Saturday because I am up writing at 7:08 a.m. I would be lying if I said my luck has been anything but great the last three nights. Me, the guy who is writing the Pitching Coach article today, has been blown up three nights straight by SP.

It all started on Wednesday night with Joe Ross. Since my bankroll was looking fatter than half the people in sweatpants at the Old Country Buffet, I decided to up my game and play in a few larger dollar single entry GPPs. Who was my main guy? You guessed it…Joe Ross. This was followed by the ludicrous idea that Joe Finnegan would be a sneaky play versus the mighty Cubs (I mean really? What was I thinking here?) and of course last night’s Aaron Sanchez debacle.

The best thing about DFS is the next day is always a new one and that day is today. So while running a bit behind (I slept until 6 a.m.) I bring you today’s Pitching Coach Article.

Top Cash Game Plays

Jose Fernandez, Florida Marlins

We talk all time about how the great players succeed in tough situations. Well today is that day for Jose Fernandez pitching in San Francisco versus the mighty Giants. The Giants are only striking out 13.9 percent of the time versus RHP (30th in MLB) with a wOBA of .332. They also are tied for sixth in wRC+ at home in MLB with the Royals at 116 and have a .257 avg. So at this point you must be asking why would I have him in this article? The reality is Fernandez has had one bad start and it was his first of the season versus the Tigers where he surrendered five earned runs over 5 2/3 innings while striking out 13. Since that bad start where he only struck out 13 (sarcasm) he has only allowed two earned runs over his last 11 innings versus the Mets and Nationals while fanning eleven with a 1.64 ERA. He gets a favorable park shift today in SF with Miami being -122 favorites and a low expected run total of seven. He is expensive but offers the most upside and gets my call as the top play of the day.

Danger Zone

There is very little in the way of BVP but the Giants LHB should always be a concern. In 2015 lefties were hitting .333 versus Fernandez but so far on the young season are only hitting .200.

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

If you are playing on a sight that does not allow late swaps than I would completely avoid Felix Hernandez today. He was ill yesterday and scratched from his start. I would also be lying if I said this did not concern me a bit as far as it could affect his performance tonight. So keep this in mind with this play. He can have a bad outing and simply chalk it up to “still feeling under the weather”. With all that being said I still believe King Felix is the second best option on the slate as far as upside goes. In 2015 Safeco Field was 27th in MLB in Runs Scored so he gets a favorable park shift. The Angels are only striking out 16.4 percent of the time versus RHP (which I find less than enticing) with a pathetic .237 wOBA and are dead last in wRC+. They also are only batting .230 on the road so far this season. Felix has 14 strikeouts over his last 12 innings with a low 0.75 ERA. He also is keeping the ball on the ground with a 64.3 percent GB rate on the young season. I love me the King and I am not talking LeBron-Bron.

Danger Zone

Mike Trout is notorious for beating up on King Felix and is currently batting .354 with four HR over 65 AB with a 1.035 OPS. Outside of Trout I see little to worry about.

Michael Wacha, St. Louis Cardinals

The San Diego Padres suck. I mean bad. It is becoming customary at this time to pick on them with decent to great starting pitching. The beleaguered Padres are striking out 25.6 percent and carry a low .257 wOBA versus RHP and are second to last in MLB in wRC+ at 59. Now add in the low .221 avg. at home and Wacha sure looks good. In his last two starts spanning 12 innings versus the Reds and Brewers (who are also terrible) he has 12 strikeouts with one earned run for a 0.75 ERA. He also has a 2.75 GB/FB rate and gets a positive park shift pitching in San Diego. His price is low across the industry and to be honest the more I look at Wacha tonight the more I like him. I also believe he has the best shot at the bonus for the win of the top three. If you can afford it he is the player I would pair with a Jose Fernandez or Felix Hernandez tonight on a two-pitcher site.  

Danger Zone

Smooth and clear sailing BVP wise and the Padres lineup offers little to be afraid of outside of Matt Kemp getting a hold of one by some chance. Very safe play here I believe with limited upside.

Sometimes good things come in pairs (Cash and GPP).

Keep in mind the pitchers in this section are better GPP plays on FanDuel and what I consider the best cash game plays to pair with one of the pitchers above on DraftKings and other two-pitcher sites.

J.A. Happ, Toronto Blue Jays

The early slate offers little in the way of great SP today so we are forced to take a chance or two. Why not J.A. Happ? He has looked phenomenal in his last two starts allowing only two earned runs over 13 innings versus the Red Sox and Yankees while fanning eight. Today Happ gets the Athletics who are striking out 24.6 percent of the time versus LHP with a low .270 wOBA and .232 avg. Pitching at home at the Rogers Centre is never a great thing but Happ has pitched well in his one start at home so far this season. After watching Aaron Sanchez get smacked around last night I believe the Athletics used up their luck, or just got started. Either way with little to choose from he is the best option on the early slate in my opinion but I would completely avoid him if I was playing on an all-day slate.

Danger Zone

We have sporadic BVP here with the most notable being Marcus Semien who is seven-for-10 with a HR off of Happ. The real danger here is J.A. Happ. Although he looks good I am still not convinced but with little to choose from he is where I am looking on the early slate.

Carlos Rodon, Chicago White Sox

Much like Happ if you are playing on an all-day slate I would completely avoid Rodon. Today he faces the Rangers at home which is less than favorable but he does have strikeout potential with the Texas bombers striking out 24.4 percent versus LHP. Do not get me wrong, Texas can hit lefties. They have a .332 wOBA versus LHP and have a few RHB who can do some damage. The thing is Rodon is much better than what we saw in his last start where the Angels dismantled him scoring five runs in 1/3 of an inning. Before this blow-up Rodon had 12 strikeouts in 13 innings while only allowing two earned runs to the Twins and Athletics. It is ugly today on the early slate so I am going for upside and Rodon is the player I am using along with Happ on the early slate on two-pitcher sites with the hope recency bias keeps people off of him.

Danger Zone

The current Texas Rangers are only batting .167 off Rodon in his young career and the current roster has yet to hit a home run off of him. Let’s hope this continues today. My biggest concern…Adrian Beltre.

Steven Matz, New York Mets

Who’s got the Matz? What happened? Everyone was all about the Matz? Crickets? Remember this from last weekend’s article? In his bounce back outing versus the Indians in Cleveland he went seven innings striking out nine while allowing zero earned runs. This is the Matz we expected and I fully expect this to continue today facing the miserable Braves. Atlanta is striking out 23.7 percent of the time versus LHP with a low .237 wOBA and are second to last behind the Phillies in wRC+ at 45. Yes, 45. They also have a pathetic .232 home avg. to throw into the positive column. Matz is keeping the ball on the ground with a 50 percent GB rate and he is my favorite mid-priced play on the board and the player I am pairing with a Jose Fernandez or Michael Wacha if I want to load up bats.

Danger Zone

I am worried little about any particular player today. What worries me more is the ability the Braves have at times to be a real pain in the ass out of nowhere. Ask Clayton Kershaw or Max Scherzer. If it helps Freddie Freeman, Adonis Garcia, Nick Markakis, and Daniel Castro all have positive BVP with a very small sample size (less than four AB) with Castro having one HR.

GPP plays that will make or break your wallet.

Of course anytime you take players in this section you are doing so with risk. That is why they are here and are not for the faint at heart.

Chase Anderson, Milwaukee Brewers

I was all about Taylor Jungmann to start the season. Lesson learned. Milwaukee certainly is not known for their pitching but you have to admit out of nowhere Chase Anderson has looked pretty good. In his first three starts he has only allowed four earned runs (all in his last start versus the Twins in Minnesota) with 13 strikeouts over 16 innings. The Phillies are striking out 22.2 percent of the time versus RHP with a low .301 wOBA. The park shift is less than favorable at home in Milwaukee but the Phillies are terrible and I cannot think of a better team to attack in GPP. I prefer him much more on FanDuel where he is cheap and I believe at his price-point on DraftKings you can find better options.

Danger Zone

The Phillies as a whole BVP wise are batting .333 versus Anderson in his career with one home run and you always have to worry about RHB who are hitting .356 on the season so far off. Historically he is the “reverse split” guy in this regard being tougher on LHB than RHB.

Jhoulys Chacin, Atlanta Braves

Am I really writing about this guy? The reality is he has looked pretty awesome since going from the minefield of Colorado to the pitcher friendly park in Atlanta. He has 14 strikeouts in his first 11 1/3 innings with a 2.38 ERA. Now this is only two starts but in GPP why not take a look. Today he is facing the Mets who can be dangerous but realistically how many people are going to own him today? I am guessing a very low percentage. There is potential here today with the Mets striking out 24.5 percent of the time versus RHP with a .316 wOBA and it could be the sneaky play of the day for the near minimum. For a few bucks in a GPP I will take a shot.

Danger Zone

Honestly, this is Chacin. The world is a danger zone.

Good luck today and be sure your catchers are playing as most do not if playing a day game after a night game. Saturdays and Sundays can be tough in that respect if you are new to this.

Go Dodgers!

Follow me on Twitter @RealJerryColvin or email me at TheRealJerryColvin@yahoo.com

You can also hear me on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 6:45 am on SiriusXm Fantasy Sports Radio Channel 210, XM 87 taking a first look at the DFS MLB slate at least for now. The Fantasy World has a way of building you up and knocking you down like a child with Legos and I as a whole I would be the little $3 pack on the shelf being the newer guy in the industry.