DFS MLB Pitching Coach: June 14

Options galore today as we look up and down the pricing tiers. We’ve got some really nice high-priced guys for cash games and plenty of GPP options from which to choose. While that can be a great thing, it also tends to “force” a lot of daily players into several lineups each. Single-entry GPP is where I’m going to live for most of the day, but I’m likely to play a lot of them across the board.

Let’s take a look…

Madison Bumgarner, SF – Whether you’re looking at numbers against lefties all year or numbers over just this past week, the Brewers offense has been right about league average this season. Unfortunately for them, league average just ain’t gonna cut it against MadBum. Use him with confidence in all your games today, both cash and GPP, and just be smart about the bats you pair up with him.

David Price, BOS – Few people really see just how great Price has pitched since Dustin Pedroia pointed out that he was tipping his pitches. We’re talking a 2.55 ERA with a 38:12 K:BB over his last 42.1 innings (six starts). Those numbers are about to get better after his start against the Orioles today. Yes, the O’s can rake. But while they’ve been swinging the sticks with some power lately, they’re actually posting a 24^th-ranked .305 wOBA against lefties this year with a 21.5-percent strikeout rate and only an 87 wRC+ for the season.

Jacob deGrom, NYM – Between the Pirates’ .275 wOBA and 52.2-percent ground ball rate over the past week, deGrom makes for a great choice if you want to save a grand or two but still stay in the higher tier of pitching. Loving his wOBA splits as well.

Jordan Zimmermann, DET – I’ve got faith in a rebound after his last outing which was, let’s just say…less than stellar. But now he gets to face a White Sox team that has not only struggled to maintain a .300 wOBA against right-handers this year, but

Julio Teheran, ATL – Just two weeks ago the Reds were swinging some hot bats. Unfortunately for them, those bats have cooled and in the span of just a week, their wOBA has dropped significantly. Their current .300 wOBA and 23-percent strikeout rate have me looking at Teheran even if he pitches better on the road.

Taijuan Walker, SEA – Boy, that last start was something, wasn’t it? The Rays have just a .309 wOBA over the last week, but what really points me to Walker is his 8.72 K/9 matching up with their 25-percent K-rate against righties this year.

Jaime Garcia, STL – The Astros have been slightly below league average against southpaws this season and their 48.2-percent ground ball rate against them makes Garcia a very interesting option here. As a team, Houston is sitting on a 24.7-percent strikeout rate with a .287 wOBA and a measly .115 ISO which makes Garcia, at this price, very workable for your lineups.

Marcus Stroman, TOR – The Phillies offense has looked rough lately and that 29-percent strikeout rate over the last seven days is staring me right in face here. So is their .262 wOBA in that time span. In addition to that, Stroman’s killer ground ball rate should match up extremely well as the Phillies are also mashing the ball in the dirt 46.2-percent of the time.

Tom Koehler, MIA – With the Padres posting a wOBA right near .300 over the past week and the fact that they’ve been the worst-hitting team against righties this year with their .278 wOBA and 24-percent K-rate, I’ll give Koehler a look on two-pitcher sites for GPP play. He’s not the most consistent threat but every so often, when the match-up is right, he shows up in a big way.

Archie Bradley, ARI – The Dodgers have barely a .300 wOBA against righties this year and have posted a .269 wOBA over the last seven days. I wouldn’t expect big strikeout numbers, but a little more than a quality start will work here.

Brandon Finnegan, CIN – He hasn’t exactly lived up to some of the spring hype, but anyone facing the Braves gets a look here. They’re posting a .256 wOBA against southpaws this season and with a 23.1-percent strikeout rate, maybe Finnegan finally delivers on the high strikeout potential.

Chris Young, KC – Look who’s back, people! Now I’m certainly not the biggest fan of this guy here, but when you’re taking a veteran hurler like Young and matching him up against a team like the Indians who have a .266 wOBA with a 21.1-percent strikeout rate over the past week, I’m willing to lay a buck down on him in a low-cost GPP.