The NHL and NBA playoffs may be starting to heat up, but don’t let that keep you away from Draftstreet and building your daily fantasy baseball team. And feel free to use this as a cheat sheet as you look forward to a nice spring weekend.
Best Bet
Henderson Alvarez – $11,793
Alvarez has generally gotten better with each start. He began the year with a mere three inning effort, giving up seven hits and three runs. He followed that up with starts of 5.2 and 6.0 innings, allowing four runs total. Now, he’s coming off a complete game, two-hit shutout of the Mariners on just 90 pitches. As if that type of momentum wasn’t enough to make you consider him at this price, his matchup doesn’t get much more enticing. It’s the Mets. And, in very Mets-like form, the team is hitting an N.L.-worst .216 with a MLB-high 203 strikeouts. On top of it all, last season, Alvarez was 2-0 against New York with a 1.26 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. It’s not often you’ll have the opportunity to invest in a hot pitcher with a nice matchup at this price.
Double Down
Jordan Lyles – $8,123
Lyles doesn’t yet know what it’s like to lose in 2014. Even after surrendering four runs in five innings in his first start, though still picking up the win, he’s followed that with three mostly solid outings. He has lowered his season ERA to 3.04 thanks to those last three starts. In his last 18.2 innings, he has given up just four earned runs. That includes a seven-inning performance with no earned runs his last time out against the Phillies. So he, too, is hot at the moment. And he’ll need to continue that as he faces a potentially dangerous Dodgers team tonight.
Roll the Dice
Roenis Elias – $11,555
Elias has shown some good stuff at times this year, but not as much in others. He is actually coming off his worst start of the season, taking the loss after giving up six runs in 5.2 innings. It was his third loss of the year, though his other two came with better outings. His one win on the season came against the very same Rangers team Elias will see again today. That was two starts ago when he went 6.2 innings, giving up one run on five hits. Even though that’s been his only victory, he has still managed to post some good stats. In 22.1 innings, he owns a 3.22 ERA with 15 strikeouts. Opponents are also hitting .241 against him. If you’re looking for a last, low-cost starter, you could certainly do worse.
