It’s already time for more Saturday baseball, and Draftstreet has plenty of daily fantasy leagues waiting for you. Also waiting for you are these value pitchers to help you build a winner today.
Best Bet
Robbie Erlin – $11,355
It’s really just been one bad start that has marred Erlin’s otherwise successful season. On April 25th, he gave up eight runs on 13 hits to Washington. Since then, though, Erlin has straightened things out. He has posted three consecutive quality starts, with each one arguably better than the one before it. The run started with a three run outing over 6.2 innings, then a three-hit, one run performance through seven innings, and on Monday he kept the Marlins off the scoreboard through in 6.1 innings. In 21 innings during this stretch, he has added 17 strikeouts. He will also face Colorado tonight, which may sound daunting, but it comes at the right time. The Rockies may have the Majors’ best offense this year, but they have struggled lately, scoring just 18 runs over the last week, while hitting only .212 — both third-worst in baseball during that stretch.
Double Down
Bud Norris – $13,037
The O’s righty is hoping to keep his team’s good series against the Royals going. In the first two games of the four-game set, Baltimore has defeated Kansas City each time, while KC has managed to score just one run. And Norris is a good candidate to keep that trend going. In three May starts, he has a 3.38 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. He gave up three total runs in his first two games, and then allowed four over 7.2 innings against the Tigers. That final line was due to a bit of poor management. Norris gave up two of those runs in the eighth, while at the tail end of his season-high 113 pitches. If Buck Showalter doesn’t leave him in too long in this one, he could put together another nice effort.
Roll the Dice
Josh Tomlin – $12,769
There is only a small sample size from which to base this on, but in that limited time, he has taken advantage. Tomlin has made two starts for the Indians this season and he won them both, turning in quality starts each time. In his debut, he went 6.2 innings, allowing four hits and one run. In his second start, he finished six innings having given up two runs on six hits. He now has a 2.13 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP, while opponents are hitting just .213 against him. Though his Major League experience is only those two starts, he was doing more of the same this year in AAA. He started five games there, going 2-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 35 innings. His WHIP there was 0.89 and he held batters to just a .185 average. The biggest thing holding him back from a bigger endorsement is his tough matchup against the Athletics. They have the fourth-best offense in baseball this season.
