Now that the Memorial Day weekend is over, it’s time to get back to a bit more of a normal schedule. No day games are set for tonight, and all 30 MLB teams are in action. So that means there are plenty of player options in Draftstreet daily fantasy baseball leagues. These are a few of the pitchers worth considering.
Best Bet
Alfredo Simon – $12,972
Simon was knocked out of his start against the Rockies on May 10, giving up five runs in three innings. It was his worst start of the season. On the other hand, he turned in quality starts in his six previous appearances and two starts since. Actually, Simon rebounded from his loss to post two of his best starts of the season. In his first outing after the disaster, he shut out the Phillies for 7.2 innings, while picking up a season-high eight strikeouts. In his most recent appearance, he gave up just one run to the Nationals over seven innings, adding six strikeouts. Overall, his six wins, 2.31 ERA, .210 BAA, and 1.01 WHIP are all among the league’s best. His Reds will need another good outing from him the way Dodgers pitching has been the last couple of nights. Josh Beckett threw a no-hitter on Sunday, followed by Hyun-Jin Ryu taking a perfect game into the eighth.
Double Down
Edinson Volquez – $9,840
Volquez got off to a great start this season, with a 3.21 ERA in April over his first six games. Since then, though, it’s been a little bumpy. In his first three starts in May, he pitched 16 innings, allowing 14 runs, ballooning his ERA to 4.71. Its appears, though, that he has gotten himself back on track. Last Thursday against Washington, he went six innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out four. It was his first quality start since April 22. His opponent today, the Mets, are in the midst of an awful offensive stretch. They are hitting just .237 with a .310 on-base percentage on the year, have lost nine of 12, and have scored no more than five runs during that time frame. Things have gotten so bad, they’ve even fired their hitting coach less than two months into the season. Volquez is set up for success tonight.
Roll the Dice
Eric Stults – $8,343
To say that it has been a smooth year for Stults would be a stretch. He is just 2-5 with a 4.97 ERA, and opponents are hitting at a .315 clip against him. So, while this hasn’t been the most successful year for him, he does have a couple things going for him that make him an intriguing play tonight. Firstly, there’s his price. He is the lowest-cost option, and about $1,500 cheaper than the next lowest. He also has pitched a bit better lately. Two of his last three outings have been quality starts and they both happened to come against the National League’s two best offenses. Lastly, he has a very nice matchup against the Diamondbacks, who have been awful over their last several games. In the last week, they have scored 11 runs, which is the worst in all of baseball. Arizona is also hitting just .159 and has a team on-base percentage of .224 in that stretch. If there is a time to invest money in Stults, this would appear to be it.
