This is the second game of the series between the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Jon Gray ($9,400) is facing off against Dustin May ($10,600). The Rockies got shut out by Trevor Bauer last night, while the Dodgers’ bats exploded for seven runs, with four coming via the long ball. The temperature is expected to be around 56 degrees with clear skies and winds blowing out to center at 4.0 mph. DraftKings Sportsbook has the total set at 7.5 runs with the Dodgers favored.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $35K Showdown of the Week [$10K to 1st] (COL vs LAD)
Captain’s Picks
Dustin May ($15,900 CP) - May can throw 100 mph with insane movement on his pitches. Coming into this season, though, he was pitching to contact for some reason. The K/9 was 7.07 in 2020, while the swinging strike rate was less than 9.0% in his last two seasons. He’s figured some things out for 2021, as the swinging strike rate is 17.6% in his first outing against Oakland. It’s only been one start and six innings, but the results are encouraging nonetheless. In that first start, he allowed two hits, walked two and struck out eight. Now he faces a Rockies team that is inept outside of Coors Field. Last season, the Rockies had a strikeout rate of 26.4% and an ISO of .136 on the road. Yuck.
Corey Seager ($15,600 CP) - Seager has gotten off to a blistering start, slashing .366/.469/.561 in 49 plate appearances. The walk rate is 16.3%, the strikeout rate is 18.4% and the ISO is .195. The BABIP is elevated at .452, so some luck has been involved, but the barrel rate is 15.6%, while the average exit velocity is a robust 97.7 mph. Now he faces Jon Gray, who has been decent, but has allowed a .198 ISO to lefties, while he’s only struck out 13.3% of the LHBs he’s faced in his first two starts.
Value Plays
Raimel Tapia ($5,600) - I wish Tapia was batting leadoff, but it is what it is. He will likely bat sixth in the order. On the season, Tapia has one home run and one stolen base. The slash is .263/.300/.342. Also, while the walk rate is only 5.0%, the strikeout rate is low at 12.5%. He could luck into a home run, but it’s more about getting on base and possibly stealing a base.
Gavin Lux ($7,000) - Lux will also likely bat sixth in the order and I already mentioned that Gray is more susceptible versus lefties. Lux has gotten off to a slow start, slashing only .231/.262/.333 with a .103 ISO. With that said, most of the other numbers look decent. He’s going to all fields and the swinging strike rate is in career-norm range. The ground ball rate is elevated, but at least the line drive rate is up, as well. He’s just not hitting as many fly balls. The average exit velocity is 90.2 mph — above his career mark.
Fades
Ryan McMahon ($9,800) - The numbers look pretty for McMahon: Five home runs, .293/.310/.707 slash, a .415 ISO and a 16.7% strikeout rate. Lock and load, right? He’s done all that damage at home. On the road, he’s batting .188 with four strikeouts, three hits and one home run in 16 plate appearances.
The Outcome
The Rockies stink on the road. While Gray is a decent pitcher, the bullpen is one of the worst in the league. The Dodgers, on the other hand, have one of the best offenses and pitching staffs in all of baseball.
Final Score: Los Angeles 6, Colorado 1
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $35K Showdown of the Week [$10K to 1st] (COL vs LAD)
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