MLB

FanDuel Pitching Primer: Monday 6/28/21

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Jun 28th, 2021
Freddy Peralta has been in beast mode all of 2021. Which other options on the bump should we think about?

In daily fantasy baseball, success starts with nailing the starting pitcher spot in your lineup.

When compared to hitters, pitching performance tends to be much more predictable and stable throughout the course of the season. You know what you're getting from a top-level ace when you roster him: probably a dominant effort with only one or two implosions per season. In contrast, even the game's best hitters have days at the plate when they go 0-for-4.

As a result, lineup construction should begin with the starting pitcher. Which pitchers should you consider on today's main slate?

High-Salaried Play
Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers

Vs. Chicago Cubs
FanDuel Salary: $9,500

Something is in the water up in Milwaukee, and Freddy Peralta has been an absolute monster this season.

Each one of Peralta's pitch offerings this season has a swinging-strike rate over 15%, leading to a career-best 36.4% strikeout rate. He's also logged an absurdly low .134 batting average thanks to a 27.6% hard-hit rate. What separates Peralta is that, unlike Trevor Bauer, who faces the San Francisco Giants, and Lucas Giolito, who faces the Minnesota Twins, his matchup is a bit easier.

Arguably, Peralta's draw is one of the best on the entire slate. The Chicago Cubs strike out a league-worst 26.5% against right-handed pitching, and their 91 wRC+ is also among the league's worst marks, according to FanGraphs. Play him with extreme confidence.

Mid-Salaried Play
Zack Greinke, Houston Astros

Vs. Baltimore Orioles
FanDuel Salary: $8,700

The pricing on Monday's main slate is a bit of an oddball -- there's some mega-salaried arms, and then there's a few more reasonable options. One in that middle tier that could be a monster play is Zack Greinke of the Houston Astros.

While Anthony DeSclafani has been outstanding, his matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers is a bit scary. Greinke's against the Baltimore Orioles, who carry a hefty 24.9% strikeout rate and a poor wRC+ of only 89.

And, he returns home -- Houston ranks slightly below neutral in park factor, lining Greinke up for a big day.

Low-Salaried Play
Eli Morgan, Cleveland Indians

Vs. Detroit Tigers
FanDuel Salary: $6,400

Look, one thing to get out of the way here -- the Detroit Tigers offense has definitely been better as of late. Akil Baddoo has shown significant improvement at the plate, and with Daz Cameron called up, it's a much deeper lineup overall.

But, this still isn't the 1927 New York Yankees. The Tigers rank 23rd in woBA (.293) to go with their 27.2% strikeout rate. While the hitting has improved, the team is still swinging and missing a ton. And as evidenced by Eli Morgan's last outing, where he whiffed nine batters, he has plenty of swing-and-miss ability on his own.

There are some great bats available tonight, and if you need to move to a cheaper play, peep Morgan.


Matt Kupferle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matt Kupferle also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username MKupferle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.