MLB Cash Game Picks : 6-26-15

Cash Game Locks: MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball

Pitcher

Put your pitchforks down... Max Scherzer is the top pitching option on tonight's slate, and it is pretty crazy how he can separate himself from the guys on the hill. DraftKings has marked up Mad Max to a $14,000 price tag, and there is no negotiating with the cars salesman on this one. On FanDuel, he is a tad more reasonable, and I will be playing him there tonight. There are still a few other aces going who you can build your cash games around.

Now that I talked myself out of an angry mob, I can get to Corey Kluber. Speaking of angry mobs, he may have had one after his last start against the Rays. I fully expect a rebound tonight against the Orioles. They may be without Adam Jones, and while the Orioles flex their muscles from time to time, they are an offense that can be tamed quickly. The Orioles have the fourth highest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching, which is a bonus to the one they call Klubot tonight. He has the eighth best strikeout rate among qualified starters and the sixth best swinging strike rate. While Vegas isn't high on him or the Indians, the strikeout props are very similar to Scherzer tonight.

I am not worried about the elbow of Johnny Cueto, which is the reason he is making his pushed back start against the Mets. With the Reds in last place, and Cueto likely being trade bait, it is just a rest move. The Reds are a slight favorite tonight, and the Mets have a measly run total of three. The Mets rank 24th in wRC+ against right-handed pitching, while they rank just a shade above the league average in strikeout rate. The last two weeks, they've been dreadful with just a .214 team average. The struggles will likely continue tonight. After a rough May, Cueto has pitched well this month, with a 2.84 ERA, and holding batters to an average below .200. He has a swinging strike rate of 10.5%, which is slightly up from his stellar 2014 season.

Catcher

Derek Norris versus a lefty could not have come on a better night. He has a fairly cheap price tag, and has he one of the best platoon matchups behind the dish. He has a .371 wOBA off lefties this year, which is on par with his career numbers. His June numbers have been poor, but the matchup is enough to overlook his struggles. Robbie Ray has pitched well for Arizona, but allowing a 40% hard hit ball rate to right-handed bats won't keep his numbers where they are. Yan Gomes, and if Dioner Navarro is in the lineup, will also be cheaper plays behind the plate.

First Base

The juiciest team total on the night belongs to Toronto, and Nick Martinez has been struggling against right-handed bats. This is not the team to have a .365 wOBA allowed against. He is allowing a 26% line drive rate and doesn't possess swing-and-miss stuff. June has been a big transition for Edwin Encarnacion, first of all he is hitting over .300, which is a huge upgrade from hitting close to .200 in April-May. He also cut his strikeout rate down 5%, and upped his line drive rate close to 10%. He is hitting less ground balls and is looking like the 2014 Encarnacion. He has a cheap price tag for what his usual cost is, and is a nice option to fit with the aces tonight.

Miguel Cabrera is just hitting a cool .384 in the month of June and will take on the lefty Jose Quintana at home this evening. While his price tag is a little high, he is one of the elite plays of the evening. I would feel a little bad leaving him off the list. He has a .447 wOBA off lefties this year with a .272 ISO. Quintana has been hit and miss this season, but allowing a .351 to right-handed bats is leading to being a miss more times than a hit.

Second Base

Middle infield is not the place to pay for bats tonight, and Joe Panik is a great on-base guy to have in your lineups. He carries just a 12.8% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching to go with a .364 wOBA. Panik has great batted ball stats, with a line drive rate near 25% off righties, and has a hard hit ball rate sitting at 32%. Chad Bettis has allowed a .333 wOBA to lefties over 288 TBF.

Third Base

While Josh Donaldson has a price tag in the stratosphere, I will move to the other dugout for my third baseman. Adrian Beltre has a great track record against left-handed pitching and will have the luxury of hitting in Toronto tonight. Per StatCorner, over the last three seasons, Rogers Centre has had a 121 park factor for right-handed home runs. It actually ranks way ahead of the Ballpark in Arlington. He has just a .326 wOBA against lefties this season, but a solid .200 ISO.

Shortstop

If Hanley Ramirez or Dustin Pedroia take a seat tonight, you will likely see Xander Bogaerts hitting third. He has made great strides in 2015, dropping his strikeout rate 10% from the first two seasons and is hitting better against right-handed pitching. He has upped his average by 57 points from 2014, and he's having a nice month, hitting .330. The price tag and lineup spot make Bogaerts an attractive play. Alex Colome has allowed a .343 wOBA to right-handed bats and a 27% line drive rate.

Outfield

A quick blurb on the top outfield plays, Jose Bautista, Bryce Harper, and Giancarlo Stanton are in awesome spots, but have price tags tough to fit with pitching. I like the well-rounded approach, which is why I am kicking the outfield off with Denard Span. He has ripped right-handed pitching this year, hitting .342 with a 148 wRC+. After a start nobody saw coming from Aaron Harang, he has a 7.61 ERA in June. This is more like it, and this puts the Nationals in a nice spot this evening.

Chris Colabello is like a poor man's Bautista tonight. While I have been targeting him against lefties, he has been good against right-handed pitching as well. He has a .362 wOBA this year and has a 28% line drive rate. He is not far off from what he does against lefties, and the only downside is his strikeout rate. With Martinez not having a great swinging strike rate, I won't worry about that tonight.

After a horrid month of May, Kevin Kiermaier has stepped up to his usual self and is hitting .361 this month. He has a 25% line drive rate off right-handed pitching and has been a consistent value bat in the DFS world. Rick Porcello is sure earning his 82.5 million dollar extension with a 5.61 ERA this season. He is allowing a .342 wOBA to lefties with a 4.56 FIP.