MLB Cash Game Picks : 7-21-15

Pitcher

Tonight's slate is not going to be one to pay up for the top pitcher, which are Jacob deGrom and Gerrit Cole. Instead we are going to want to stay in the mid-level area, where there are plenty of solid pitchers. Chris Heston is the first pitcher to take a look at tonight. He has been up and down at times, but has been good against the teams we expect him to dominate against. His blowups have come at Coors, Cincinnati, and, yes, against the Padres earlier in the season. He has a solid ground-ball rate and keeps the ball in the yard. He is a slight favorite, but nobody has an extreme money line tonight. San Diego has been terrible on offense this season, and they could be without Justin Upton again tonight. They own an 88 wRC+ and a 22% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season. Heston will usually hover around five strikeouts per start, but does have upside, as we have seen him hit double-digit strikeouts twice this season.

Another average arm will have a great matchup tonight. Brett Anderson will face the Braves, who are without their best hitter, Freddie Freeman. Atlanta has a 76 wRC+ and a 22% strikeout rate against left-handed pitching. Anderson is another ground-ball machine, and I doubt anyone from Atlanta takes him deep tonight. He has allowed more than three runs just twice this season, and in those games he allowed just four earned runs. He has yet to have any real blowups, making him a stable cash game option. He is another slight favorite, according to Vegas, and I expect the Dodgers offense to pick up a win for Anderson. Like Heston, Anderson is not a strikeout pitcher, but he can have success in that department against poor teams.

Catcher

Matt Wieters is one of the top value options behind the dish tonight. He will get the short porch to his advantage in Yankee Stadium. He is in a great spot hitting fifth in this Orioles lineup. Nathan Eovaldi has allowed a .385 wOBA to lefties this season with a 25% line drive rate. Wieters has been hitting well since returning to the Orioles, especially against right-handed pitching (.345 wOBA, .203 ISO, 120 wRC+).

First Base

It is really hard to ignore Prince Fielder tonight in Coors and against Kyle Kendrick. I have no problem paying up for Fielder tonight, especially going with value pitching. Kendrick is one of the worst pitchers in the game, if not the worst. He is allowing a .398 wOBA to lefties this season with a 35% hard hit ball rate. Texas will trot out a few lefties that can really burn Kendrick tonight. Fielder has turned back the clock this season with a .418 wOBA off right-handed pitching.

Second Base

Another Rangers' lefty, and this one comes at a big discount on DraftKings. Rougned Odor has been valuable in daily fantasy since he came back from his minor league stint, hitting .356. He has a .352 wOBA off right-handed pitching and will get the juicy matchup against Kendrick. Expect a ton of runs again tonight, but I am mainly looking at the Rangers side for big offense. On FanDuel, Robinson Cano is heating up and gets a struggling Shane Greene. He is just $3,200, so a solid value play there.

Third Base

Speaking of Shane Greene, Seattle is in a very good spot tonight for offense. Greene has allowed a .420 wOBA to lefties this season, with a 27% line drive rate. Not good numbers facing a lineup who are predominately left-handed. Kyle Seager has been hitting the ball well of late, hitting over .400 in the last 10 games. He has a 35% hardball rate off right-handed pitching, and he's moved up to second in the order. He is a really nice alternative from the pricey Nolan Arenado.

Shortstop

Somehow Troy Tulowitzki has found himself under $5,000, so it must be the head cold he had last night. He has homered in three of the last four games, and gets a weak lefty tonight. Matt Harrison has allowed a .347 wOBA to right-handed bats in his career. Tulo is one of the best lefty mashers in the game, and that has not changed this season. He has a .432 wOBA with a whopping 46% hard hit ball rate. Get this man in your lineups.

Outfield

A lot of the Rockies and Rangers outfielders are overpriced for their matchup, however if Shin-Soo Choo finds himself in the lineup, he is solid value. The lefty-lefty matchup is just too risky for cash games with the prices of Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez. If you want value there, Drew Stubbs is a lefty masher, and relatively cheap.

Michael Brantley has started to get things going, hitting .332 with two homers in the last 10 days. Matt Garza has been awful this season, allowing a .367 wOBA to lefties with a 1.57 HR/9. Per StatCorner, Miller Park has had a 131 park factor for left-handed homers in the last three seasons. This bodes well for Brantley, who has struggled with power this season. Brantley doesn't strikeout, just a 7.2% rate on the season, and has a lot in his favor.

If I am going with a top outfielder, I am leaning on Andrew McCutchen tonight. He gets a weak left-handed pitcher, and him and his partner in crime, Starling Marte, are lefty mashers. Cutch has a .379 wOBA off lefties this season with a 28% line drive rate. Cutch has jumped to one of the elite plays in fantasy baseball, and has a safe floor, with a high ceiling. Mentioning Marte, I love his price and matchup too. Jason Vargas has allowed a career .323 wOBA to right-handed bats, with a 4.49 FIP.

A pivot away from the popular options, David Peralta has been hitting the ball very well. He has eight extra base hits and three homers this month. Peralta has turned into a quality left-handed bat out in Arizona, with a .376 wOBA off right-handed pitching. On DraftKings, he is at an excellent price, hitting cleanup against Mat Latos tonight. Latos has allowed a .336 wOBA to lefties with a huge 29% line drive rate. Chase Field also has had a 115 park factor for left-handed homers in the last three seasons. On FanDuel, he is pricey, but Josh Hamilton will face Kendrick at just $2,900.