MLB Cash Game Picks: 9-4-15

Pitcher

Jacob deGrom is your top option tonight, and nobody is even close. He gets the Marlins tonight, who have a 74 wRC+ in the last two weeks, which is really no surprise given the state of their lineup. Miami also ranks dead last in offense against right-handed pitching, and deGrom has already handled them once this season. Pricing is not a concern for me tonight when pairing him up with one of the names below. He is a heavy favorite and has the best stats among tonight's starters. The only knock is he is on the road, where his ERA is almost two runs higher, but I trust him.

This is more of a FanDuel cash game play if you want to load up on bats. Luis Severino has been solid since being called up. He has a 2.17 ERA in five starts, and he's yet to have a blowup. Severino has a 9.4% swinging strike rate and has gone six innings in the last four starts. The Rays rank 27th in offense against right-handed pitching (.300 wOBA, 93 wRC+, 21.5% strikeout rate). He allows a little more leeway when constructing your lineups, and has hit double-digit FanDuel points in four of five starts. On DraftKings, I am aiming to go cheap for SP2, looking at Joe Kelly and Kris Medlen. Both of them are super cheap, have great matchups, and have been pitching well. They allow roster flexibility as well.

Catcher

The Indians have a big run total tonight, due to the Tigers trotting out one of their few weak left-handers. Kyle Lobstein was allowing a .350 wOBA to right-handed bats, before hitting the 60-day DL, and has allowed a career .328 wOBA. Yan Gomes has not been the offensive stud he was last year, but tonight he has a great matchup and provides some salary relief. His track record of hitting lefties has stopped dead in its tracks this year, but he does have a 37% line drive rate off southpaws. If you are not paying up for Buster Posey, Gomes is a cheaper alternative.

First Base

There are a few players right now that I would pay as much as the sites wanted, and Joey Votto is one of them. He has a .399/.576/.748 slashing line in the second half. He has a .438 wOBA off right-handed pitching this season, which should be no shocker to anyone. He will likely drive those numbers up even higher with his matchup against Matt Garza. The Brewers' right-hander has allowed a .376 wOBA to lefties this season and has an ERA over six on the road. The price is steep, but he has been paying owners off this season.

Second Base

2014's favorite value play is back! Scooter Gennett is back in the leadoff spot, hitting .299 in the second half, and .400 to start September. Gennett is starting to drive that wOBA up to where he was before, and being back in the leadoff role increases his value. Keyvius Sampson has allowed a .372 wOBA to left-handed bats this season, although in a small sample size. The batted ball stats are telling, allowing a 30% line drive rate, with a 34.2% hard hit ball rate. Gennett also gets a boost in Great American Ballpark, and is the top salary relief play tonight.

Third Base

The Giants were a disappointment last night, but it will not stop me from grabbing a few bats from the lineup tonight, including Matt Duffy again. His price on FanDuel missed the Coors bump, and has dropped on DraftKings since last night. Jorge De La Rosa has allowed a .360 wOBA to right-handed bats when at home. De La Rosa has been decent on the road, but as always, Coors is another animal. The Giants have another juicy run total, and you have to like Duffy hitting third with all these factors.

Shortstop

I am pretty high on the Red Sox tonight, given Adam Morgan has served up 13 homers in 12 starts this season. He has also allowed a .360 wOBA to right-handed bats. Xander Bogaerts has established himself as a top play against southpaws, even with the lack of power. He has a .400 wOBA off lefties in 2015, and is coming off an excellent August, hitting .324. Bogaerts is in a great spot again, and his price should be cheap enough to allow you to fill in your lineups with other talented players.

Outfield

Like I was saying with Votto, there are a few players that I would pay whatever they asked me to, and Carlos Gonzalez is another. Four homers and 11 RBI in the last two games, and now he faces Chris Heston, who has allowed a .347 wOBA to lefties. Cargo is the top play on DraftKings for sure with a price of $4,700, and he deserves to be the highest priced outfielder on FanDuel. I will be getting Cargo into all my lineups tonight.

Rusney Castillo is another right-handed bat from Boston that I like. The price makes him a much more attractive play than the other outfielder, Mookie Betts. Castillo has hit lefties well in the minors, and has transferred that to the majors. He has a .398 wOBA off lefties in a small 2015 sample size, but he's really showing strides in offense, hitting .338 in August. The matchup with Morgan should create some fireworks.

I really like Marlon Byrd's price on DraftKings tonight, as a few Giants' bats have slipped in price. Byrd is on par with the numbers above in 2015, with a .364 wOBA off lefties. Byrd is one of my favorites tonight when it comes to getting exposure to Coors. The price is not all that bad given his upside. With De La Rosa's struggles in Coors, and against right-handed bats, game two of the series should go as expected for the Giants' offense.