I circled Clayton Kershaw on my calendar about a week ago when I realized he was going to get the Angels tonight. The Angels are one of the worst offenses in the league no matter how you split the season. They are going to be tasked with facing Kershaw tonight and I shouldn’t even have to write about how good Kershaw has been. But I will! Let’s see, he’s pitched at least 7 IP in every game this season and has recorded double-digits strikeouts in five straight. That five game stretch has seen Kershaw strikeout 57 batters while walking two. That’s not a typo. Now he faces an already struggling Angels team that has to lose their DH when they travel up the freeway to Dodger Stadium tonight.
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It’s feast or famine for the Colorado Rockies against LHP this season. They own the highest wOBA in the league versus southpaws, but as also striking out at a ridiculous 25.8%. They will travel to St. Louis to battle Jaime Garcia tonight who is one of my favorite GPPs tonight. Garcia has a glowing 2.85 xFIP, which is better than everyone on this slate not named Price, Syndergaard and Kershaw. His 9.53 K/9 offers plenty of upside and his ability to keep the ball in the park has been admirable. He owns a 60% GB% rate which is fourth-best on this slate. He’s fired two consecutive seven-inning outings without allowing an earned run and only one walk in his last 14 IP. If you follow along, you know I am usually high on the Rockies away from Coors but this feels like a great chance to target the upside of their strikeout potential.
The struggles are real for Dallas Keuchel right now. A shocking 3.75 xFIP is a full point higher than last season’s total. He has nearly doubled his walks per nine from last season (up to 3.96) and he’s allowed a shocking 26 runs in his last 29.1 IP. Whatever is going on with Keuchel is going to put him in trouble tonight against the Chicago White Sox. The Sox have been sneaky good this season, scoring the 10th most runs this year and owning the 4th best wOBA in the last seven days. They are also a top 10 offense versus LHP and should be able to keep it rolling tonight against Keuchel.
That’s all folks! Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more player analysis and news as starting lineups are released! Commentary based on DraftKings strategy and scoring.