A small main slate naturally brings with it limited pitching options in daily fantasy baseball on Thursday. With only eight games, half of which are in the afternoon, you can expect to see all sorts of different picks.
The early slate is highlighted by the return of Corey Kluber, who hasn't pitched since May 2 because of a back injury. Kluber hadn't been particularly sharp in his six starts this year (5.06 ERA), but his K-rate (9.9) and xFIP (3.68) suggest he's not that far off from usual excellence. Even though there are other solid pitchers throwing in the afternoon (Chase Anderson, Adam Wainwright, Zack Wheeler, Brandon McCarthy), Kluber offers the most all-around upside even if he is on a slightly lowered pitch count.
The evening slate has a few more high-upside options, with Zack Greinke, Eduardo Rodriguez, Marco Estrada, and possibly even Wade Miley, though his Ks have been steadily regressing over his past three starts. The problem with the latter three is they all face difficult matchups in poor pitchers parks, which is why Greinke is the gold standard in cash games. You can try your luck with any of the other three in GPPs, with Kyle Freeland also in play as a slightly lower-upside sleeper. Getting a good pitcher matchup (vs. Yovani Gallardo) in a non-Coors Field setting gives him a better chance at a "W".
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Daily Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Pitchers
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Greinke, RHP | ARI | at MIA |
| 2 | Corey Kluber, RHP | CLE | vs. OAK |
| 3 | Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP | BOS | at BAL |
| 4 | Brandon McCarthy, RHP | LAD | at STL |
| 5 | Marco Estrada, RHP | TOR | vs. NYY |
| 6 | Chase Anderson, RHP | MIL | at NYM |
| 7 | Zack Wheeler, RHP | NYM | vs. MIL |
| 8 | Adam Wainwright, RHP | STL | vs. LAD |
| 9 | Wade Miley, LHP | BAL | vs. BOS |
| 10 | Kyle Freeland, LHP | COL | at SEA |
| 11 | Jharel Cotton, RHP | OAK | at CLE |
| 12 | Jeff Locke, LHP | MIA | vs. ARI |
| 13 | Yovani Gallardo, RHP | SEA | vs. COL |
| 14 | CC Sabathia, LHP | NYY | at TOR |
| 15 | Alex Meyer, RHP | LAA | vs. MIN |
| 16 | Adalberto Mejia, RHP | MIN | at LAA |
Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks: Thursday, June 1
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You’ll need to turnthe page on the calendar today to June (just like I’d like to turn the page on Jacob deGrom last night). We are a full two months into the MLB season thus far, and it’s been quite a ride. We’ll celebrate the arrival of the beginning of the dog days of summer with a split eight-game slate -- four early and four in the main slate. So, for this Playbook, you guessed it, we’ll split it right down the middle. We’ll provide you with options at each position for both slates. Note: FanDuel early does not include Rockies-Mariners. -- Nick Berns
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