MLB Pitching Primer: Saturday, June 23rd

Everything in the sport of baseball comes down to the hitter-versus-pitcher matchup – which makes pitching the most important element of MLB DFS play. Without an understanding of the best pitching plays on the day, your DFS efforts will be sunk! Each day, the Pitching Primer will provide you with some of the top pitching plays on the day – taking a close look at the “why” behind these picks, and helping you to identify pitchers others might overlook.

Saturday, June 23rd

Hello Grinders. We have a massive early slate with just a small four-game “main” slate so I will be focusing on the early slate. Full disclosure, I will likely not play the “main” slate or if I do it will be extremely light volume, but Jacob deGrom is the clear top arm and I would be playing him as my SP1 in all formats. Clayton Kershaw is making a surprise start opposite of deGrom but he didn’t make any rehab starts, only threw a three-inning simulated outing and per David Vassegh here will be on a pitch count. As of early Saturday morning I have not found what that pitch count would be but the tweet mentions Caleb Ferguson will be ready behind him so I imagine they will be very careful with Kershaw. I can’t endorse Kershaw in cash games given a pitch count. I suppose you could make a case for GPPs but I would need confirmation of a pitch count in the 80s at the minimum before I entertain that idea. The pivot off deGrom would be Lance McCullers, who has an easier matchup in terms of run prevention but tougher matchup in terms of strikeout upside. Anyway, let’s dive in.

Arms To Trust

Aaron Nola vs. Washington Nationals

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About the Author

fathalpert
Allan Lem (fathalpert)

Allan Lem (aka fathalpert) began playing fantasy sports in high school and transitioned to DFS in 2015. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Economics and lives in California with his wife and two kids. Allan got his break in the industry covering Preseason NBA content. He is currently the Social Media Manager for RotoGrinders, ScoresAndOdds, and FantasyLabs. Follow Allan on Twitter – @AllanLemDFS