MLB Pitching Primer: Sunday, April 22nd

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.

Sunday, April 22nd

Main Slate

We have a nice Sunday of baseball lined up with a nine-game Main Slate on FanDuel and eleven-game slates on DraftKings and FantasyDraft, adding the Cubs-Rockies game and the Mariners-Rangers. There are a couple of spots with weather concerns, with the most worrisome forecast in the Mets – Braves game in Atlanta.

Arms To Trust:

Corey Kluber vs Baltimore Orioles

You can make a strong argument for Kluber being the best pitcher in baseball right now, and although he’s the most expensive pitcher on the slate, he is likely to be worth the cost with a plus matchup against the Orioles today. Kluber has the highest K/9 on the slate and the strikeouts should definitely be there with the Orioles having the highest K% in the league at 27.1%. Kluber and the Indians are the largest favorites on the slate at -250, and the Orioles have the lowest projected run total on the slate at right around 3.0 runs. Kluber will cost you today, priced at $11,500 on FanDuel, $12,800 on DraftKings, and $25,100, but it will be difficult to get away from him in cash games, particularly on FanDuel where he is comparatively more affordable and you only have one pitcher spot.

Lance McCullers vs Chicago White Sox

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About the Author

squirrelpatrol
John Breslin (squirrelpatrol)

John Breslin (aka squirrelpatrol) is a consistent top-ranked Grinder and one of the best tournament players in the entire DFS industry. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and graduated with an MBA from prestigious New York University. John is a Live Final specialist who has won 100+ Live Final seats. He took home 1st place at the 2018 FanDuel World Fantasy Baseball Championship ($300,000 prize), both 1st ($500,000 prize) and 2nd place ($200,000 prize) at the 2021 FanDuel World Fantasy Basketball Championship, 2nd place at the 2022 FanDuel World Fantasy Baseball Championship ($250,000 prize), and 2nd place at the 2023 DraftKings Fantasy Baseball World Championship ($600,000 prize). And most recently, he took down the NFL Milly Maker ($1,000,000 prize) in Week 2 of the 2023 season. John has been playing fantasy sports since 1996 and is still scarred from being on the losing end of James Stewart’s 5-TD performance in 1997. Follow Squirrel on Twitter – @jbresl