MLB Pitching Primer: Thursday, August 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.
Thursday, August 23rd
Main Slate
Arms To Trust
Cole Hamels vs Cincinnati Reds
As is often the case on Thursdays, we have a smaller four-game slate without any top aces going. Our best option looks to be Cole Hamels facing the Reds in Wrigley Field. Hamels has been lights-out since moving to the National League with the Cubs, putting up a 0.72 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts in 25 innings over four starts. The Reds ranks as a difficult matchup for left-handers on the season, rankings 5th in wOBA and 23rd in K%, but they are missing Joey Votto right now, and Hamels and the Cubs are strong -215 favorites with the Reds carrying a sub-4.0 implied run total.
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