Fantasy daily notes for June 2 – ESPN

Starting pitcher projected Game Scores for June 2
					2015 Statistics			Past 21 Days
GS	Team	Name	T	Opp	W-L	ERA	WHIP	W-L	ERA	WHIP
76		Max Scherzer	R	Tor	6-3	1.51	0.88	4-0	0.62	0.79
67		Johnny Cueto	R	@Phi	3-4	3.03	0.96	0-1	3.21	1.29
65		Carlos Carrasco	R	@KC	6-4	4.24	1.19	2-2	3.77	1.08
63		Zack Greinke	R	@Col	5-1	1.48	0.87	0-1	1.35	0.90
58		Chris Archer	R	@LAA	5-4	2.12	0.99	2-0	1.37	0.95
55		Noah Syndergaard	R	@SD	2-2	2.55	1.09	2-2	2.55	1.09
55		Lance Lynn	R	Mil	3-4	3.41	1.35	2-1	2.84	1.46
54		Jeff Samardzija	R	@Tex	4-2	3.84	1.25	2-0	3.10	1.14
54		Mike Wright	R	@Hou	2-0	1.40	0.83	2-0	1.40	0.83
53		Collin McHugh	R	Bal	5-2	4.24	1.24	1-2	5.84	1.46
53		C.J. Wilson	L	TB	3-3	3.18	1.18	2-1	3.96	1.40
53		A.J. Burnett	R	@SF	5-1	1.81	1.16	4-0	2.03	1.13
53		Kyle Hendricks	R	@Mia	1-1	3.76	1.14	1-0	2.00	1.00
52		Marco Estrada	R	@Wsh	1-3	3.89	1.22	0-2	4.50	1.29
52		Chris Heston	R	Pit	5-3	3.82	1.27	3-0	4.50	1.08
51		CC Sabathia	L	@Sea	2-7	5.67	1.43	2-2	6.04	1.39
50		Ian Kennedy	R	NYM	2-5	7.15	1.49	0-4	9.31	1.71
50		Shelby Miller	R	@Ari	5-2	1.48	0.88	1-1	1.24	0.76
49		Clay Buchholz	R	Min	2-6	4.33	1.29	1-2	2.48	0.97
49		Brad Hand	L	ChC	0-1	4.50	1.25	0-0	5.25	1.17
48		Alfredo Simon	R	Oak	5-2	2.67	1.20	1-1	1.31	1.11
48		Josh Collmenter	R	Atl	3-5	5.05	1.39	0-2	8.83	1.85
45		Sean O’Sullivan	R	Cin	1-4	4.81	1.31	1-3	4.76	1.37
44		Mike Pelfrey	R	@Bos	4-1	2.77	1.25	1-1	3.06	1.30
44		Kendall Graveman	R	@Det	2-2	5.79	1.68	1-0	2.31	1.20
43		Colby Lewis	R	CWS	4-3	4.70	1.28	2-1	8.44	1.64
42		Jorge De La Rosa	L	LAD	1-2	6.51	1.63	1-0	4.60	1.34
42		Jeremy Guthrie	R	Cle	4-3	6.70	1.66	2-1	9.75	2.08
GS: The pitcher’s projected “Game Score,” from Bill James’ original formula, which accounts for past history (three years’ worth as well as past 21 days), opponent and ballpark. A Game Score of 50 typically is typically regarded a quality start; anything over 70 is exceptional, anything under 30 poor. A “*” means that the author has adjusted the projections. T: Pitcher throws left-handed or right-handed. Opp: The pitcher’s opponent for the day. W-L: Pitcher’s win-loss record. ERA: Pitcher’s earned run average. WHIP: Pitcher’s average number of walks plus hits surrendered per inning.

Elite

Max Scherzer is the clear-cut top dog on the Tuesday docket as he and the Washington Nationals entertain the Toronto Blue Jays in an interleague tussle. This could be a double-digit strikeout affair for the dominant righty as the visitors fan at a 23 percent clip against right-handers when on the road, and that’s without the pitcher donning a batting helmet.

Scherzer would have received the nod over Johnny Cueto regardless, but Cueto’s recent bout with a sore elbow put a bow on the choice. On paper, Cueto’s matchup is favorable as he and the Cincinnati Reds open a series in Citizens Bank Park against the Philadelphia Phillies. However, there’s a couple of reasons to temper expectations, at least in terms of DFS play. While the Phillies offense isn’t particularly potent, their strikeout rate is average against right-handers. Furthermore, while Cueto’s strikeout rate is above average, he’s not as dominant as other aces, instead relying on a high volume of innings to bully up his strikeout total. Circling back to his recent elbow soreness, Cueto may not pitch as deep into the game as normal which lessens points from both strikeouts and innings.

Solid

Every time Carlos Carrasco takes the ball he has elite upside, but he’s not yet established enough to take up permanent residence in the tier. Strikeouts are Carrasco’s main weapon and he’s facing the Kansan City Royals, the hardest team to whiff in the league. Carrasco’s DFS price factors in his strikeout numbers so for this encounter, he has a negative expected return on investment. That is, his price assumes a baseline number of strikeouts and he’s likely to fall short of that number.

If you want an early gauge on how well Chris Archer will pitch in a given outing, watch his control. In three of his 11 starts, Archer issued four bases on balls. In the others, he walked two or fewer. It’s going to take a pretty severe bout of wildness to walk Tuesday’s opponent, the Los Angeles Angels, one of the least patient clubs in the league. In addition, somewhat surprisingly, the Halos offense at home is below the league average offense when at home. Archer profiles well for both cash and tournament play, especially on multiple-pitcher sites.

Perhaps the most impressive element of Noah Syndergaard’s first four starts is after walking four hitters in his debut, he’s only issued one free pass since, none over his last two. Look for the rookie to continue his stellar career start with a date against the San Diego Padres in Petco Park. The Friars fan at an above average clip versus right-handers while sporting a below average weighted on base average (wOBA).

The solid tier is loaded on this day with Lance Lynn, A.J. Burnett, Chris Heston and Shelby Miller all intriguing plays for DFS. Remember, anyone with a Game Score 50 or above is a solid option in seasonal formats. Of the above group, Lynn is the best tournament option with the greatest strikeout upside as he faces the Milwaukee Brewers in Busch Stadium.

Streamers

Once more of the unnamed probable pitchers are announced there could be more viable streaming options but as it stands now, the choices are slim, especially for it being early in the seasonal head-to-head week where it’s still unnecessary to take chances. Recommending Alfredo Simon at home against the Oakland Athletics is too easy so let’s go against the grain and call out Mike Pelfrey on the road against the offensively-challenged Boston Red Sox. Fenway Park is great for runs but it curtails power from both sides of the plate. If Pelfrey keeps the ball in the yard he’s usually effective, at least in terms of run prevention.