Fantasy daily notes for June 8 – ESPN

Starting pitcher projected Game Scores for June 8
					2015 Statistics			Past 21 Days
GS	Team	Name	T	Opp	W-L	ERA	WHIP	W-L	ERA	WHIP
83		Chris Sale	L	Hou	5-2	3.27	1.05	2-1	1.17	0.68
66		Cole Hamels	L	@Cin	5-4	2.88	1.11	2-1	1.78	0.92
57		Shelby Miller	R	SD	5-2	1.89	1.00	1-1	2.39	1.10
56		A.J. Burnett	R	Mil	6-1	2.20	1.22	4-0	3.28	1.34
52		Lance McCullers	R	@CWS	2-0	1.88	1.00	2-0	1.88	1.00
52		Jimmy Nelson	R	@Pit	2-6	4.41	1.22	1-2	4.74	1.34
50		Mike Bolsinger	R	Ari	3-1	1.98	1.07	2-1	2.16	1.00
50		Marco Estrada	R	Mia	2-3	3.77	1.24	1-1	4.05	1.25
49		John Lackey	R	@Col	4-3	2.93	1.19	2-1	2.42	1.08
48		Mike Leake	R	Phi	2-4	4.40	1.23	0-2	6.88	1.65
48		Ian Kennedy	R	@Atl	3-5	6.60	1.47	1-3	7.40	1.45
46		Phil Hughes	R	KC	4-5	4.96	1.35	1-1	5.50	1.50
44		Rubby De La Rosa	R	@LAD	4-2	5.09	1.22	0-0	6.12	1.24
43		Jason Vargas	L	@Min	4-2	4.79	1.43	1-1	3.60	1.30
43		David Hale	R	StL	1-0	4.26	1.18	1-0	4.26	1.18
42		Brad Hand	L	@Tor	1-1	4.24	1.26	1-0	2.20	0.92
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 pitcher lacks requisite career major league data to produce an accurate projected Game Score; these are the author’s 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

It may be an abbreviated slate but there are still some intriguing options with Chris Sale as the king of the hill. The southpaw has rung up double-digit strikeout totals in four of his past five outings, fanning a robust 53 in 38 2/3 innings over that span. Expect another huge strikeout game for Sale as the Houston Astros whiff at a generous 24 percent rate against left-handers.

Cole Hamels has done nothing to hinder his trade value, tossing at least seven innings in eight of his 12 starts including the past six. His 9.3 K/9 trails only his rookie season’s 9.9 mark in terms of strikeout rate though his seasonal BB/9 is a bit high at 3.1. However, it’s been better as of late as evidenced by Hamels issuing only nine over the aforementioned six-game stretch, covering 44 1/3 frames. Keeping the streak alive will be a challenge as Hamels will visit the Great American Ball Park, where the Cincinnati Reds await. The hosts handle left-handers pretty well, sporting a .330 weighted on base average (wOBA) against southpaws.

Solid

It appears A.J. Burnett made the right decision by returning to the Steel City for his swan song season. Though it should be noted he has benefited from a 6.4 home run per fly ball mark that’s likely to regress toward the league norm of 11 percent as the season progresses. The visiting Milwaukee Brewers are next up for the veteran as he’ll take the hill in PNC Park. The Brew Crew whiffs at a clip a bit above league average, which makes Burnett a more attractive DFS option than Hamels, with working at home in a much pitcher-friendlier venue than Hamels also a factor.

After a string of solid efforts, Shelby Miller reminded us why pitchers who rely more on control than dominance are susceptible to the occasional blowup. Look for the right-hander to get back on track as the Atlanta Braves entertain the San Diego Padres. The guests fan at an above-average rate while toting a below-average wOBA versus righties into Turner Field.

Streamers

The matchup isn’t ideal, despite being a home game, but if you want someone to pair with Sale on two-pitcher DFS sites, consider Mike Bolsinger. Working at home is sufficient to put Bolsinger in play for seasonal formats. It gets a little hairier in DFS as the Arizona Diamondbacks bring with them a surprisingly potent offense. Still, on the shortened slate, Bolsinger is among the best of the rest, especially since it’s not worth taking risks early in the week in season head-to-head formats.

Leake is another candidate, though with Hamels as the opposition a win will be tough. He should be able to help ratios for those in seasonal leagues while contributing a handful of punchouts as the opposition Philadelphia Phillies are bottom of the barrel in terms of runs scored, which makes Hamels’ five victories that much more impressive.