Lawrence Butler Underdog MLB Picks Today, 4/11: Baseball Projections + More
It’s Friday night and we’ve got a full 15-game slate, so it’s time to start building those Underdog bankrolls with some MLB Underdog picks for today.
This is one of my favorite slates. Why? Because there are no day games. MLB players are creatures of habit, and they’re used to playing at night. Granted, their schedules are adjusting from life in Spring Training but talk to any player in the modern era and they’ll tell you they prefer to play in the evening.
So, we’ve got night games, and we also have very few aces on the mound. Sure, we’ve got Jacob deGrom and Yoshinobu Yamamoto but based on some of the other pitching matchups, this should be a fun night for hitters. Let’s get to it.
Underdog Fantasy Picks For Friday, April 11: MLB DFS Projections
If you haven’t signed up to play contests on Underdog, do yourself a favor and take advantage of our exclusive sign-up deal by clicking here and using Underdog promo code ALARM.
You’ll get a 50% deposit match up to $1000 and a special pick to use! Now let’s get to the picks!
Lawrence Butler MLB Underdog Fantasy Pick: Higher Than 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI
Games played in West Sacramento have consistently gone over the game totals and with tonight’s action sitting at 9.5 runs, we know we want to invest in some offense. We can start by attacking Mets righthander Griffin Canning who has seemingly been fine with his 2.79 ERA over his first two starts, but he’s also allowed eight hits and five walks over just 9.2 innings. You’re just not going to get away with that many guys on-base in this park.
Butler was a hot commodity in the fantasy community during draft season and now he’s looking like a tasty treat in tis match-up. He’s already posting a .362 wOBA with more walks than strikeouts over 48 plate appearances against righties and he’s got one home run with five runs, three RBI and two stolen bases. With hits in five of his last six and three multi-hit performances in that span, this looks like a solid pick for tonight.
Jose Altuve MLB Underdog Fantasy Pick: Higher Than 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI
I was tempted to look at Yordan Alvarez here, but he let us down the last time and he’s still batting just .211 against righties. A stat to be corrected? Sure, but in the meantime, we’ll happily lean on a white-hot Altuve who not only has a .389 wOBA versus righties, but he’s also got three home runs, nine runs scored, six RBI and three steals against them.
He’s facing Angels young righthander Jack Kohanowicz who may look good on the surface with his 3.27 ERA over his first two starts, but he’s serving up the long ball way too much – three over his first 11 innings of work. He fought hard against a soft White Sox team in his first start, struggled more against Cleveland who didn’t have Jose Ramirez and now he’ll take on an Astros team that is starting to wake up? We’ll invest in the hitters today.
Jackson Chourio MLB Underdog Fantasy Pick: Higher Than 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI
Some people like to ride hitting streaks until they fizzle out and some avoid them due to expected regression. Which side am I on? Well, we wouldn’t be using Chourio if I wasn’t a part of the former. Sure, what goes up must come down, but Chourio is coming off 100-percent as advertised with a .340/.333/.717 slash line, four home runs, 11 runs scored and 16 RBI over this 12-game hit streak he’s riding. We’re hopping onboard.
Chourio may be facing a lefthanded strikeout specialist in Eduardo Rodriguez, but he’s also posting a .530 wOBA with a pair of home runs and eight RBI against southpaws this season. His strikeout rate is terribly close to 30-percent against them, but with ERod laboring through five innings each starts (average of 88 pitches per outing) and allowing baserunners like he does, it’s going to catch up to him. Chourio should take advantage.
Play Our MLB Picks For Today, April 11 With Underdog Promo Code ALARM To Earn Over $1,000 In Bonuses
Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to increase your earnings with our MLB DFS Underdog picks! Register now and use the promo code ALARM to receive a 50% deposit match, up to $1000, plus an amazing 99% Off Pick.
This outstanding deal provides you with additional funds to enhance your gameplay, greatly improving your odds of winning big. Don’t wait! Make your move today with Underdog Fantasy promo code ALARM and enjoy the benefits!
Player News
Cubs re-signed RHP Caleb Kilian to a minor league contract.
The 27-year-old hurler was released last weekend after being designated for assignment, but after exploring the open market he has decided that a reunion with the Cubs made the most sense. Kilian will continue to function as extra rotation depth at Triple-A Iowa for the time being.
Corey Seager went 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk to help the Rangers take down the Angels 5-3 on Thursday.
Seager had a bad first week and a half while dealing with a calf strain, but he’s collected 14 hits, including three homers, in his last eight games, putting him at .306/.368/.516 overall. Alas, it’s produced just six RBI, mostly because the Rangers are getting terrible production from the ninth and first spots in the order.
Kumar Rocker recorded his first MLB victory after pitching seven innings of three-run ball and striking out eight Thursday against the Angels.
Rocker walked none and surrendered just one double and four singles. Unfortunately, all five hits came in the first and fifth innings, resulting in three runs between them. Still, Rocker was terrific in needing just 78 pitches to get 21 outs. It’s the kind of performance that suggests he might offer mixed-league value at some point. We just wouldn’t trust him quite yet. His next start will come in Sacramento against the A’s.
Robert Garcia picked up his first save of the year with a perfect ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Garcia got the call tonight with Luke Jackson having pitched the previous two days and retired the Angels on five pitches. Even though he’s the better reliever of the two, he’ll likely resume taking a backseat to Jackson on Friday.
Jack Kochanowicz gave up four runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Rangers on Thursday.
The surprising and misguided decision to pick Kochanowicz over Reid Detmers for a rotation spot at the end of the spring isn’t working out for the Angels. The team might reverse course soon, but Detmers hasn’t been used as a long guy and isn’t stretched out to start right away. Kochanowicz is now 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA, but at least he gets the Pirates next.
Joc Pederson went 0-for-4 with a strikeout Thursday, dropping his average to .060.
It’s mostly been hard grounders and routine flies from Pederson thus far, but given that his bat speed is unchanged from last year, we don’t have big concerns here yet. That said, this might not be the weekend he turns it around, given that the Rangers are set to face the Dodgers.