Underdog Fantasy MLB Picks - Best Picks & Plays for October 3: Brandon Woodruff Mows Down Arizona
We are down to the final days of the Major League Baseball season and MLB Underdog Fantasy picks at this point of the season can be a bit tricky. If you are still playing MLB DFS and making daily fantasy baseball lineups, you likely know exactly what I’m talking about! We’ll look at two right-handers tonight that find themselves in great matchups against strikeout-prone teams. Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff and Atlanta’s Bryce Elder are guys I’m actively targeting tonight and stand out as two of my favorite MLB player picks and best bets of the day. Be sure to check out today's MLB daily projections, MLB weather report, and MLB lineups page before the games get underway. Here are my plays of the day over on Underdog Fantasy for Monday, October 3.
MLB Underdog Top Picks & Plays October 3
Brandon Woodruff – OVER 8.5 Strikeouts
Yes, Woodruff only had four strikeouts against the Diamondbacks earlier this year, and it just so happens I was touting the under for Woodruff that day. However, this Arizona team has performed vastly different compared to the time around this previous matchup. In August, Arizona had a 16.5% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching. In the two weeks leading up to today’s contest, the D-backs have the ninth-highest strikeout rate in baseball against righties at 25.5%. Woodruff has four straight starts with double-digit strikeouts and at home this year, he has a sparkling 1.98 ERA and 12.39 K/9.
Bryce Elder – OVER 5 Strikeouts
Elder has been opting to use his sinker more of late, trading usage on his slider to make room for his heater, and it’s hard to ignore the results, given that he has a 0.65 ERA and six or more strikeouts over his last four starts. The increased usage of his sinker has not only made that pitch more effective, but has allowed his slider to flourish, and generated the whiffs that it needs. Elder has 20 strikeouts across 17.2 innings of work against Miami this season, and the Marlins have the seventh- and fourth-highest strikeout rate against righties over the last two weeks, and seven days respectively. I am also fine with taking the over on his pitching outs, too.
Other Leans:
- Lance McCullers Jr. OVER 15.5 Pitching Outs