Tonight’s touted pitchers are headlined by an ace. However, it’s the pair of cheaper hurlers behind him who are my preferred pairing tonight in order to spend up on bats. A couple of teammates pairings are included in the hitting suggestions, and collectively they’re an expensive bunch. They’re joined by a one-off bargain option who’s back to lifting the ball of late.
Check out today’s MLB Pickoff contest at DraftKings 
Pitchers
Charlie Morton (TB): $11,100 vs. Red Sox
There are a half-dozen pitchers with a salary north of $10,000 tonight, and there are four more priced north of $9,000. Morton’s my preferred ace of the bunch, and he might fly a tick below the radar due to his 4.52 ERA in the second half. Morton’s 3.74 SIERA in the second half, per FanGraphs, is better but still not “ace” quality. Morton’s strikeout ability, home splits, and matchup with a Red Sox lineup that could be without J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts yet again are the primary motivating factors for me touting him over other excellent pitchers. The 35-year-old righty’s strikeout ability actually ties in nicely with his home splits, because it gets a sizable lift at The Trop. In 92.0 innings pitched at home this year, Morton has totaled a 2.74 ERA (2.30 FIP and 3.01 xFIP), 0.98 WHIP, and a downright silly 34.3% K%. He and the Rays are -178 favorites tonight in a game with a non-threatening over/under total of 8.5 runs, according to Pinnacle. The sky’s the limit for Morton tonight, namely if Martinez and Betts are sidelined still. If either or both are back in the lineup, I still like Morton. Additionally, it’s likely you’ll get a better ownership rate if that’s the case.
