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Also, check out Underdog Fantasy’s daily pick ’em contests. You must pick higher or lower on two or more projected stat categories to win. You can win up to 20 times your entry. I have three higher or lower plays for your June 3 entry today. Let’s get right into it!
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Underdog Fantasy MLB Daily Pick ‘Em Plays – June 3
Kyle Tucker Higher than 8.5 Fantasy Points
We have talked a bit about the Astros’ struggles so far this season, but the same cannot be said for the 27-year-old right fielder Kyle Tucker. His 19 home runs are good enough for second in baseball only to Aaron Judge. On Monday, Tucker and the Stros take on the St. Louis Cardinals, who will send the veteran Kyle Gibson to the mound.
Gibson has faced the Astros a decent amount in his career from his time in Minnesota, Texas, and Baltimore. Tucker is 5-17 with a homer and 2 RBIs against Gibson in his career. Those numbers don’t exactly leap off the page, but if you start looking at some of the advanced metrics, this play is a home run.
In those 17 at bats, Tucker has an xBA of .395, an xSLUG of .696, and an xwOBA of .471. If you are unfamiliar with Statcast’s advanced metrics it is broken down well here. In short, Tucker has hit the ball well against Gibson in his career, and I expect this to continue today!
Justin Verlander Higher than 6.0 Strikeouts
We’re going to stay on the Astros for this next selection, riding with the veteran Justin Verlander. Verlander missed the start of the season with shoulder issues, and his been decent in his return to action. I mean, after all, the guy is 41 years old. I like his matchup in this one against St. Louis for a few reasons.
First, Verlander has hit this number of Ks in three of his last four outings, including two consecutive 9 strikeout performances. Second, JV has dominated two pillars of this Cardinals’ lineup in Arenado and Goldschmidt. Lastly, although the Cardinals are in the middle of the pack, as far as team strikeouts, they have a multitude of hitters prone to the K.
Elly De La Cruz Higher than 1.5 Total Bases
Lastly, I have my eye on this Rockies-Reds matchup at Coors Field. Yes, I know these are two last-place teams, but we will focus on the Reds’ young star, Elly De La Cruz. De La Cruz has proven to be a streaky hitter during his short MLB tenure. He is a bit cold right now (3 hits in his last five games), but facing the Rockies’ Ryan Feltner is giving me optimism.
Feltner is 1-4 with a 5.46 ERA in his 11 starts this season and gave up 5 earned runs in his last outing. I’m expecting a lot of runs in the mile-high altitude here!
If you want to tail this pick’em roster but aren’t using Underdog Fantasy for daily pick’em already, sign up today and use promo code ‘SGPN,’ and they’ll match your very first deposit. You can also get even more help on your MLB plays for June 3 by listening to the MLB Gambling Podcast.