This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
There are nine games across baseball on Friday, but with a few early start times, only six games will make up the main evening slate on DraftKings. That leaves us with fewer options to choose from than normal. With that in mind, here are some players to consider for your entries.
Pitchers
The additions of Yu Darvish and Blake Snell might have grabbed all the headlines, but the Padres further bolstered their starting rotation with the addition of Joe Musgrove ($8,500). He produced his best season with the Pirates in 2020, finishing with a 3.86 ERA and a 3.42 FIP, which marked his third straight season with a FIP lower than 3.85. Now on a team that should provide him with more run support and a better bullpen behind him, Musgrove could be in line for a breakout campaign. After shutting out the Diamondbacks across six innings in his first start, he'll face another favorable foe in the rebuilding Rangers.
After missing all of 2019 because of Tommy John surgery, Lance McCullers ($9,100) returned to the Astros in 2020 to produce a 3.93 ERA and 3.70 FIP. His strength is keeping hitters inside the ball park, allowing only 0.7 HR/9 for his career. A year further removed from injury, he shined in his season opener, allowing one run and recording seven strikeouts over five innings against the A's. The A's lineup has looked awful regardless of who they have faced in the early going, so McCullers could also thrive in their rematch.
The Indians have done a masterful job of developing young starting pitchers in recent years. One of their more promising options is Zach Plesac ($9,600), who finished with a 0.80 WHIP last season. While he was aided by an abnormally low .224 BABIP allowed, he also showed impeccable control with his 2.9 percent walk rate. His strikeout rate also spiked to 27.7 percent, which was up more than nine percentage points from his mark in 2019. After allowing two runs to the Tigers across six innings in his first start, he makes for an appealing option in their rematch.
Top Targets
The Astros will be facing left-handed pitcher Sean Manaea ($7,700), which should immediately have you considering adding Alex Bregman ($5,000) to your lineup. He has a 174 wRC+ against lefties for his career, compared to a 135 wRC+ versus righties. Also, when these two teams met over the weekend, the Astros touched up Manaea for five runs across 4.2 innings.
Julio Teheran ($5,800) was lucky to get out of his last start against the Indians having only allowed one run. Across five innings, he allowed four hits and three walks while recording just three strikeouts. With his career .221 ISO and .361 wOBA against right-handed pitching, Jose Ramirez ($5,700) could be one of the hitters who makes things tougher for Teheran this time around.
With how hot Nick Castellanos ($5,300) has been, it's difficult to resist not riding his hot hand. He's torched the opposition, hitting 10-for-23 with four home runs, two doubles and a triple. He'll try to keep things rolling against Taylor Widener ($6,500), who has only pitched 26 innings in the majors after posting a 5.90 FIP over 100 innings at Triple-A in 2019.
Bargain Bats
Lourdes Gurriel ($3,400) is off to a quiet start, hitting 5-for-25 with no extra base hits. That's helped bring down his salary to the point that he's still someone to consider, despite his struggles. Facing Andrew Heaney ($7,300) could be just what he needs to get back on track given that Gurriel has a career .269 ISO and .376 wOBA versus left-handed pitchers.
The Diamondbacks' lineup isn't pretty right now with Ketel Marte (hamstring) and Kole Calhoun (knee) out. One of the more productive hitters that they have left is David Peralta ($3,900), who is batting .290 with a .349 wOBA for his career. He's been even better against right-handed hitters, hitting .305 with a .367 wOBA against them. At his salary, he's worth considering for his matchup with Tyler Mahle ($7,500).
Stacks to Consider
Angels vs. T.J. Zeuch ($4,900), Blue Jays: Mike Trout ($5,900), Shohei Ohtani ($4,600), Jared Walsh ($4,200)
The Blue Jays didn't enter the spring with a ton of depth in their starting rotation, and now injuries have made things look even more bleak. Zeuch was forced to start in their series with the Yankees, and he's expected to get another start here versus the Angels. Despite holding the Yankees scoreless across four innings, he only had one strikeout, continuing a trend that he had throughout the minors of not missing many bats. He might not be as fortunate to leave this matchup unscathed.
Padres vs. Kohei Arihara ($5,400), Rangers: Manny Machado ($5,800), Eric Hosmer ($5,500), Jake Cronenworth ($4,300)
During his tenure in Japan, Arihara was not an overwhelming force on the mound. From 2017 through 2019, he had only 336 strikeouts across 444 innings. He showed similar results in his first start with the Rangers, recording one strikeout and allowing three runs over five innings against the Royals. Don't be surprised if he has more difficulties navigating a tough Padres' lineup. Cronenworth, who looked like he would have to enter the season in a battle for playing time, is now set to play on a daily basis with Fernando Tatis (shoulder) out. Add in his .356 wOBA from last season, and he's an appealing option at a reasonable salary.
