This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
All 30 teams are included in Friday evening's main slate, which includes six five-figure pitchers. There's plenty to digest here.
Pitching Breakdown
It's an overwhelming slate to digest pitching wise, but Gerrit Cole ($11,900) sets up well for any type roster where he's affordable. He's been inconsistent over his last four, but the Blue Jays rank 29th with a .284 wOBA and are facing a big step up in class coming off a series against Baltimore. Cole has fanned 12 or more in two of his last three and is rightfully priced at a challenging number.
Max Scherzer ($11,500) follows, and offer some moderate savings. He's fanned nine or more in three of his last four, though the D'Backs whiff only 22.8 percent of the time against righties. Scherzer has allowed only two runs in his last 27 innings and has as much potential as Cole does, even against a slightly stiffer opponent.
The next three options appear to be your fades or your lower-owned GPP targets. Lucas Giolito ($11,100) couldn't be hotter, having not allowed a run in his last 15.0 innings while striking out at least nine in four straight. But the Yankees rank third with a .343 wOBA while striking out only 21.7 percent of the time against righties. Form versus form will force managers to pick a side. Arizona's Robbie Ray's ($10,100) appeal comes solely from his 11.91 K/9 upside. He's worked 6.2 and 7.0 innings in his last two starts, both season bests at the time, and is otherwise inefficient while seeking out strikeouts. Washington ranks fourth against lefties with a .356 wOBA, and only a 21.3 percent fan rate. I'm passing, and Ray should only garner low-exposure GPP interest. Rich Hill ($10,300) rounds out my list of unappealing options, The Cubs are a top-10 offense against southpaws, posting a .330 wOBA, though they do fan 25.1 percent of the time. Hill is just too inefficient and is unlikely to work deep into the game against a sound offense.
Blake Snell ($10,000 may be a forgotten option in this loaded pitching slate. He's been better of late, fanning seven or more while allowing two runs or less in three of four. The upside is limited by LAA's meager 16.2 percent fan rate.
Trevor Richards ($9,000) and Kyle Gibson ($9,300) offer some appeal, and Gibson in particular has a high win probability, but neither have immediately positive splits. Atlanta is surging offensively, but Max Fried ($6,900) has been usable in just one of his last three starts. Zach Davies ($6,800) looks like a trendy option against the Giants' weak offense that has only a .285 wOBA against righties.
Key Chalk/Value
Per usual, Coors Field checks in with a run total of 12.5. Attacking both sides here seems prudent where affordable. San Diego will send Cal Quantrill ($5,000) to the hill, who is allowing a .433 wOBA to lefties. That's going to make a red-hot Charlie Blackmon ($5,800) a near must-use despite the surging price. He owns a .450 wOBA and .349 ISO against righties, and has been worth 24 DKP or more in three of his last four. David Dahl ($5,300) also profiles well. Rockies' starter Jeff Hoffman ($6,100) is allowing a .449 wOBA to same-handed bats, making Fernando Tatis Jr. ($5,700) the preferred Padre, while Franmil Reyes' ($5,000) power (.309 ISO) is intriguing.
The Orioles haven't formally announced their starter for Friday, but it likely doesn't matter. If you can't afford a ton of Padres and Rockies, Red Sox bats in Camden Yards are a nice fallback. Feel free to deploy any of Mookie Betts ($5,200), J.D. Martinez ($5,000), Xander Bogaerts ($5,200), Andrew Benintendi ($5,100) and/or Rafael Devers ($5,000).
Aaron Sanchez ($4,600) has a 4.62 ERA, 5.55 xFIP and strikes out only 6.3 per nine innings on the road, making the Astros a likely chalky play. Yordan Alvarez ($4,400) continues to see his price climb, but he's still very affordable and has been worth at least eight DraftKing points (DKP) in all three of his starts. Michael Brantley ($4,500) and Robinson Chirinos ($4,500) have favorable splits against righties if you can't afford Alex Bregman ($5,100).
Texas-Cincinnati looks like a potential game stack with Tyler Mahle ($6,700) and Shelby Miller ($4,200). Miller has an 11.05 road ERA, and this may be a spot for Derek Dietrich ($4,600) to snap his homerless streak. Eugenio Suarez ($4,500) and Curt Casali ($4,100) also appear set up for success. Mahle has actually been decent in his home park, but his 2.25 ERA isn't fully supported by a 4.27 xFIP. Shin-Soo Choo ($4,900) looks like the stable choice, while Danny Santana ($5,000) is the feast or famine option.
Stacks
Indians vs. Ryan Carpenter (Tigers)
Francisco Lindor (SS - $5,200), Carlos Santana (1B - $4,800), Jordan Luplow (OF - $4,200)
Carpenter allowed eight runs in his last start, spanning just 3.2 innings, and has given up six or more in three of his six appearances. He's allowing a .375 wOBA to lefties and a .396 wOBA to righties, so we can target Indians on both sides of the plate. Luplow profiles the best and appears to have stand alone value thanks to his lower price. He's crushing lefties to the tune of a .447 wOBA, 182 wRC+ and .433 ISO. Lindor goes .361/124/.218 and while Santana's .352/118/.095 tallies aren't perfect, he fans only 12.4 percent of the time. Putting the ball in play against Carpenter will lead to success. Roberto Perez ($3,900) is a nice option if he's behind the plate.
Athletics vs. Marco Gonzales (Mariners)
Matt Olsen (1B - $5,000), Khris Davis (OF - 4,100), Stephen Piscotty (OF - $3,700)
Gonzales settled down some in his last outing but still has surrendered 18 runs in his last 14.1 frames. You can truthfully take your pick of A's bats if you're looking for a power surge, as a whopping five of them sport ISOs north of .267. Olsen leads the way, raking southpaws for a .485 ISO, adding a .474 wOBA and 207 wRC+. Davis has homered in two of his last four and has a .414 wOBA, 166 wRC+ and .368 ISO. Piscotty checks in at a discount and looks like a bit of a stabilizer here as his power isn't huge (.202 ISO), but he still has a .968 OPS to go along with a .404 wOBA.
Phillies vs. Max Fried (Braves)
Rhys Hoskins (1B - $4,900), Jean Segura (SS - $4,600), J.T. Realmuto (C - $4,600)
With so many other juicy matchups, I'm expecting the Phillies to be glossed over, making them an ideal GPP target to stack. The ball has been flying out of Suntrust Park during the Braves' current homestand, and Fried has shown some regression over his last two outings, allowing eight runs over 10 innings. Hoskins has a .296 ISO against lefties, adding a .436 wOBA and 174 wRC+. Segura isn't far behind with a .416 wOBA, 160 wRC+ and .333 ISO, while Realmuto goes .382/138/.300 and is riding a six-game hitting streak. Bryce Harper ($4,600) profiles decently as well, as does Jay Bruce ($5,300), who seems to be seeing a beach ball since coming over from the Mariners.
