This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We have a day full of baseball, which is great news for fans and gives us three relevant DFS slates. On the other hand, it does water down the player pool for the main slate with pitching in particular taking a big hit.
Pitching
Yu Darvish ($10,200) represents the top pitcher, and rightfully so based on track record and skills. Due to a matchup against the Dodgers, I'm not eager to build though him in cash games. In large-field tournaments, Darvish could see his roster rate fall due to the aforementioned matchup, which makes him more interesting.
Ian Anderson ($9,600) is in the opposite position of Darvish, with an intriguing matchup but inconsistent skills. The combination of his inflated value and his likely popularity is enough for me to look elsewhere in bigger field contests, but he's a decent cash option.
Matt Brash ($9,000) has been excellent through two big-league outings, and he's going against a light-hitting Royals team. He's a strong choice for any type of contest, but is likely to be popular. Meanwhile, Noah Syndergaard ($8,600) has been effective in a pair of turns through the rotation, but only has five strikeouts across 11.1 innings. He should limit runs, but his upside is in question based off the small sample.
There are no appealing selections among cheaper pitchers, so planning to pay up is the way to go. If forced to choose one dart throw, it would be Trevor Williams ($6,100). He'll face a Diamondbacks' lineup that has the fourth-lowest wOBA and fourth-highest strikeout rate in the league. If nothing else, Williams will pitch to contact and hopefully get quick outs so he can pitch deep into the game.
Top Hitters
Elieser Hernandez is far from the worst pitcher in this group of games, but he's surrendered 2.3 HR/9 across his last 62.1 innings going into last year. That makes Matt Olson ($4,500) a hitter to target, particularly given his value compared to other top bats that are likely to project very well.
Shohei Ohtani ($5,800) and the Angels will draw a matchup against Spenser Watkins, who does have a case to make as the most vulnerable pitcher in the player pool. Ohtani is a strong enough hitter to be played in any circumstance, but there's even more motivation to do so when he has this kind of opportunity.
Francisco Lindor ($5,600) is back to his 2019 and 2020 form. Humberto Castellanos is another obvious pitcher to target on the slate, even in an offensive-neutral park.
Value Hitters
Marcell Ozuna ($3,200) has hit nearly exclusively as Atlanta's cleanup hitter, and never below that spot in the order. He also enters with a .271 ISO through 52 plate appearances, so this is a confusing salary point from any angle.
I want exposure to Angels' hitters Saturday, and that may require some creativity given the near necessity to pay up at pitcher. Tyler Wade ($3,000) is an option, and particularly interesting given his ability to score points in ways other than going yard. He typically hits ninth, so his plate appearance volume isn't ideal, but he'll have the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout following immediately behind him in the lineup.
Julio Rodriguez ($2,900) is quietly getting things going at the plate. His overall numbers look terrible and he did strike out four times Thursday. However, he's reached at least five DK points in four of his last five games. At his salary, that's enough to return value. A matchup against Kris Bubic also significantly brightens Rodriguez's outlook.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Humberto Castellanos: Jeff McNeil ($4,700), Starling Marte ($5,900), Pete Alonso ($5,100), Francisco Lindor ($5,600)
The Mets' offense has been hot all season, and there's no reason that should change Saturday. Castellanos has only recorded a 14.2 percent strikeout rate across 52 big-league innings, so the top of the New York order should put a lot of balls in play. He hasn't been extremely prone to the long ball, but his 1.2 HR/9 is enough to play the stack in the hopes of a few players getting on base ahead of Alonso or Lindor, who have combined for seven homers.
Angels vs. Spenser Watkins: Shohei Ohtani ($5,800), Mike Trout ($6,000), Anthony Rendon ($5,000), Jared Walsh ($5,200), Brandon Marsh ($3,600)
This is the premier stack of the day. Watkins has allowed 2.0 HR/9 across 62 combined innings the last two seasons while also posting a strikeout rate of just 12.8 percent. While there are a lot of high-salaried players in the Angels' lineup, Marsh offers some nice savings. In addition, working in a player like Tyler Wade – mentioned in the value section – will both save salary and differentiate lineups from the field.
Mariners vs. Kris Bubic: Ty France ($4,800), J.P. Crawford ($4,500), Eugenio Suarez ($4,200)
Bubic endured a rough start to his big-league career. He limited runs in his second outing of the campaign, but walked six batters across 4.1 innings. The Tigers failed to take advantage on that occasion, but the Mariners should be able to cash in with runs. There shouldn't be a desperate need for savings as most of Seattle's bats are reasonably valued. However, Julio Rodriguez is a nice bat to work into any stack at $2,900.
