This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
One of the highlights of Thursday's slate will be the Yankees trying to continue their 11-game winning streak against the A's, another team that is battling for an AL Wild Card spot. An interesting story to that game will be former Yankees prospect James Kaprielian getting the start for Oakland. There are a couple of intriguing day games, as well, including the Brewers hosting the Reds. Also, Hyun Jin Ryu will try to lead the Blue Jays past the White Sox for the second straight day. Let's focus on the nine-game evening slate on DraftKings and highlight some players to consider targeting.
Pitchers
Through his first 21.1 innings with the Dodgers, Max Scherzer ($10,400) has allowed five runs and recorded 31 strikeouts. Not much of an argument needs to be made to deploy him in DFS any given night considering his ability to limit base runners and rack up strikeouts. Although Fernando Tatis Jr. will be difficult to navigate, Scherzer could still dominate in a matchup against the struggling Padres.
Another important note about the game between the Yankees and A's is that it will be played in Oakland, which is a very pitcher-friendly park, especially compared to Yankee Stadium. That makes Jameson Taillon ($7,800) an intriguing option. He's had a respectable season with a 3.94 ERA and a 4.21 FIP, overall. With that being said, he's really heated up down the stretch, posting a 2.01 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP across 53.2 innings in his last nine starts.
The Pirates continue to struggle at the plate, posting the second-worst OPS in baseball. Trying to take advantage of their poor hitting will be Miles Mikolas ($7,100) of the Cardinals. He actually faced them in his last start, as well, allowing two unearned runs and recording five strikeouts over five innings. At such a cheap salary, Mikolas could be well worth the risk in tournament play.
Top Targets
Mikolas isn't the only player on the Cardinals to consider for this slate. The Pirates will be staring Mitch Keller ($6,200), who has an unsightly 1.82 WHIP. That means one of the top hitting targets could be Paul Goldschmidt ($4,800), who is already swinging a hot bat after hitting 28-for-80 (.350) with four home runs and seven doubles over his last 20 games.
Not much is going right for the Mets right now, who went from leaders of the NL East to being in danger of missing the playoffs entirely. The play of Carlos Carrasco ($7,500) hasn't helped matters. Across his five starts since coming off the IL, he's allowed 16 runs and has a 1.65 WHIP over 16.1 innings. Things won't get any easier for him in a tough matchup against the Giants. Among the more appealing Giants to consider is Brandon Crawford ($4,500), who enters with a .375 wOBA.
Bargain Bats
One of the stranger stats of the season is that Jesus Aguilar ($3,400) has 89 RBI despite the Marlins scoring the fourth-fewest runs in baseball. In fact, his RBI total has accounted for 17.7 percent of their total runs. He could remain productive in a matchup against Patrick Corbin ($8,200), who has a disappointing 5.82 ERA and 5.39 FIP.
Sam Hentges ($6,500) has been unlucky for the Indians given his 4.80 FIP is considerably better than his 7.52 ERA. An 11.0 percent barrel rate allowed isn't helping his cause, though. While his opponent the Rangers don't have many hitters worth targeting most nights, Adolis Garcia ($3,100) could thrive based on this matchup. He's been their most dangerous hitter, slugging 27 home runs on his way to a .235 ISO.
Stacks to Consider
Indians vs. Jordan Lyles ($6,000), Rangers: Jose Ramirez ($5,900), Franmil Reyes ($5,500), Myles Straw ($3,000)
Injuries have taken their toll on a Rangers rotation that was lacking quality options, to begin with. They will roll with the veteran Lyles in this game basically because they need someone to eat innings. He hasn't pitched well this season by any means, posting a 5.33 ERA and an even worse 5.54 FIP. Cleveland could end up with a productive offensive night, including Ramirez, who has been the leader of their lineup with a .285 ISO and a .366 wOBA.
Mariners vs. Brad Keller ($5,200), Royals: Mitch Haniger ($4,400), Abraham Toro ($3,800), Ty France ($4,000)
This season has been a struggle for Keller, who enters this game with a 5.43 ERA and a 4.63 FIP. One of the main issues has been his 10.1 percent walk rate contributing to a 1.65 WHIP. Also, he's allowed a career-high 10.8 percent barrel rate. The Mariners might be able to take advantage of this matchup with France being one of the more appealing players to add to a Mariners stack. Across his last 21 games, he is 31-for-84 (.369) with six home runs and three doubles.
Red Sox vs. John Gant ($5,500), Twins: Rafael Devers ($6,000), J.D. Martinez ($5,000), Alex Verdugo ($3,500)
Gant moved into the Twins' starting rotation for his last appearance, allowing four runs over 3.1 innings against the Yankees. He's had an odd season, posting a 3.77 ERA despite his 1.52 WHIP. His problem has been a lack of control that has left him with a 14.9 percent walk rate. If he can't improve in that area at Fenway Park against the Red Sox, things could get ugly for him in a hurry.
