This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Sometimes, Thursdays aren't busy days in MLB. Not this time. Fortunately, we have 10 MLB games in the evening, giving you plenty of options for your DFS lineup. To try and help you with those options, here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Dylan Cease, CWS vs. DET ($9,800): No pitcher in baseball has been hotter than Cease. Over his last seven starts he has an 0.46 ERA. Now he gets to face the team with the fewest runs scored in MLB? Somehow, Cease may lower that ERA with this start.
Joe Musgrove, SD vs. SF ($9,700): Musgrove bounced back from his first bad start of the season in his last outing, and he now has a 2.25 ERA. He also has the benefit of the pitcher-friendly Petco Park at his disposal. The Giants are in the middle of the league in runs scored, so with Musgrove's play this year and this game being in San Diego I am not concerned.
Tony Gonsolin, LAD vs. CHC ($9,400): Gonsolin's start was pushed from Wednesday to Thursday, which is unfortunate for the Cubs. The 10-0 record is one thing, but I am more focused on his 1.54 ERA. In fact, since 2020 Gonsolin has an 1.73 ERA at home.
Top Targets
It's been a step down from his MVP season for Shohei Ohtani ($6,300), but a lot of that is him not hitting as well against lefties. Versus righties he still has a .919 OPS, and on the year he still has 18 homers and 10 stolen bases as well. Jordan Lyles is a righty, one with a career 5.17 ERA as well.
You can quibble with his OBP, but Austin Riley ($5,200) has followed up his breakout 2021 with gusto. He's hit .273, slugged .543, and put up 21 home runs. This year he's showing more power! The start to Matthew Liberatore's MLB career has gone rough, as he has a 5.66 ERA through five starts. A big problem for him is that he's allowed 1.74 home runs per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
While he's started his MLB career slowly, Adley Rutschman ($4,500) was the top prospect in baseball for a reason. The switch-hitting catcher has also performed better against righties thus far, as he has a .713 OPS in those matchups. Rutschman is in line to face another rookie struggling to start his career Thursday. Chase Silseth has a 5.23 ERA.
Christian Walker ($3,800) is going to swing from his heels, make contact infrequently, and do a lot of damage on the occasions that he does. The slugger has 21 home runs while hitting .207, but he's crushed lefties to the tune of an 1.019 OPS. Austin Gomber is a lefty, and he's allowed righties to hit .314 against him in 2022.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Cubs (Mark Leiter): Freddie Freeman ($5,200), Max Muncy ($4,400), Cody Bellinger ($3,700)
Swapping to and from the rotation and the bullpen in his MLB career, Leiter has a 5.39 ERA. This year, he's made three starts out of his 11 appearances and has a 4.85 ERA. Oh, and this is his first season of MLB action since 2018. The 31-year-old was away from the majors for a reason.
Freeman is in line to hit .300 yet again in his career, especially if he gets to keep facing righties. Since 2020 he has a .993 OPS in those matchups. Muncy is having a strangely-rough campaign, but he's still managed eight homers. Don't forget the lefty has hit at least 35 home runs in his last three full MLB campaigns. Bellinger is another lefty, and while his MVP-level of play is long gone, he does have 11 homers and 10 stolen bases this year.
White Sox vs. Tigers (Beau Brieske): Luis Robert ($4,900), Jose Abreu ($4,600), Gavin Sheets ($2,900)
Brieske's 4.54 ERA is rough, but his 5.40 FIP is even worse. Through the first 13 starts of his career he has allowed 1.82 home runs per nine innings. If that wasn't bad enough, Brieske's road ERA is 6.09. Now he has to visit the White Sox and their formidable lineup.
Robert is hitting .289, and while he isn't slugging .567 like last season he still has nine home runs to go with 11 stolen bases. Abreu has a .954 OPS over the last three weeks. Also, I'm not worried about his bizarre .648 OPS at home. He had an .894 OPS at home last year and a .957 OPS in 2020, and this is the same ballpark. Sheets has been awful against lefties, but he has a .793 OPS against righties in his career. He also has a .963 OPS at home.
Rockies at Diamondbacks (Dallas Keuchel): C.J. Cron ($5,000), Brendan Rodgers ($4,300), Connor Joe ($4,100)
Somehow, Keuchel is in line to get another start. That's in spite of the fact he has an 8.27 ERA this year, and has allowed 10 runs in 9.1 innings with the Diamondbacks. This game may not be at Coors, but the Diamondbacks are also known for their hitter-happy ballpark. If the Rockies can't be at home, being in Arizona in July is about the second-best place to be.
Cron is hitting .295, and he's already hit 20 home runs. He also has an .895 OPS against lefties since 2020. Rodgers loves facing a southpaw, as he has a .961 OPS in those matchups since 2020. He's been rough on the road this year, but last season he managed an .873 OPS in away games. Rodgers is not necessarily a product of Coors. With a .374 OBP since joining the Rockies, Joe is a fine choice for a leadoff hitter. He also has five homers and five stolen bases this season.
