This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Thursday brings a limited schedule in baseball consisting of 10 games, eight of which will make up the main evening slate on DraftKings. There are some interesting matchups among them, including the Blue Jays hosting the Yankees and the White Sox taking on the Astros. Let's break things down and highlight some players to consider for your entries.
Pitchers
It's not often that you want to pursue a pitcher who is taking the mound at Coors Field. However, Brandon Woodruff ($10,200) is still an appealing option. He missed plenty of bats, posting a 31.5 percent strikeout rate. He's also allowed only 0.7 HR/9 this season and just 0.9 HR/9 for his career. Add in a depleted Rockies lineup compared to years past and he could still provide a dominant stat line.
Marcus Stroman ($8,600) is a very different pitcher from Woodruff in that he only has a 19.7 percent strikeout rate for his career. However, he lives on inducing weak contact, allowing just a 4.7 percent barrel rate since 2015. That's helped propel him to a 2.32 ERA and a 3.55 FIP across his first 14 starts of this season. While you still shouldn't expect a ton of strikeouts from him in his matchup against the Cubs, he could provide added value in that category given that the Cubs have struck out the sixth-most times in baseball.
Rich Hill ($9,200) had a rough start in his last outing against the Orioles, allowing four runs across four innings. That broke his streak of eight straight starts in which he allowed two or fewer runs. During that stretch, he had a 0.79 WHIP and recorded 49 strikeouts across 45.2 innings. This is a favorable matchup for him to get back on track against the Mariners, who have the second-worst OPS in baseball.
Top Targets
Somehow, John Gant ($7,500) has a 3.36 ERA despite having a 1.65 WHIP. In fact, he's issued as many walks (42) as he has strikeouts across 56.1 innings. Things are likely to get ugly for him as the season moves along if he can't improve his control. He's already shown signs of regression, allowing 12 runs across 5.2 innings in his last two starts. This could be an ideal matchup to roll with Ronald Acuna Jr. ($6,100), who is having another fantastic season with a 164 wRC+.
Not much of an argument needs to be made for deploying Fernando Tatis Jr. ($6,000) in DFS, regardless of who he is facing. Despite being limited to 52 games, he has 21 home runs and 13 steals to go along with a .405 wOBA. He could be a tough out for Wade Miley ($8,000), who has pitched well, but doesn't miss many bats given his 20.1 percent strikeout rate.
Bargain Bats
Michael Brantley ($3,700) doesn't have the easiest of matchups against Dylan Cease ($9,500), who has a 3.38 ERA and 3.27 FIP. However, Cease has allowed a .341 wOBA against left-handed hitters in his career, which is 21 points higher than his mark against righties. Also, Brantley has been red-hot at the plate, hitting 16-for-28 (.571) with five doubles across seven games since being activated from the IL.
Francisco Lindor ($4,100) is still digging out of his early-season slump. However, he's shown signs of catching fire, hitting 19-for-63 (.302) with three home runs and four doubles over the last 17 games. During that stretch, he has an 11.1 percent walk rate and just an 18.1 percent strikeout rate. He'll take his hacks against Kyle Hendricks ($8,800), who has been better lately, but he's allowed eight home runs over his last four starts.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Michael King ($6,300), Yankees: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($5,900), Bo Bichette ($5,600), Cavan Biggio ($3,700)
King has not pitched well since replacing Corey Kluber (shoulder) in the Yankees' rotation. Across three starts, he's allowed 10 runs (eight earned) and recorded a 1.59 WHIP in 11.1 innings. Facing a Blue Jays team that has the second-highest OPS in baseball isn't likely to help his cause. Guerrero and Bichette are the two big names to build a Blue Jays stack around while Biggio could provide value at a cheaper salary. He's looked better since being activated from the IL, hitting 7-for-117 (.412) with three home runs and two doubles across six games.
Yankees vs. T.J. Zeuch ($6,200), Blue Jays: Aaron Judge ($5,400), Gio Urshela ($4,600), Miguel Andujar ($3,500)
After allowing 11 runs (nine earned) across 12 innings earlier this season, Zeuch was sent down to Triple-A. He wasn't great there, either, with a 4.37 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across seven appearances. However, with the Blue Jays running out of healthy options, he's expected to be recalled to make this start. That could lead to a productive evening for the Yankees. Andujar has quietly become an important part of the Yankees' outfield and has come through for them by hitting 19-for-63 (.302) with five home runs over his last 18 games.
Angels vs. Matt Manning ($4,700), Tigers: Jared Walsh ($5,000), Justin Upton ($4,300), Taylor Ward ($2,900)
A first-round pick in the 2016 Draft, Manning is set to make his Major League debut Thursday. While he's highly regarded within the Tigers' system, his first action at Triple-A did not go well with him posting an 8.07 ERA and a 6.54 FIP across seven starts this season. He was done in by the long ball, allowing 11 home runs across 32.1 innings. That could be troublesome when Upton, who is having a productive power season with his .243 ISO.
