This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Thursday's two-game slate once again features question marks but with two strong pitchers to choose from and several quality hitters under $4,000, DFS players should be able to comfortably assemble lineups capable of putting up big points.
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Pitcher
Mike Foltynewicz, ATL at LAD ($8,300): Folynewicz finished the season with a 2.48 ERA on the road to go along with a .263 wOBA in 87 innings. It is also worth noting that his slider was the fourth most effective in the league according to RAA. The Dodgers don't have many weaknesses to speak of but did strike out 22.6 percent of the time against right-handed pitchers, while Foltynewicz notched 202 strikeouts in 183 innings.
Cheap GPP Consideration, Antonio Senzatela COL at MIL ($5,200): Senzatela won't blow you away with his statistics but the right-hander has been sneakily good away from Coors Field this season, as evidenced by the .277 wOBA he has kept against road offenses in 49.1 innings. He should also be able to use his heavy ground ball rate to keep the Brewers in the park, as they finished the year with the fourth-highest ground ball rate (46 percent) in baseball.
GPP Fade, Any Brewers pitcher: We don't know who will start for Milwaukee as of the publication of this article, but manager Craig Counsell told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday that he will use multiple pitchers for "two (or) three-inning appearances." The uncertainty of the length of time any hurler will be out there makes it risky to take a cheap reliever as a contrarian play, as we don't get extra points for non-starters in this format.
Catcher
Tyler Flowers, ATL at LAD ($3,200): Flowers has destroyed left-handed pitching this season, notching a .258 ISO and .477 wOBA in 66 at-bats. Manager Brian Snitker has been favoring Flowers over Kurt Suzuki ($3,400) in his platoon of late but Suzuki would make a fine option if the skipper has a change of heart due to the .216 ISO he has tallied against lefties in his 88 at-bats this year. Opposing starter Hyun-Jin Ryu has taken his game to another level at home this season (1.15 ERA) but both catchers offer enough upside to be playable at their respective prices.
First Base
Max Muncy, LAD vs. ATL ($5,200): Muncy should be a mainstay in DFS lineups on these short slates as long as he is facing a righty due to the enormous .334 ISO and .417 wOBA he tallied against his opposite hand in 293 at-bats. There isn't much negative to be said regarding Foltynewicz but an 11 percent walk rate against southpaws during the regular season may ensure that Muncy sees pitches in hitter's counts.
Second Base
Travis Shaw, MIL vs. COL ($4,700): Shaw may just have the answer for the high ground ball rate of Senzatela, as he ended the year hitting fly balls at a 44.5 percent clip. The 28-year-old showed great power against righty pitchers during the regular season, as evidenced by the .285 ISO he tallied in 383 at-bats.
Third Base
Johan Camargo, ATL at LAD ($3,500): Camargo has been one of my favorite value plays throughout the season against lefties thanks to the .213 ISO and .347 wOBA he tallied against them in 141 at-bats. It may surprise some to learn that Camargo performed very well against the fastball in 2018, logging an 8.0 RAA in 464 at-bats.
Shortstop
Jonathan Schoop, MIL vs. COL ($3,800): Schoop's overall numbers from 2018 don't look very appealing but he continued to show power against same-handed pitchers, logging a .212 ISO in 326 at-bats. Senzatela kept something of a reverse split this year, allowing a .485 slugging percentage to right-handed hitters in 50.2 frames.
Outfield
Yasiel Puig, LAD vs. ATL ($3,900): It would likely be difficult to find a hitter who had a better September than Puig. The 27-year-old notched a ridiculous .400 ISO to go along with a .437 wOBA in 65 at-bats. Foltynewicz showcased a strong .255 wOBA against righty batters this year but it will be hard to pass on a player swinging the bat as well as Puig for this price.
David Dahl, COL at MIL ($4,500): Dahl is another player who announced his arrival in the final month when he tallied a .368 ISO and .404 wOBA in 87 at-bats. We may not know who he will face but we know that Milwaukee is a great place for offense in general, as it ranked in the top 10 home run parks this season according to ESPN Park Factor.
Enrique Hernandez, LAD vs. ATL ($3,700): Hernandez is traditionally thought of as a platoon bat against left-handed pitching but the 27-year-old flipped the script in 2018, logging a .243 ISO and .349 wOBA against same-handed opposition in 202 at-bats.
