This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The first weekend of May kicks off with nine MLB games on the DFS docket Friday. We've got a first pitch coming at 7:05 p.m. ET. To try and help you make the most of this Friday slate, here are my DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Sonny Gray, STL vs. CWS ($10,100): Gray no longer gets to play in the same division as the woeful White Sox, but at least Friday he gets to take advantage of the easiest matchup in MLB. That being said, Gray doesn't even need the help. Through four starts, he has an 1.16 ERA, and that's after he had a 2.79 ERA last season with the Twins.
Tanner Bibee, CLE vs. LAA ($8,500): Bibee allowed five runs in 4.1 innings to the White Sox, and he held Atlanta to zero runs with two hits and nine strikeouts over 7.0 innings. Baseball can be weird! Ultimately, though, this is a pitcher with a 3.06 ERA in his MLB career. The Angels are middling in terms of runs scored, but Mike Trout is (sadly) hurt again, so that production is going to drop.
Ronel Blanco, HOU vs. SEA ($8,200): I don't buy into Blanco fully. Yes, he had a no-hitter and he has a 1.65 ERA through five starts. However, he has a 3.46 FIP, and his 8.5 line-drive percentage is unsustainable. On the other hand, a 3.46 FIP isn't bad! Meanwhile, Seattle's offense has been bad. The Mariners are in the bottom five in runs scored and have a sub-.300 OBP as a team.
Top Targets
What's the most-impressive thing about Bobby Witt ($6,200)? I'd say it's the fact he makes people pay attention to the Royals effectively single-handedly. Oh, and there's the .320 average, the four homers, the four triples, the nine stolen bases, all that stuff. It's easier to steal on righties, and Michael Lorenzen is a righty. On top of that, Lorenzen tends to be better against lefty hitters, whereas righties have batted .253 against him since 2022.
Yeah, go ahead and bank on another 20/20 season for Jose Ramirez ($5,800). Even with a slow start that has left him with a sub-.300 OBP, he's tallied five homers and four stolen bases. The switch-hitting third baseman prefers to face righties, as he has an .870 OPS against them since 2022. He'll be facing another Jose, Soriano, on Friday. The Angels pitcher has a 5.20 FIP.
Bargain Bats
Switch hitter Josh Bell ($3,800) is off to a cold start, but in each of the last two seasons he has posted an OPS over .815 against lefties. Although, he may also want to take his chances against JP Sears from the left side of the plate. Sears is a strange case. He pitches his home games in Oakland's pitcher-friendly park, but has a 4.72 ERA at home since 2022, compared to a 4.07 ERA on the road. Also, while he is a southpaw, lefties have batted .285 against him in that time as well.
Though Tyler Nevin ($2,600) has had limited time on the field in his MLB career, he has shown an ability to hit lefties. In his career he's slashed .264/.348/.455 versus southpaws. Ryan Weathers, in addition to being a walk machine, has a career 5.67 ERA. He's also a lefty, and since 2022 righties have hit .307 against him.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox at Twins (Chris Paddack): Rafael Devers ($5,100), Jarren Duran ($4,800), Wilyer Abreu ($4,000)
Paddack got to face the White Sox, and he still has a 5.88 ERA this season. In his career he has a 4.33 ERA at that. I have three southpaws in this stack because since 2022, such hitters have batted .358 against Paddack.
Devers has tallied more than 30 homers and 100 RBI in three of the last four full MLB seasons. Over the last three years he's put up an .899 OPS versus right handers, which has played a big part in that. Duran is a speedster, having tallied 24 stolen bases last year and nine this season. He doesn't have a ton of power, but he's slugged .448 against righties since 2022. Abreu earned a spot in the Red Sox lineup after he posted an .862 OPS in 28 games last season. Now in his proper rookie campaign, the lefty has slashed .313/.391/.513.
Atlanta at Dodgers (Gavin Stone): Matt Olson ($5,700), Ozzie Albies ($5,400), Michael Harris ($4,900)
This is another stack of three guys who can hit left handed, but it's with good reason. Stone has a 7.07 ERA in his career and has allowed lefties to hit .330 against him. The Dodgers have a dynamic lineup, but the rotation is a bit more questionable.
Olson has a career .868 OPS, so I think he will turn things around. He has a .961 OPS versus righties since 2022, so matchups like this will help him turn things around. Albies has slashed .330/.392/.500. While he's a switch hitter, and he has been better against lefties, over the last two years he has an OPS over .800 against righties. Also, over the last two seasons, his road OPS is over .900. Harris still hasn't learned to take a walk, but he is a career .295 hitter with a .294 average this year. He also has three homers and five stolen bases, a reminder he has fallen oh-so-short of a 20/20 campaign in each of his first two seasons.
