This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
While Friday is a full day of MLB baseball, that isn't the case on the DFS front over at DraftKings. The day is divvied into different slates, but the main slate consists of the five games starting at 7:20 p.m. ET or later. Here's hoping for some better weather Friday! These are my recommendations.
Pitching
Clayton Kershaw, LAD at ARI ($9,700): Kershaw's still got it. He's had a FIP under 3.00 in each of the last two seasons, and he opened this year going six innings, striking out nine and only allowing one run to these Diamondbacks. Arizona may be better offensively this year, if its young hitters take off, but it has been a slow start to the campaign, and offense tends to pick up when the weather is warmer in the summer as well.
Jack Flaherty, STL at MIL ($7,500): Finding a second pitcher was tricky, especially with an intent to offer an option that saves salary. With Flaherty, at least there are memories of when he looked like he might become one MLB's ace pitchers, before injuries put a crimp in his last two campaigns. His first start against the Blue Jays was odd, as he went five innings of shutout, no-hit baseball, but walked seven. Milwaukee finished 22nd in runs scored last year, so maybe Flaherty can keep them in check.
Top Target
In limited action last year, Kris Bryant ($5,300) actually looked good as a Rockie, posting an .851 OPS in 42 games. The former Cub has also started the year slashing .357/.400/.464. Bryant is also getting to face a lefty in MacKenzie Gore at Coors Field. Since 2021, Bryant has a .921 OPS versus southpaws.
Bargain Bat
While CJ Abrams ($2,400) has yet to figure it out in the majors, he was a top prospect for a reason. He also gets to face Jose Urena at Coors Field on Friday. Urena has had an ERA over 5.00 in each of his last four campaigns, and he began this year with a brutal start against the Padres. Also, since 2021, lefties have hit a batting-title-worthy .328 against Urena, and Abrams is a southpaw.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers at Diamondbacks (Madison Bumgarner): Mookie Betts ($5,900), Will Smith ($5,500), J.D. Martinez ($4,700)
Bumgarner left the Giants for the Diamondbacks, and his game immediately fell off. With Arizona, he has a 5.06 ERA over 66 starts. In his first start this year, he allowed five runs in four innings to these same Dodgers. I'm stacking three righties against the southpaw.
Betts is a career .293 hitter who had 35 homers and 12 stolen bases last year. In fact, he's had double-digit stolen bases in every full season of his career. Betts also has a .928 OPS versus southpaws since 2021. Smith is arguably the best hitting catcher in baseball – he's at the very least in the mix – and he's starting this year at the top of his game. Not that I'm surprised, given his career .264/.357/.509 slash line. Martinez is new to the Dodgers, but last year with the Red Sox he had a .998 OPS against lefties. His home runs dropped from 28 in 2021 to 16 in 2022, but he hit more than 40 doubles for the second season in a row.
Padres at Atlanta (Jared Shuster): Manny Machado ($5,600), Xander Bogaerts ($5,400), Ha-Seong Kim ($3,000)
I should note this is the only game with the looming threat of rain, but with its 7:20 p.m. ET start, there is more leeway for it to finish if rain becomes an issue. Plus, it's Atlanta. It's not exactly Seattle. Shuster's first MLB start did not go well, as he allowed six hits, five walks, four runs, and managed only one strikeout in five innings. Oh, and it was against the Nationals, who are a great bet to finish last in runs scored. The Padres have a much better offense, one with three righties worth stacking against the southpaw pitcher.
Since joining the Padres, Machado has slashed .280/.351/.501. While he does just fine at San Diego's pitcher-friendly ballpark, he did have a .911 OPS on the road in 2022. It's encouraging to see Bogaerts with three homers already, given that he had his worst power season since 2017 last year. Of course, the former Red Sox slugger still hit .307 with a .377 OBP, so it's not like he was slacking at the plate. Kim picked up 11 homers and 12 stolen bases in 2022. While he doesn't really have power, the second baseman hit .270 with a .369 OBP versus southpaws last year.
