This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Welcome to September! The playoffs are right around the corner. Friday you can make some DFS money and use it to fund quite the Labor Day weekend. There are 14 games on the slate at 7:05 p.m. ET or later. Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Tyler Glasnow, TAM at CLE ($11,200): Glasnow's issue is staying on the field. Over the last three seasons he has a 2.83 ERA. The problem is just that he's only made 31 starts in that time. Right now, though, Glasnow is healthy and ready to face a Guardians team that is last in team home runs.
Eduardo Rodriguez, DET at CWS ($9,400): This is a battle of bad offenses, but there is one good pitcher in the mix. That would be Rodriguez. He has a 3.21 ERA and has held his fellow lefties to an .160 average. The White Sox are 25th in runs scored, but their .296 OBP ranks last.
Eury Perez, MIA at WAS ($8,800): Even though Perez got smashed by Atlanta (understandable), the rookie still has a 2.68 ERA. In seven of his last 12 starts, Perez hasn't allowed a single earned run. Washington was the team he blanked (aside from one unearned run) in his last outing, and it is 29th in home runs, so Atlanta this is not.
Top Targets
Yes, Adolis Garcia ($5,600) has been cold recently, but his last nine games have been on the road. He's just been waiting to return home, where he has a .977 OPS this season. Garcia isn't a homers-and-steals guy anymore, but his 32 homers are already a career high, and his .495 slugging percentage has him locked into a new high on that front. Joe Ryan has allowed 1.79 homers per nine innings, and righties have hit .270 against him.
Even though he's only played in 71 games, Jazz Chisholm ($5,000) has 14 homers and 17 stolen bases. Now, he's struggled to get on base and he's been a bit cold, but on the season the southpaw has an .839 OPS against righties. Jake Irvin's 4.30 ERA isn't good, but his 5.33 FIP is even worse. He allows a lot of walks and homers, and lefties have hit .278 against him.
Bargain Bats
With 28 homers through 130 games, Christian Walker ($4,700) will have to work to hit 36 like he did last season. However, he already has a career-high 34 doubles, and he's improved his average to .269 and added eight stolen bases for good measure. On the year he has a .974 OPS against lefties and an .886 OPS at home. Cole Irvin is a lefty with a 4.78 ERA, so that's looking good for Walker if he still wants to try to equal last year's homer total.
You want to talk about a fast-moving draft pick? Nolan Schanuel ($3,300) is starting at first base for the Angels, and he was drafted this year. He cruised through the minors, and the lefty has slashed .324/.457/.351. Okay, that's not great power, but he's hitting. JP Sears pitches in Oakland, but has a 5.49 ERA at home. He's also a lefty, but southpaws have hit .313 against him.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays at Rockies (Chris Flexen): Vladimir Guerrero ($5,500), George Springer ($5,100), Daulton Varsho ($3,900)
Let's see, a pitcher with a career 4.91 FIP, who has allowed both righties and lefties to hit over .300 against him this season, is pitching at Coors Field. Yeah, stacking Jays just makes sense. Looking for power, this is the trio I landed on.
Vladito's power is indeed down this year. He only has 20 homers and 26 doubles. However, mostly he's struggled at home. On the road he has an .854 OPS, and this is Coors, a haven for hitters. Springer has picked up 17 homers and 19 stolen bases. It doesn't really matter who is on the mound either, as he has an .803 OPS against righties and an .801 OPS against lefties. Varsho has a sub-.300 OBP, but his 16 homers and 15 stolen bases have helped DFS players. Plus, like Guerrero, he has struggled in Toronto, but has a .767 OPS in away games.
Red Sox at Royals (Jordan Lyles): Rafael Devers ($5,600), Justin Turner ($4,800), Triston Casas ($4,300)
Jordan Lyles: Still an MLB pitcher! He's 32, has been in MLB for over a decade, and has a 5.24 career ERA. This season he has a 6.51 ERA, has allowed 2.09 homers per nine innings and has struck out a mere 6.13 batters per nine as well. Also, somehow he was worse in August, where he had a 7.89 ERA and allowed 11 homers in five starts. If he's out there, I'm stacking against Lyles.
Since 2021, Devers has a .924 OPS against righties. While he's usually better at home, this year his .870 OPS on the road is better than his home performance. Turner, like Lyles, is a righty, but righties have hit .277 against Lyle since 2021. Plus, Turner is hot, as he has a .966 OPS over the last three weeks. Casas has a .366 OBP and has hit 21 homers in 119 games. The first baseman has a .962 OPS over the last three weeks, and he has a career .852 OPS versus righties.
Orioles at Diamondbacks (Zach Davies): Gunnar Henderson ($5,500), Cedric Mullins ($5,000), Anthony Santander ($4,700)
Davies has a 6.93 ERA this season. Sure, it's only in 13 games, but over the last three seasons he has a 5.33 ERA. He's walked more than 3.50 batters per nine across those three years as well. Sure, you aren't looking to stack a trio just to pick up walks, but there's plenty of hitting upside here.
Henderson has done it all, as he's hit 22 homers, 21 doubles, six triples, and has nine stolen bases. He also has an .866 OPS against righties and an .826 OPS on the road. Santander is a switch hitter, but he has an .823 OPS against right-handed pitchers. Davies is a righty, but since 2021 right-handers have hit .281 against him. Mullins has 12 homers and 15 stolen bases in 87 games. Also, since 2021, he has an .835 OPS versus righties.
