This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
With matchups scheduled throughout the day on Saturday, the main slate kicks off at 4:05 EDT. There are eight games to work with, and it's a great day for pitching. Some of the better hitting environments include Globe Life Field in Texas, Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. With that as a basic starting point, let's jump in.
Pitchers
There are viable pitching options ranging from $10,100 down to $6,800 depending on how much risk managers are willing to take when building their lineups. There are a pair of arms who stand out in the top tier in Zack Wheeler ($10,100) and Logan Gilbert ($9,200). Wheeler doesn't stand out when comparing his salary to the rest of the field while the Diamondbacks represent a decent lineup. Don't roster him with the expectation of a massive performance, yet he's about as reliable as possible. Gilbert is a bit more inconsistent, but a matchup against the Marlins in Miami's pitcher's park should be enough.
Bailey Ober ($8,400) seems overvalued, though he's an interesting option. He's among the group of seven pitchers with a strikeout rate between 24.3 and 27.4 percent on the season, and now faces an A's lineup that Ks at the third-highest clip in the league over the last 30 days at 26 percent.
Nick Pivetta ($8,000) and Jose Berrios ($7,600) are two imperfect options a bit lower to consider. Pivetta lists the highest strikeout rate - albeit by a small margin - and the lowest SIERA of all pitchers on the slate. The drawback is he draws the Reds in one of the best hitting parks. Berrios has struggled of late and will go up against the Guardians, a team that doesn't strike out much.
Zach Eflin ($6,800) has gone from touted breakout pitcher to punt territory in three months, but he should turn things around against the Pirates as they've struck out at a league second-worst 26.2 percent clip during the last month.
Top Hitters
Jon Gray has produced decent results for most of the season, yet he's allowed a lot of loud contact. That combined with the positive offensive park makes the Royals a good play, and there's no better place to start than with Bobby Witt ($6,500).
Frankie Montas has among the highest SIERAs of the pitchers on Saturday and Jarren Duran ($5,200) is locked into the leadoff spot for the Red Sox. He's also been excellent of late by averaging 13.3 DK points across his last 10 outings.
Value Bats
Josh Lowe ($3,600) has consistently hit cleanup in the Rays' order and has finally strung together some healthy games. He registered a big performance on Friday, but even prior to that he had shown signs of life by notching 12 and 19 DK points in his last seven appearances. Jared Jones generates a lot of whiffs, though he's also surrendered a 10.7 percent barrel rate.
Wyatt Langford ($3,400) is starting to perform as expected based on his prospect pedigree without his salary reflecting that. Roster him while you can.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. Diamondbacks (Tommy Henry): Kyle Schwarber ($6,100), Bryce Harper ($6,300), Alec Bohm ($5,600)
The Phillies list the league's fourth-highest wOBA against left-handed pitchers this year and draw a matchup against a vulnerable southpaw on Saturday. Henry has a career 5.07 SIERA while conceding 1.5 HR/9, and he'll now be forced to pitch against a strong lineup in a favorable hitter's park. The top Philly lefties such as Harper and Schwarber don't carry significant splits and therefore remain solid options.
Mariners at Marlins (Shaun Anderson): J.P. Crawford ($4,000), Julio Rodriguez ($5,100), Ty France ($3,400)
Jesus Luzardo (back) was scratched, leaving the Marlins scrambling for a starter. That leaves Anderson to step in, and he's gotten crushed in each of his last three small samples in the bigs. The Mariners are a risky stack due to their high K rate, though they should be able to take advantage of this stellar matchup.
