This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
First, happy birthday to my brother. Second, there are five MLB games on the DFS docket starting at 6:40 p.m. ET. Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations for Thursday.
Pitching
Reynaldo Lopez, ATL vs. COL ($9,900): It's taken a season that will likely win him a Cy Young for Chris Sale to overshadow Lopez. Brought in before the 2024 campaign and turned from reliever into starter, Lopez has a 2.00 ERA through 22 outings. If you're worried about his arm tiring out, he has a 2.37 ERA over his last seven starts, going at least five innings in six of them (and six innings in five of them). The Rockies are below average in terms of runs scored and have collectively slugged .400. When you remember they play half their games at Coors Field, that feels even starker.
Bailey Falter, PIT vs. WAS ($6,100): Falter doesn't strike out many batters, but he's only allowed 1.08 homers per nine innings and has a 4.22 FIP. He's also a lefty – a few of the Nationals' best hitters are left-handed. These teams are fighting to avoid finishing in the bottom 10 in runs scored, but the Nationals notably are 29th in home runs.
Top Target
He's one of those switch hitters viable stepping up to either side of the plate, but Bryan Reynolds ($5,000) does prefer to see a righty on the mound. This year, he has a .846 OPS in those matchups, and a .868 OPS overall at home. Jake Irvin's performance is careening down the stretch. He has a 6.55 ERA over his last 10 starts and has given up 2.6 homers per nine innings in that span.
Bargain Bat
I'm assuming Josh Smith ($3,800) will draw into the lineup with a righty starting for the Angels. The southpaw has a .354 OBP with 12 homers and 26 doubles on the year, and he has a .772 OPS at home. Jack Kochanowicz is coming off the best start of his brief career, but he still has a 4.96 ERA and, staggeringly, a 3.31 K/9 rate. Also, he's right-handed – lefties have hit .338 against him.
Stack to Consider
Atlanta vs. Colorado (Austin Gomber): Marcell Ozuna ($5,800), Travis d'Arnaud ($4,200), Gio Urshela ($2,800)
This game is not at Coors Field but that means little with Gomber involved. He has a 4.89 ERA on the road this season. Since 2022, his road ERA with the Rockies is 4.79. When you only strike out 6.38 batters per nine innings, that doesn't tend to play in most ballparks. Since Gomber is a lefty, I did still go with a three-righty stack.
Ozuna seems primed to have at least 40 homers and 100 RBI for the second season in a row, but this year he also might hit .300 for the first time since 2020. Additionally, he's slugged .593 at home this year after slugging a staggering .629 in Atlanta last season. Catcher d'Arnaud is a fine choice, and not merely because of his .812 OPS at home. He has a .892 OPS versus southpaws since 2022. Put a lefty on the mound and d'Arnaud becomes one of the top-hitting catchers in baseball. Urshela has hit regularly since joining Atlanta from Detroit, even if he tops out at doubles power. That is to say, he has a hit in 11 of his games with the team. Since 2022, righties have hit .285 against Gomber, so Urshela slides into a stack nicely at this salary.
