This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday is a light night for MLB, but if there are games, there are DFS contests, so let's get to it. Your selections will come from the five games starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later. Here are my recommendations for your rosters!
Pitching
Justin Steele, CHC at PIT ($10,400): Steele is the must-roster pitcher for Thursday. Steady as he goes, the lefty has a 2.80 ERA on the season, and a 2.82 ERA over his last 12 starts. The Pirates are down in the bottom eight in runs scored, yet again, and with a southpaw opposing the Pirates' hitters, things are looking particularly bleak for the squad, and good for Steele.
Jesse Scholtens, CWS vs. OAK ($6,400): The only other pitcher I can conceive of myself rostering, to be frank, is Scholtens. Yeah, he has a 3.79 ERA and an 1-6 record, but this is about the matchup. Oakland is clearly baseball's worst team. The A's are effectively locked into last in runs scored, and will likely finish with the lowest team OPS as well. Any other choice, other than maybe betting on Merrill Kelly's talent against the Reds, is too cute by half.
Top Target
Hitting 36 homers in 2022 certainly put Christian Walker ($3,700) on a lot of radars for the fantasy-minded folks out there, but this year his power has been more potent, though with only 28 homers thus far (it's the 34 doubles that have helped boost his overall power numbers). Notably, the righty has an 1.003 OPS versus lefties and a .903 OPS at home. Rookie Brandon Williamson, meanwhile, is a lefty pitcher with a 4.79 road ERA.
Bargain Bat
Perhaps Daulton Varsho ($2,600) hasn't found Kraft dinner and Tim Horton's to his liking, as he's really struggled at home in his first season with Toronto. On the other hand, he's notched a .777 OPS on the road. Even with his brutal home numbers, on the campaign, Varsho has 16 homers and 15 swiped bags. Jack Flaherty being scratched Wednesday leave Kyle Gibson in line to start Thursday. Gibson has allowed lefties to hit a robust .304 against him in 2023. As long as it doesn't end up being lefty Cole Irvin on the mound for the Orioles, though, I'd roster Varsho.
Stacks to Consider
Rangers at Twins (Pablo Lopez): Corey Seager ($4,500), Marcus Semien ($3,700), Nathaniel Lowe ($3,400)
Lopez has been hot, but on the other hand he has a 4.30 ERA. Across his last four starts, three have come on the road, and the one at home was against the lowly Pirates. The Rangers are the toughest opposition that Lopez will face at home since the Red Sox on June 19. He's also allowed righties to hit .253 against him, so I have two left handers in this stack. Seager would be vying for the AL MVP if he hadn't missed so much action, and honestly I expect him to rack up a few top-five votes anyway. He's slashed .343/.411/.651 in 83 games, and he has an 1.110 OPS against righties as well. The righty Semien has hit .279 with 19 homers and 13 stolen bases. This year he's been better against right handers as well, having posted an .821 OPS in those matchups. Lowe has a .369 OBP, and this year he has the starkest splits in terms of righties vs. lefties in recent memory for him. He's managed an .882 against right handers, though, including having slugged .495.
Orioles vs. Blue Jays (Jose Berrios): Gunnar Henderson ($3,500), Cedric Mullins ($3,400), Ryan O'Hearn ($2,700)
While Berrios has a 3.39 ERA, his 3.95 FIP tells a slightly different story. He also happens to have a 3.62 ERA on the road after posting a 6.36 road ERA in his first full season with Toronto. This year Berrios has bounced back against righties, but lefties have hit .264 against him. Since 2021, southpaws have hit .273 versus the pitcher, so I have a three-lefty stack.
Henderson has mostly delivered on his elite-prospect status, having tallied 21 homers, six triples, and seven swiped bags. He's improved a big against lefties this year, though he's still poor in those matchups, but has an .869 OPS versus right handers. Mullins has picked up 10 homers and 15 stolen bases in 79 games. Over the last three seasons he's put up an .836 OPS against righties as well. O'Hearn has surprisingly nestled himself in at first base for the Orioles, notching a .301 average with a .504 slugging percentage. He has an .816 OPS against righties, and while he's been better on the road, a .775 OPS at home isn't bad.
