This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
MLB's dedication to mid-afternoon baseball on Saturdays is admirable, and also conducive to plenty of DFS options on Yahoo. This is a busier Saturday afternoon than usual with 14 games starting at 4:05 p.m. EDT or later. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Pablo Lopez, MIN at DET ($47): Lopez may have a 4.40 ERA in his first season with the Twins, but he also lists a 3.48 FIP. And while his 5.94 ERA at home is slightly alarming, his 2.72 on the road is a different story. The Tigers rank 29th in runs scored and team OPS, which should also help Lopez.
Jose Berrios, TOR vs. OAK ($42): Berrios's second season with the Blue Jays is going better than his first, yet he's once again better at home than away. The difference is that his home ERA in 2022 was 4.24 and this year it's down to 2.37. That impressive performance combines with a great matchup as the Athletics sit last in offense and team OPS.
Yonny Chirinos, TAM vs. KC ($31): Injuries have come for the Rays' rotation, leaving Chirinos with a chance to start. While his 2.72 ERA involves a lot of bullpen work, he's no one-inning performer having gone at least 2.2 frames in all of his outings and at least five three times. The Royals are 28th in runs scored and have produced a sub-.300 OBP, so there's a good chance Chirinos can give the Rays five innings Saturday.
Top Targets
Just when you think Shohei Ohtani ($20) can't hit a new level, here he is with his best hitting season so far having slashed .298/.381/.630 with 25 homers and 10 stolen bases. A 1.050 OPS versus righties has been a big part of that. And he'll be at Coors Field Saturday. The righty Chase Anderson has allowed 1.45 home runs per nine innings during his career, and that's with him only logging seven games with the Rockies. Also, his career 4.65 FIP isn't a product of Coors.
Though Josh Naylor ($18) walks so infrequently where he has a .332 OBP to go with a .290 average, he pairs that with nine homers and five steals. Since 2021, the lefty has registered an .844 OPS against righties. Freddy Peralta has posted a 6.04 road ERA on the road, and a sudden increase in homers allowed is a key part of that with 1.65 per nine innings this season.
Bargain Bats
In his first MLB campaign, Masataka Yoshida ($16) has impressed by batting .307 with eight homers, two triples, and three stolen bases. He's been sold against his fellow lefties, though his .862 OPS versus righties is a bit better. Lance Lynn just struck out 16 Mariners which was great, but he's still struggled to a 6.51 ERA while giving up 1.92 home runs per nine innings and southpaws going .348 against.
It would appear Alex Kirilloff ($12) has really improved his batting eye based on a .368 OBP. He still can't hit lefties, but has an .863 OPS versus righties. In four MLB appearances, Reese Olson has posted a 5.59 ERA. That's not too much of a surprise since he managed a 6.38 ERA in 10 Triple-A starts.
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta at Reds (Graham Ashcraft): Matt Olson ($19), Ozzie Albies ($18), Orlando Arcia ($15)
Turns out Ashcraft's tweaks this offseason didn't pan out. After a 4.78 ERA as a rookie, the righty has seen that number rise to 6.78 with increased walk and homer rates. Righties also smashed Ashcraft last year while lefties didn't do so well, but this year righties are hitting .300 while lefties are at .275 so I don't mind having one in the mix.
With 23 home runs already to his name, Olson has produced at least 20 in all of his six full seasons. And since he's posted a .941 OPS against righties, it seems likely the former Athletic will at least get to 30 homers for the fourth straight full season. Albies is stealing fewer bases, but his 17 homers have made up for that in the counting-stat department. While he's superior against lefties, he has a .910 OPS on the road in 2023 with a 1.002 the last three weeks. Arcia has recorded a .923 OPS from the last 21 days and displays much less power against righties, though he's still hit .318 in those matchups this year.
Rays vs. Royals (Jordan Lyles): Randy Arozarena ($19), Josh Lowe ($17), Isaac Paredes ($17)
Lyles somehow found a new home in MLB for this season despite a career 5.20 ERA over 1,400 innings. Shockingly, it hasn't panned out with a 6.72 ERA while giving up 1.89 home runs per nine innings. Lefties and righties both hit Lyles well, so you can happily stack anybody capable of hitting right-handers against him.
Arozarena is getting on base at a .412 clip and is up to nine stolen bases and 14 homers. He also boasts an .878 OPS at home since 2021. The lefty Lowe has notched 11 home runs and 18 swiped bags. He can't hit lefties, but does have an .800 OPS against righties over his career. Paredes hit 20 homers in 111 games last year, though he's taken his game to a new level in 2023 by slashing .263/.367/.487 while going deep 13 times.
Blue Jays vs. Athletics (Hogan Harris): George Springer ($18), Bo Bichette ($17), Matt Chapman ($16)
Harris hasn't allowed many home runs, but still has a 4.45 ERA in the majors. He's only struck out 6.67 batters per nine innings, and his Triple-A track record isn't great with a 5.03 ERA. I'm skeptical of Harris as an MLB pitcher, yet I'm not concerned about any of these three Toronto batters.
Springer has racked up 10 homers and 12 stolen bases. And since signing with Toronto, he's managed an .878 home OPS. A career .300 hitter, Bichette is at .316 coupled with a .505 slugging percentage and 14 home runs. Harris is a lefty, and Bichette has produced an .895 OPS versus lefties the last three seasons. Speaking of excelling against southpaws, Chapman has an .844 OPS in those matchups since 2021. He also lists an .800 home OPS since joining the Jays last season.
