This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
It's your usual Saturday of MLB DFS action. Yahoo tends to kick things off with the late-afternoon offerings for their main slate of DFS contests. That means 13 games to pick players from, with the first ones starting at 4:05 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Kodai Senga, NYM vs. STL ($45): I've felt good about the other two pitchers I've recommended, but I'm a little warier with Senga. However, the Cardinals are banged up right now. And there's also the matter of Senga's home/road splits with a 4.78 ERA away and a 1.93 at Citi Field while only allowing 0.6 home runs per nine innings. We're effectively talking about 32.0 innings total in both scenarios, though it's all we have to go on for him as an MLB pitcher.
Braxton Garrett, MIA at WAS ($42): Since a brutal outing against Atlanta spiked Garrett's ERA, he's posted a 2.89 ERA across his last seven starts. The Nationals rank 24th in runs scored and 29th in home runs. When Atlanta rocked Garrett, they hit four homers. And the Nats aren't likely to do that.
Bryce Elder, ATL vs. COL ($41): The Rockies are just above average in terms of offense, but of course you have to factor in Coors Field. Colorado traditionally carries significant home/road splits, and will be on the road Saturday. Bryce Elder may have a 3.78 FIP compared to a 2.69 ERA, yet he's only given up 0.82 home runs per innings and lists a 55.7 groundball percentage. I think things will turn out fine for him in this matchup.
Top Targets
Mookie Betts ($22) is a leadoff hitter and slugger in one package. He's produced a .372 OBP, but has also hit 17 home runs while boasting an OPS over 1.000 versus lefties and at home. Alex Wood is expected to return from injury for this game, and he's long had issues versus righties with the southpaw letting them go .283 against him in 2022 and .315 this year in 109 plate appearances.
A red-hot Christian Yelich ($19) now has a slash line of .265/.359/.424 with nine homers and 16 stolen bases. His power numbers aren't the most impressive, yet he's managed a .469 slugging percentage against righties and a .457 at home. Mitch Keller has posted a 2.78 home ERA, but a 4.10 on the road. And while Yelich has been heating up, Keller has struggled to a 5.34 ERA over his last five outings while allowing five homers.
Bargain Bats
Lefty Brett Baty ($13) hasn't panned out just yet, but he's performed well at home with a career .873 OPS. In his age-41 season, Adam Wainwright has seen the wheels fall off with a 5.79 ERA through seven starts. And lefties have gone .392 against him in 2023.
Thanks to an .804 OPS against righties, Jake Bauers ($12) is now a regular in the Yankees lineup. Brayan Bello had a 4.71 ERA last year, even though he only gave up 0.16 home runs per nine innings. This season, he's allowed 1.20 and his 3.78 ERA is paired with a 4.23 FIP. And lefties have hit .282 against Bello during his career.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies at Athletics (James Kaprielian): Kyle Schwarber ($20), Bryce Harper ($19), Brandon Marsh ($12)
I'm going three southpaws in this stack. Kaprielian has registered a career 4.64 ERA, but that number is up to 6.89 this year. Even Oakland's pitcher-friendly ballpark hasn't helped him. Kaprielian has a 4.72 career home mark with a 6.68 in 2023. Southpaws have also hit .297 against the righty this season and a career .257.
After hitting 46 homers last year, Schwarber is currently at 19. The lefty has a reputation for showing out in June and has produced a 1.007 OPS the last two weeks. Harper has managed a .295 average and .393 OBP, even though he's struggled worse than usual against lefties. But against righties, he's still posted a 1.021 OPS. Marsh has racked up five homers, four triples, and four stolen bases. He's been better against lefties - though still not great - but the lefty lists an .807 OPS versus righties.
Red Sox vs. Yankees (Clarke Schmidt): Rafael Devers ($17), Masataka Yoshida ($16), Alex Verdugo ($15)
Another stack of lefties, but again with good reason. In his first season as a full-time MLB starter, Schmidt has produced a 4.70 ERA while allowing 1.48 home runs per nine innings. He was more effective as a bullpen arm against righties, and that's remained true as a starter. And lefties have hit a whopping .313 against Schmidt.
This is the ideal scenario for the slugging Devers. Since 2021, he's managed a .925 OPS against righties and an .898 at Fenway Park. In his first season in the majors, Yoshida has followed in the footsteps of his teammate with an .869 OPS versus right-handed pitchers and an .882 at home. Since being benched for a lack of hustle, Verdugo has done well while lifting his average to .292 and his OBP to .367. And yes, he's recorded an .875 OPS against righties and a .971 in Boston.
Atlanta vs. Rockies (Connor Seabold): Ronald Acuna ($24), Matt Olson ($18), Michael Harris ($15)
Seabold has put together a few good starts in a row, though he's still at a 4.70 ERA and 4.74 FIP. He also lists a career 6.36 ERA, and that's not all Coors Field as he spent his first two seasons with the Red Sox. I have two lefties in this stack as they've hit .286 against Seabold during his career, but I also stuck a righty in as right-handers have gone .323.
Acuna has been the best fantasy player this season having slashed .327/.401/.569 with 15 homers and 30 stolen bases. While he's been better against lefties, versus right handers he's managed a .961 OPS this year against righties and an .882 since 2021. Olson has crushed 19 home runs, putting him well on his way to hitting over 30 for the fourth straight full season in a row. The southpaw has usually been fine against lefties, though not this year. But Olson's made up for it with a .945 OPS versus righties. After 19 homers and 20 steals as a rookie, Harris has five and seven this year. He started the season slow, but has produced an .879 OPS the last 21 days.
