This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Saturday is a robust day for baseball. The first weekend of June continues with a full day's worth of MLB matchups. For DFS purposes, there are 13 games for your lineups so the second leg of the doubleheader between the Rays and Red Sox isn't available. With a first pitch of 4:05 p.m. EDT, even you West Coasters should be able to get your rosters in. Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Sonny Gray, MIN vs. CLE ($44): Gray didn't enter the year as a name on the short list of Cy Young candidates, but here he is with a 1.94 ERA through 11 starts. Even his 2.19 FIP is quite impressive. What's not great is Cleveland's offense. The Guardians are down with the Tigers and Athletics in the land of offensive futility while ranking last in home runs.
Drew Smyly, CHC at SD ($43): Smyly is coming off a tough start, but still lists a 3.45 ERA after a 3.47 during his first campaign as a Cub. Maybe a trip to Petco Park - which is pitcher-friendly - is what he needs. The Padres are in the bottom-10 in runs scored, and the lefty Smyly can keep hitters like Juan Soto in check.
Eury Perez, MIA vs. OAK ($40): One of baseball's top pitching prospects, Perez hasn't looked overwhelmed in MLB, though the matchups haven't necessarily been difficult. His four starts have yielded a 2.84 ERA, and this matchup should help him those numbers low. Perez faces an Oakland side last in offense and looking to threaten the record for most losses in an MLB season.
Top Targets
The red-hot Josh Jung ($22) loves himself a matchup with a lefty with a 1.025 OPS versus southpaws over his career. Marco Gonzales doesn't strike anybody out and also lists a 7.17 road ERA while allowing righties hit .288 against.
Though Matt Olson ($21) is no threat to win a batting title, his keen eye and power have yielded a .359 OBP and .528 slugging percentage with 17 homers. The southpaw has struggled with lefties more than usual this year, yet has still posted a 1.020 OPS versus righties. Ryne Nelson is a righty with a 5.37 ERA who has let lefties go .292 against during his career.
Bargain Bats
J.D. Davis ($16) is harkening back to his 2019 campaign with the Mets having slashed .282/.369/.480 with nine homers in his first full season with the Giants. While a righty, he's produced an .825 OPS versus right-handers since 2021. Kyle Bradish carries a career 4.30 FIP and is a righty who's allowed fellow righties to hit .276 against.
Unusual for a lefty, MJ Melendez ($13) has been notable better versus southpaws in his career with an .813 OPS. Meanwhile, lefties have gone .341 against southpaw Austin Gomber, though admittedly that is only a sample size of 48 batters. On the other hand, don't chalk up Gomber's 7.00 ERA entirely to Coors Field as he's slumped to a 5.86 road ERA since joining the Rockies.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays at Mets (Tylor Megill): Bo Bichette ($22), Whit Merrifield ($16), Daulton Varsho ($14)
Megill has a 4.67 ERA, but a 5.28 FIP. While he's managed 3.29 home ERA in 2023, his career mark there is 4.22. This year, he's striking out fewer batters, allowing more walks, and has given up 1.33 home runs per nine innings. Even at Citi Field, I'll happily take three Blue Jays.
Bichette is established as one of baseball's top hitters and is currently slashing .335/.370/.532 with 12 homers. For the second season in a row, he's been much better on the road with a .974 OPS. Merrifield has really picked up his stolen bases and is already at 15. He also swiped 40 in 2021, and it's easier to run against righties like Megill. Merrifield has also posted a .299 average this year. Varsho's fantasy value comes from counting stats, and has accumulated nine homers and six steals. He's also a lefty, and Megill has allowed lefties to hit .303 against him over his career.
Mets vs. Blue Jays (Jose Berrios): Pete Alonso ($19), Brett Baty ($9), Jeff McNeil ($8)
The other side of this matchup also represents a strong stacking option. Berrios' ERA has dropped from 5.23 last year to 3.86, but he's still brutal on the road. In his first full season with Toronto, Berrios struggled to a 6.36 ERA in away games, and this year that numbers sits at 4.83. The righty has also allowed left handers to hit .297 against, so I have two lefties.
Alonso is a righty, but his power potential is difficult to ignore with 20 homers after 40 in 2022. He's also registered a .907 OPS the last three weeks. Baty hasn't quite lived up to his prospect status yet, but he's hit all four of his home runs at home to go with a .990 OPS. McNeil isn't much for pop, but has a .286 average and .361 OBP. And since 2021, he's slugged .425 against righties and .427 at home.
Brewers at Reds (Graham Ashcraft): Christian Yelich ($20), Owen Miller ($19), William Contreras ($16)
After an encouraging start to his sophomore season, Ashcraft has fallen apart with an 11.28 ERA while giving up six home runs across 22.1 innings. And he's someone with a career 5.12 ERA, not a young pitcher trying to turn things around. I've opted for two righties in this stack because fellow right-handers have actually hit .318 against Ashcraft during his career.
I did include one lefty in Yelich, who enters with seven homers and 14 stolen bases. He also has a .777 OPS versus righties the last couple years and has slugged .448 in those matchups this year. A change of scenery has possible turned Miller's career around. In his first season with Milwaukee, he's slashed .331/.366/.496 with four homers and seven stolen bases. Contreras has taken a step back from 2022 when he posted an .860 OPS and 20 home runs. However, the catcher does have a .331 OBP and six homers from a position where hitting is at a premium, and Ashcraft has been mashed by righties.
