This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
After a short break, MLB is back, with Yahoo featuring a slate that has the Thursday game and the rest on Friday. There are a lot of viable, cheap pitching options, but I still focused on an ace who is carving through lineups. The main thing with the two-day slate is to keep an eye on weather, as some rain is expected for the Friday games.
PITCHER
Trevor Bauer, CLE at TEX ($53): Bauer was in cruise control ahead of the All-Star break with a 31.4 K percentage as his standout stat. He's hit 23 fantasy points in his last 12 starts and should hit that number, with 10 strikeouts a good prediction against the Rangers, which have a high 24.5 K% against righties since the beginning of June.
Danny Duffy, KC vs. MIN ($36): There are a lot of cheap pitchers available and I'm going with Duffy because not many want to use someone from the Royals. He's been stout in the last month with at least 25 fantasy points in four of his last five outings. The Twins are subpar in every relevant category against southpaws since June 1 with a 22.9 K percentage, .117 ISO and .305 wOBA. Jake Arrieta ($37) and Dallas Keuchel ($35) are also solid value plays.
CATCHER
James McCann, DET vs. BOS ($7): McCann comes at the minimum price, but he came into the break hitting safely in five straight games. There's also reason to believe he'll turn things around in the second half of the year, especially against lefties with a career .234 ISO and .358 wOBA. David Price has allowed 21 hits and 15 runs in his last three starts and has a .324 wOBA allowed to righties. As a team, the Tigers have been above average all season against lefties with a solid 20.2 K percentage and .326 wOBA.
FIRST BASE
Jose Abreu, CWS at SEA ($9): Not many on the White Sox entered the break on a good note, but Abreu still has a solid .340 BABIP against lefty arms after he had a .428 wOBA in 2017. Wade LeBlanc was great in his first month of starts and then the struggles began and he's given up at least three runs in four of his last five starts. His xFIP jumped to 4.29 against righties, which is closer to his career 4.49 number.
SECOND BASE
Cesar Hernandez, PHI vs. SD ($16): It was hard to find someone on the struggling Phillies, but Hernandez will do with a decent .342 BABIP against southpaws after cracking a .176 ISO last year. That'll do against Clayton Richard, who has lost some control with 14 walks in his last three starts to go with a .330 wOBA allowed to righty bats.
THIRD BASE
Matt Davidson, CWS at SEA ($11): There aren't many third basemen I like on this slate so I'll stick with the value method and pick Davidson. He has a career .215 ISO and .337 wOBA against lefties, while his 31.0 K percentage may not come into play against LeBlanc, who doesn't have more than four Ks in his last five starts.
SHORTSTOP
Jose Iglesias, DET vs. BOS ($9): I already mentioned McCann, and Iglesias is in the same mold as part of a Detroit lineup that is much better against southpaws. Iglesias has a solid .361 wOBA against them this year, which is slightly better than his career .328 mark. Price had some nice outings in the first half of the season but still has an xFIP above four against both sides of the plate.
OUTFIELD
Mookie Betts, BOS at DET ($25): If there's one guy to trust against a struggling lefty, it's Betts, who has a ridiculous .513 wOBA and eight homers against them. Matthew Boyd had a couple nice months, but fell off in June and has allowed five runs in four of his last five outings. His .303 wOBA allowed to righties is better than the norm due to a nice start, yet his career .344 wOBA is a better representation of how he's been as of late.
Mallex Smith, TB vs. MIA ($12): Smith isn't a guy to use for power, but that's seen in his price. He has a solid .355 BABIP against righties and a career .328 wOBA. Dan Straily's had issues against lefty bats with a .357 wOBA allowed after he had a 4.87 xFIP against them last season.
Curtis Granderson, TOR vs. BAL ($11): Granderson is more of a shot in the dark, which is kind of the only reason to use him these days. The Blue Jays need a lefty outfielder against Dylan Bundy and that means at least one of Granderson and Dwight Smith ($9). Granderson has nine homers against righties this year to go with a .346 wOBA. As for Bundy, he's been lit up for five runs in each of his last two starts and has a brutal .378 wOBA allowed to lefties.
