This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Thursday night has one of the more difficult slates of the season, at least in terms of pitching. No one can be trusted, which means it's best to focus on matchups more than anything. There's rain in some of the forecasts, and while it's not a high percentage, it's worth keeping an eye on, especially in Pittsburgh.
PITCHER
Clay Buchholz, ARI at SD ($40): There aren't many places to go and that's why I'm recommending Buchholz. That said, he's been decent, hitting 15 fantasy points in his last six starts, including a seven-strikeout performance against the Padres a few weeks ago. San Diego hasn't done much at the plate and has a 25.1 K% and .298 wOBA against righties over the last month.
Tanner Roark, WAS at STL ($37): It's usually best not to go with an underdog, but given how there are no big favorites on this slate, Roark will do. At a minimum, he's pitching well with 20 fantasy points in his last four outings, reaching seven innings in all of them. The Cardinals have been mediocre against righty arms all season and sport a .319 wOBA against them in the last month.
CATCHER
Russell Martin, TOR at KC ($16): Martin doesn't have great numbers on the season, but he has a .412 BABIP in August and last year's .339 wOBA against righties is helpful. Glenn Sparkman is making his first major-league start even though his numbers in relief haven't been good, namely a 5.06 ERA and .333 BABIP allowed. Wilson Ramos ($14) is also in play if he starts again.
FIRST BASE
Lucas Duda, KC vs. TOR ($14): There aren't many desirable Royals to back, so I had to chose wisely. Duda can only hit righty arms, sporting a decent .187 ISO and .342 wOBA, which is slightly below last season's .298 ISO and .360 wOBA. Someone on Kansas City has to hit Sam Gaviglio, who has a 5.02 xFIP and .358 wOBA allowed to lefty bats this season.
SECOND BASE
Logan Forsythe, MIN vs. DET ($12): Forsythe's numbers against lefties are a bit off this year, but he's been better in recent weeks, closer to his career .177 ISO and .343 wOBA. He also had a couple hits against Francisco Liriano last week. Liriano gave up three runs and four walks in that start (a loss) mainly due to his ugly .360 wOBA allowed to righty bats this year.
THIRD BASE
David Freese, PIT vs. CHC ($16): Freese is used mostly against southpaws, making him a perfect play versus a struggling Jon Lester. Freese has a .356 BABIP against lefties after last year's .364 wOBA. That'll play into Lester's recent issues, allowing 25 hits and 17 runs in his last three starts. His 4.81 xFIP against righties doesn't look good, either.
SHORTSTOP
Asdrubal Cabrera, PHI vs. NYM ($14): Cabrera's held most of his power against righties this year with 22 doubles and 16 homers resulting in a .224 ISO. Playing against his former team could also give him some extra juice. On the mound, Corey Oswalt has been respectable, yet he isn't overwhelming opponents with a 10.1 K percentage and 5.80 xFIP against lefty bats. If Steven Matz starts the late game, I'd look to someone like Jose Iglesias ($14) in the same range, who has less power but more consistency.
OUTFIELD
Justin Upton, LAA at TEX ($24): Feel free to go all-in with the Angels because Ariel Jurado isn't feeling great about himself after allowing four home runs last start. He's pitching to contact (eight Ks in four starts) and that isn't working against better teams. Upton doesn't cost a huge amount and could add to the five home runs he has in his last eight games. His .244 ISO and .381 wOBA against righties further back his selection.
Bryce Harper, WAS at STL ($24): Harper's returned to form over the last month with a .295 ISO against righties standing out after that number was at .332 last year. It's unknown how long Luke Weaver will go in his return from a cut finger, but his .360 wOBA allowed to lefties won't help against this lineup.
Nicholas Castellanos, DET at MIN ($13): Coming off the All-Star break, Castellanos was in a funk, but he's come around in the last week with a five-hit game proof of that. His numbers are still good on the season with a .189 ISO against righty hurlers, and Ervin Santana was blasted for five runs when he saw the Tigers last week. He's had trouble in all four of his starts this year as seen in a 6.53 ERA.
