This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Thursday's slate is small, so I included the 6:40 p.m. ET game between the Padres and Reds. Due to a lack of high-end pitching, I went with a couple arms that will hopefully combine for consistency and upside. And with so few reliable pitchers, I piled on the weaker ones from San Diego and Toronto.
PITCHER
Zack Greinke, ARI vs. ATL ($48): None of the pitchers stand out on this slate so Greinke will do. He's been extremely consistent with at least 15 fantasy points in 12 of his last 13 starts due to having a quality outing almost every time on the mound. The Braves are below average against righties since the All-Star break with a .319 wOBA. It also helps that Arizona is one of the bigger favorites of the four games to go with the lowest over/under at 7.5 runs.
Luis Castillo, CIN vs. SD ($39): With at least 34 fantasy points in two of his last three starts, Castillo will likely be in a lot of lineups. He's not a guarantee to do well, but the Padres are the worst team on the slate and have terrible numbers since the break against righty arms with a 25.7 K percentage and .289 wOBA.
CATCHER
Curt Casali, CIN vs. SD ($9): Casali should get another start with a lefty on the mound, as his .410 OBP is hard to pass up. If not, I'd be willing to throw Tucker Barnhart ($13) into the mix, as well. Eric Lauer is coming off a nice performance, yet still has a 5.01 ERA and a .357 wOBA allowed to righties.
FIRST BASE
Yonder Alonso, CLE at TOR ($13): There are more expensive ways to go, but Alonso provides upside for cheap. His .207 ISO from 18 homers and 15 doubles against righties is hard to pass up, especially after last year's .380 wOBA. Sam Gaviglio returns to the mound after having his start pushed back due to a biceps injury. He's struggled against lefties with a .356 wOBA allowed being his worst stat.
SECOND BASE
Wilmer Difo, WAS vs. CHC ($10): There aren't many choices at second base so I went with a cheaper one in Difo, who has shown power in the last week while hitting safely in the last five games. Kyle Hendricks isn't an easy matchup having allowed just one run in his last two starts, yet when he faced the Nationals a month ago, he gave up eight hits and that's at least a selling point for Difo as a value play.
THIRD BASE
Jose Ramirez, CLE at TOR ($23): Gaviglio may be the worst pitcher on the slate, so I wanted to spend up on an Indian. Ramirez fits the bill with a ridiculous .341 ISO and .428 wOBA against righty hurlers highlighted by 32 home runs and 20 doubles. Gaviglio has given up a homer in each of his last three starts and has a 1.47 HR/9 against lefty bats.
SHORTSTOP
Jose Peraza, CIN vs. SD ($15): Peraza has been Cincy's best bat against southpaws with a .423 OBP in his last 52 plate appearances to go with a .331 wOBA for the season. He doesn't have a ton of power, but he'll get on base against Lauer, who has a .368 OBP allowed and 4.35 xFIP against righty bats.
OUTFIELD
Billy McKinney, TOR vs. CLE ($21): McKinney has been a force for the Blue Jays with hits in nine of his last 10 games to go with seven extra-base hits (3 HR) in just 44 at-bats against righty arms. Those numbers get amplified when combined with Shane Bieber's struggles against lefties with a .398 wOBA allowed being the outlier.
Randal Grichuk, TOR vs. CLE ($17): Grichuk is another solid Toronto bat with a .267 ISO and .344 wOBA from 19 doubles and 15 homers against righties. Bieber has a nice record, but he's also given up at least three runs in each of his last four starts and made it more than 5.1 innings in only one of those.
Greg Allen, CLE at TOR ($12): Allen has slowed down a bit, but he still provides a cheap bat whenever Cleveland faces a weaker arm. His numbers against righties are also much better with a .368 OBP in his last 77 plate appearances. That should work against Gaviglio and his 4.92 xFIP against lefty hitters.
