This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
All 30 teams will be in action Friday, leaving us with plenty of baseball to enjoy. One of the biggest matchups of the nights features Cardinals hosting a red-hot Braves team that will have Spencer Strider on the mound. In the American league, the Mariners will continue their quest for a Wild Card spot in a home matchup against the Guardians, who will start Shane Bieber. There are some potential mismatches among the packed slate, including when the Marlins battle with the Dodgers. Let's get down to business and highlight some pitchers and hitters to target for your Yahoo lineups.
Pitchers
Gerrit Cole ($54) hasn't exactly been lights out lately, allowing at least four runs in four of his last six starts. He did pitch at least six innings in all six of those games, while striking out at least eight batters three times, so he hasn't been a complete disaster, either. He'll have an excellent opportunity to get back on track versus the Athletics, who have scored the second-fewest runs in baseball.
Chris Bassitt ($41) has been a rock for the Mets, recording a 3.26 ERA and a 3.53 FIP over 23 starts. He has a walk rate under 7.0 percent for the third straight season, which has helped him generate a 1.13 WHIP. Look for him to be a problem for the Rockies, who only have a .640 OPS on the road.
One of the most unlikely success stories on the pitching side of things this season has been Johnny Cueto ($37), who didn't even join the White Sox until the middle of May. He's made 18 appearances, 17 of which were starts. In all 17 of his starts, he's pitched at least six innings. The result has been a 2.58 ERA and a 3.81 FIP. While his lack of strikeouts isn't great for DFS, a matchup versus a Diamondbacks team that has the 10th-lowest OPS in baseball still makes him someone to consider.
Top Targets
The Rockies will welcome back Chad Kuhl ($25) from the IL after he missed nearly a month with a hip injury. He has a 1.52 WHIP for the season, while also allowing 17 home runs across 103 innings. This could be a great night to roll with the duo of Pete Alonso ($20) and Francisco Lindor ($22). Alonso already has 31 home runs this season, and Lindor isn't too far behind him with 21.
Bargain Bats
Staying with the Mets' matchup against Kuhl, Brett Baty ($7) might also be worth considering. Yes, he only has a .493 OPS since being recalled from Triple-A. However, he showed plenty of power in the minors, slugging 19 home runs over 89 games at Double-A.
The Mariners have a difficult matchup against Bieber ($48), which is probably why Julio Rodriguez ($13) has an unusually low salary. Rodriguez has 20 home runs and 23 steals in his rookie season, so the low risk that comes with deploying him at this salary could be worth the potential reward.
Stacks to Consider
Braves vs. Jose Quintana ($33), Cardinals: Austin Riley ($18), Dansby Swanson ($15), Vaughn Grissom ($22)
Quintana has walked at least two batters in all four of his starts with the Cardinals, posting a 1.42 WHIP during that stretch. He couldn't make it through three innings in his last outing, when he allowed four runs (two earned) to the Diamondbacks. When he faced the Braves earlier this season, he allowed four runs and three home runs over five innings. With the Braves sporting a .790 OPS versus left-handed pitchers, Quintana could have problems this time around, as well.
Padres vs. Kris Bubic ($27), Royals: Manny Machado ($20), Brandon Drury ($13), Ha-Seong Kim ($14)
After stringing together a few impressive outings, Bubic has reverted back to his old ways. Over his last two starts, he allowed eight runs and 23 base runners over 9.1 innings. For the season, he has a 5.29 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP, making him an appealing option to stack against. In what has been a surprisingly productive season for Drury, he has a 154 wRC+ versus left-handed pitchers.
Nationals vs. Mike Minor ($27), Reds: Luke Voit ($17), Lane Thomas ($17), Cesar Hernandez ($12)
After trading away Juan Soto and Josh Bell, the Nationals aren't usually a team to consider stacking. However, this is a great matchup for them versus Minor, who has a 6.44 ERA and a 6.16 FIP. He hasn't even been able to take advantage of favorable matchups, like when he allowed five runs to the Pirates in his last outing. He's been taken deep 18 times over 72.2 innings, making the powerful Voit someone to consider building any Nationals stack around.
