This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
After a fairly muted Thursday schedule, all 30 teams are set to be in action Friday. There will only be one day game, leaving us with a loaded night slate. As far as top pitchers go, there will be plenty for us to enjoy. The most notable name is Justin Verlander (calf), who is expected to come off of the injured list to start against the Athletics. We are also set to see Robbie Ray, who will try to improve on his 12-9 record in a matchup with the Angels. With so many options to wade through on Yahoo, let's try to help narrow down the field by highlighting some pitchers and hitters who could exploit their matchups.
Pitchers
Michael Wacha ($49) is having quite the bounceback season. After recording a 5.05 ERA and a 4.47 FIP for the Rays last season, he has a 2.69 ERA and a 3.62 FIP this year for the Red Sox. His biggest improvement is that he's only allowed 0.9 HR/9, down from 1.7 HR/9 last season. That improvement should continue in a matchup against the Royals, who have hit the third-fewest home runs in baseball.
Martin Perez ($38) has been a bright spot within an underwhelming Rangers starting rotation. Not only does he have a 2.77 ERA and a 3.21 FIP for the season, he's also not showing any signs of slowing down. Over his last 11 starts, he's allowed two or fewer earned runs nine times. He'll look to stay hot in a favorable matchup with the Rays, who rank inside the bottom-10 in baseball in OPS.
It's difficult to have much faith in Lucas Giolito ($35), given the season that he's having. The good news is that he's been healthy on his way to making 26 starts. The bad news is that he has a 5.18 ERA and a 4.21 FIP. As inconsistent as he's been, he's difficult to resist in a matchup against the Tigers. Not only have they hit the fewest home runs in baseball, but they've also scored the fewest runs overall.
Top Targets
Aaron Judge's ($27) march towards the American League home run record continues with the Yankees traveling to Milwaukee to face the Brewers. He won't exactly be facing a homer-prone pitcher in Adrian Houser, who has allowed 0.9 HR/9 for his career. However, Houser has a 1.42 WHIP, so when you factor in that Judge is also batting .310 with a .454 wOBA, he could still do plenty of damage in this matchup.
Madison Bumgarner has fallen on hard times down the stretch, posting a 7.68 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP over his last eight starts. During that span, he's allowed 64 hits and recorded only 27 strikeouts over 43.1 innings. The struggling lefty on the mound makes Manny Machado ($22), who has a career 127 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers, a top option.
Bargain Bats
Rowdy Tellez ($12) loves hitting at home, where he has a .395 wOBA and a .319 ISO. On the road, he only has a .284 wOBA and a .179 ISO. Don't be surprised if he provides value in a matchup against Frankie Montas, who has a 5.94 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP since joining the Yankees.
With Houser on the mound for the Brewers, Judge isn't the only player to target on the Yankees. He's received plenty of support lately from Gleyber Torres ($12), who is 10-for-35 (.286) with three home runs, three steals and a double over his last eight games. Torres has 21 home runs through 514 plate appearances, which is a big improvement over his nine home runs across 516 plate appearances last season.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. Jonathan Heasley, Royals: Xander Bogaerts ($23), Triston Casas ($11), Alex Verdugo ($19)
In what should have been a favorable matchup against the Tigers, Heasley was lit up for seven runs over four innings in his last outing. His WHIP sits at 1.57 and he's allowed 17 home runs across 81.2 innings, which is a dangerous combination for a game at Fenway Park. An interesting option for a Red Sox stack is Casas, who has two home runs over his first nine games with the team after recording a .376 wOBA and a .208 ISO at Triple-A.
Braves vs. Ranger Suarez, Phillies: Austin Riley ($15), Dansby Swanson ($15), Vaughn Grissom ($14)
The Braves have a .794 OPS versus left-handed pitchers, which is the third-highest mark in baseball. Based on that, it should come as no surprise that they've given Suarez problems. He's faced them three times this season, giving up 12 runs (nine earned) over 16 innings. Look out here for Swanson, who has a 140 wRC+ this season against left-handed pitchers.
Astros vs. Adrian Martinez, Athletics: Jose Altuve ($23), Kyle Tucker ($23), Trey Mancini ($13)
Martinez struggled at Triple-A this year, registering a 5.72 ERA and a 6.39 FIP over 18 starts. He's carried those troubles into the majors, where he has a 5.59 ERA and 4.95 FIP over eight outings. After giving up 2.4 HR/9 at Triple-A, he's already been taken deep seven times over 38.2 innings with the Astros. Among the most appealing hitters for an Astros stack is Altuve, who has a .221 ISO, a mark which would be the second-highest of his career.
