This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
After a quiet schedule Thursday, baseball roars back with a packed slate Friday. Let's get right down to business and highlight some pitchers and hitters to consider while building your Yahoo lineups.
Pitchers
Max Scherzer ($50) is set for a rematch with the Twins, who he took the mound against last weekend. He dominated them the first time around, posting 10 strikeouts and allowing two runs over seven innings. Given his 28.6 percent strikeout rate and that the Twins have struck out the most times in baseball, Scherzer has the potential to thrive again in this rematch.
Eury Perez ($43) was sent back down to the minors at one point as the Marlins attempted to limit his innings. Now that he is back in the majors, he has been fully unleashed, logging at least six innings in both of his last two starts. During that span, he allowed just one unearned run and had 17 strikeouts. That included an outing against the Nationals, who he will face again Friday. They have struggled, in general, ranking inside the bottom-half of baseball in runs scored and OPS.
James Paxton ($35) has been wild lately, walking eight total batters over his last two starts. That's not the norm for him, given that he has a modest 7.7 percent walk rate for the season. This is a great bounce-back spot for him against the Royals, who have drawn the second-fewest walks and scored the third-fewest runs in baseball. The last time he faced them, Paxton had six strikeouts and no walks over 5.1 scoreless innings.
Top Targets
Mookie Betts ($27) is on some kind of heater right now. He slugged two more home runs Thursday, making him 35-for-68 (.515) with seven home runs and five doubles over his last 17 games. While Max Fried ($37) isn't the easiest of foes, Betts has a 1.184 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season, making him an ideal option in DFS.
Spencer Torkelson ($17) has been heating up for the Tigers, hitting 18-for-65 (.277) with seven home runs and four doubles over his last 18 games. Up next is a favorable matchup against Touki Toussaint ($28), who has a 4.85 ERA and an even worse 5.49 FIP. He has shown a lack of control, posting a 16.7 percent walk rate on his way to a 1.50 WHIP.
Bargain Bats
Will Smith ($12) remains one of the most productive catchers in baseball, slugging 17 home runs to go with his .356 wOBA. He has shown an excellent eye at the plate, posting a 15.7 percent strikeout rate and a 12.0 percent walk rate. He has an even better .377 wOBA against left-handed pitchers, making his cheap salary even more appealing.
Going back to the Tigers taking on Toussaint, he could be just the matchup that Riley Greene ($11) needs to break out of his funk. Greene is only 4-for-35 (.114) over his last 10 games, although he did record two hits Thursday against the Yankees. Left-handed pitchers have limited him to a .307 wOBA, but he has a .353 wOBA versus righties.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. Jordan Lyles ($25), Royals: Rafael Devers ($22), Triston Casas ($21), Masataka Yoshida ($15)
Lyles has been getting hammered down the stretch, allowing 35 runs (34 earned) over his last 39.2 innings. He gave up a whopping 13 home runs during that span, pushing his total to 33 home runs allowed for the season. That marks the second time over the last three years that he has given up at least 30 home runs. Devers, who already has 29 home runs, could be the key to any Red Sox stack.
Astros vs. Carlos Rodon ($30), Yankees: Jose Altuve ($23), Alex Bregman ($21), Yordan Alvarez ($20)
It has been a rough season for Rodon, who has been limited to eight starts because of injuries. When he has been on the mound, he has not been good, posting a 6.80 FIP and a 1.41 WHIP. This figures to be an uphill battle for him, given that the Astros have the second-highest OPS against left-handed pitchers in baseball. Alvarez might not have the platoon advantage here, but he still has a .395 wOBA against lefties this season.
Blue Jays vs. Chris Flexen ($25), Rockies: George Springer ($21), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($17), Davis Schneider ($29)
Flexen is basically just eating innings for a Rockies team that has been hammered by pitching injuries. He hasn't exactly been doing it well, recording a 1.73 WHIP for the season. He has also given up 2.4 HR/9, which is asking for trouble at Coors Field. One of the hottest hitters on the Blue Jays has been Schneider, who is 9-for-17 (.529) with three home runs and three doubles over his last five games.
