Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

There's a lot of rain in the forecast for the northeast, so keep an eye on that when selecting a lineup. I tried to put one together without any postponement worries, but that's never a guarantee. Either way, I avoided inconsistent, overpriced arms in favor of cheaper ones.

PITCHER

Michael Wacha, STL at SD ($40): The main reason not to spend on a bigger arm like Stephen Strasburg ($55) is that Wacha can provide just as much consistency. Wacha has reached at least 15 fantasy points in four of his last five outings and is a favorite against the Padres in a game that lists an over/under of 7.5 runs. In the last month against righty hurlers, the Padres have a 27.6 K%, .111 ISO and .278 wOBA. None of those are good numbers.

Mike Soroka, ATL at MIA ($37): Soroka is a bit more risky, but the Braves are keeping him in the rotation for a reason. Similar to Wacha, he's a slight road favorite with a small over/under of eight. Soroka didn't get much done against the Giants last start, but managed to only allow one run in six innings against the Mets before that. The Marlins aren't improving and sport a .115 ISO and .269 wOBA against righties in the last month.

If the weather clears up for Zach Eflin ($35) and Chad Kuhl ($34), I'd also put them in this category.

CATCHER

Rene Rivera, LAA vs. MIN ($9): This spot goes to either Rivera or Martin Maldonado, but my money is on Rivera because he's hitting well and Maldonado started the last two days. Rivera notched a .450 BABIP against righties this year in 34 plate appearances and had a worthwhile .310 wOBA in 2017. He comes on the cheap against a guy I still can't trust. Kyle Gibson has had some nice outings, but he's also been shelled a couple times and had a .352 wOBA against righty bats last year.

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FIRST BASE

Justin Smoak, TOR vs. BOS ($15): It looks like David Price will return to the mound Saturday, which could be good news for the Blue Jays. Price had carpal tunnel issues earlier in the week and has given up 16 runs in his last three starts. Smoak has always been better against southpaws and sported a .234 ISO and .412 wOBA against them last season.

SECOND BASE

Chase Utley, LAD vs. CIN ($13): It's been a great strategy all season to use at least two bats against Homer Bailey and that's what I'll be doing. Utley should get another start with a righty on the mound because that's all he can hit, with 21 of his 22 hits this season against them to go with last year's .318 wOBA. He doesn't cost much in a great matchup against Bailey, who has allowed at least three runs in his last five starts.

THIRD BASE

Josh Donaldson, TOR vs. BOS ($19): Donaldson is another righty you can trust against a struggling Price. Donaldson hasn't been as good as a year ago when he had a .400 ISO and .427 wOBA against lefty arms in 100 plate appearances, but he's still hitting them at a better rate than righties with a .400 BABIP. Price has given up most of his hits to righty bats, which was also the case last year with a 4.39 xFIP.

SHORTSTOP

Carlos Correa, HOU vs. TEX ($18): Correa dropped in price and that's reason enough to go after him if you have the money. All five of his homers have come against righties and he has a career .210 ISO and .365 wOBA against them. Doug Fister gave up six runs last start and has been unreliable with seven walks and only 12 strikeouts in his last three outings.

OUTFIELD

Matt Kemp, LAD vs. CIN ($19): Kemp, similar to a lot of the Dodgers, has picked up his game in recent weeks and four of his five homers have come against righties. Throw in last year's .211 ISO and .341 wOBA against righty arms and this is a great matchup because Bailey is struggling against both sides of the plate. Bailey has already allowed 11 home runs and had a .394 wOBA against righties last season.

Denard Span, TB at BAL ($18): I'm rolling with a couple Tampa Bay lefties in the outfield against Alex Cobb. Span is struggling a bit against righties this season, although the veteran will come around and should at least come near last year's .343 wOBA. Cobb just had his best outing, but his first three can't be forgotten in which he allowed 30 hits and 17 runs.

Mallex Smith, TB at BAL ($16): Smith doesn't have the same power as Span, but he will get on base thanks to a .379 BABIP and a career .332 wOBA against righties. Cobb pitched better last season, but still had a 4.64 xFIP against lefty bats.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Adam Zdroik plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: zdroik, DraftKings: rotozdroik, Yahoo: StreakMaster.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Zdroik
Adam, a multiple-time finalist for FSWA's Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's soccer editor. He runs RotoWire's Bracketology and partakes in various NFL content. He previously worked at ESPN and Sporting Kansas City, and he is a former Streak for the Cash winner and Michigan State graduate.
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