This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
It's the final Saturday of the regular season. There are still things on the line, both in the real world and the daily fantasy world. Since Oakland and Seattle are playing a doubleheader, you can't pick any players from those lineups. First game is at 1:05 p.m. EDT. Here are my recommendations.
PITCHING
I'll miss recommending pitchers going up against the Pirates. How often does a team finish with a sub-.300 OBP and possibly also a sub-.350 slugging percentage? Aaron Civale ($36) is facing Pittsburgh on Saturday, and has produced a career 3.46 FIP through 21 starts.
Luis Castillo ($49) emerged last season when he posted a 3.40 ERA and struck out over 10 batters per nine innings. In 2020, he's managed a 2.86 ERA - with a 2.72 FIP - while striking out 11.59 batters per nine innings. The Twins didn't set any home run records this year and actually are in the bottom half of the league in runs scored along with a .311 team OBP.
Adam Wainwright ($44) has been a blast from the past this season with a 3.05 ERA and 3.80 FIP. The 39-year-old has also never experienced issues allowing home runs, which is amazing in the modern era. Milwaukee has struggled offensively, led by Christian Yelich's struggles and a .225 team batting average.
TOP PICKS
It's been a slightly down season for Francisco Lindor ($18), but his career slash line is .286/.346/.489 and he hit over 30 homers and stole over 20 bases in each of his previous campaigns. Joe Musgrove has never finished with an ERA under 4.06, and his ERA this season is at 4.68 - including 7.71 on the road.
Trevor Story ($24) isn't playing at Coors Field this weekend, but Arizona isn't a tough ballpark for hitters either. On the road, Story has racked up 11 home runs and 14 stolen bases with an .887 OPS. Madison Bumgarner has had a truly baffling campaign with the Diamondbacks with a 7.84 FIP while giving up a staggering 3.19 homers per nine innings.
VALUE PLAYS
Kole Calhoun ($19) is never going to win a batting title, but he's produced a .531 slugging percentage and has hit 15 homers over 51 games. He's also done well versus righties in 2020 with a .955 OPS. Although German Marquez has been better on the road than at Coors Field (obviously), he's allowed a .275 batting average to lefties like Calhoun since 2018.
Hunter Dozier ($17) broke out with a .870 OPS last season. His batting average has dropped this year, but he still has a .352 OBP. Dozier has strangely experienced issues on the road, but has posted a 1.037 OPS at home. Matthew Boyd has struggled this season with a 5.75 FIP. The lefty has also given up 1.70 homers per nine innings in his career.
STACKS
Astros vs. Kyle Gibson: Alex Bregman ($14), George Springer ($25), Michael Brantley ($18)
Gibson was a middling pitcher with the Twins, but the move to the Rangers has made things worse. He's posted a 5.67 FIP while allowing 1.76 homers per nine innings - a new career worst. Gibson has managed a 7.18 ERA at home, which is where this game is happening. This is a down season for Bregman, but he's played in all of 40 games and his career OPS is still .904. When he's healthy and on the diamond, I'm not concerned. Springer typically leads off for the Astros, and he also has 14 homers after hitting 39 last season. Brantley is the one lefty I've included against the righty Gibson and he's hitting .298 with a .935 OPS versus right-handed pitchers.
Red Sox vs. Huascar Ynoa: Xander Bogaerts ($18), Rafael Devers ($22), Alex Verdugo ($17)
For a playoff team, the Braves sure have issues with their pitching staff. That's what injuries will do. Even Ynoa has been dealing with a finger issue, but he's slated to start this game. He brings a career 7.30 ERA to the table. He's also a righty, which allows me to include two southpaws in this stack. Bogaerts is a righty, but maintains a career .288 batting average with 10 homers and seven stolen bases in 2020. Devers hasn't walked a ton this year, but has a .502 slugging percentage after a .555 mark in 2019. Verdugo's first year with Boston has gone well, as he's slashed .315/.370/.487 and stolen four bases.
Blue Jays vs. John Means: Bo Bichette ($17), Teoscar Hernandez ($19), Randal Grichuk ($12)
Means posted a 4.40 FIP last season, but that's risen to 6.02 this year. He's also allowed 2.64 homers per nine innings. In fact, there is only one game where Means hasn't given up a home run. Bichette has only seen limited action in the majors, but his career slash line is .309/.349/.556 with power and speed. Hernandez has an OPS over 1.000 against lefties and at "home", while Means is a southpaw and the Jays are in their "home" ballpark. Grichuk hit 31 homers while batting .232 last season, and this year he's at .271 with 11 long balls.
