This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
If you aren't rushing out to buy a last-minute Mother's Day gift Saturday, you've got an evening of DFS MLB action ahead of you. There are seven games included in the Yahoo slate, with the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. ET. Here are my recommendations for your lineup. Hey, maybe your win will buy some flowers Sunday morning.
Pitching
Sean Manaea, SD vs. MIA ($42): Manaea exchanged Oakland's ballpark for San Diego's, so he's still in a pitcher-friendly stadium and also gets more run support. The Marlins are 20th in runs scored, but they were 29th last year and didn't add a lot during the offseason.
Logan Webb, SF vs. STL ($41): It's a brutal evening for pitchers Saturday, but I've got a few options. Webb loves pitching at home considering he posted a 1.96 ERA last year and is currently at 2.25. The Cardinals rank 15th in runs scored, but that doesn't deter me with Webb on the mound at home.
Jordan Lyles, BAL vs. KC ($28): This is the name I'm throwing out if you want to save some salary on pitching. It's all about the matchup, and not at all about Lyles. The Royals sit last in runs scored and they're on the road. Maybe that'll be enough for Lyles.
Top Targets
So far, Wander Franco ($20) has been everything that was promised. He's tallied four homers and three stolen bases, and the 21-year-old also loves facing lefties with a 1.038 OPS against them over his career. And as luck would have it, Marco Gonzales happens to be a southpaw.
Last season, Cedric Mullins ($18) broke out with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. While he's only hit .243 this year, he still has produced four homers and three swiped bags. Mullins is a career .263 hitter, so his average should improve. In his first season as a full-time starter (for now), Carlos Hernandez has struggled to a 6.00 ERA through four outings.
Bargain Bats
You won't be able to get Ketel Marte ($14) as a bargain bat for very long, I imagine. He's managed a career .283/.343/.452 slash line and has registered a hit in six straight. Marte's numbers are going to improve and I expect him to extend that hit streak given that Kyle Freeland has a career 4.47 FIP and since 2020 lefties have hit .285 against while righties have gone .274.
The Giants employ a lefty-heavy lineup, but that changes when they're facing a lefty. However, there's still Austin Slater ($14) and he's batting leadoff for San Fran. He's posted a .347 OBP, and last season produced 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases. That lefty I mentioned is Steven Matz, who's managed a 4.56 ERA this season and a 4.25 career mark.
Stacks to Consider
Rockies vs. Zach Davies ($27): C.J. Cron ($23), Charlie Blackmon ($17), Randal Grichuk ($14)
Davies' one year with the Cubs yielded a 5.44 FIP. In his first five starts with the Diamondbacks, that number is at 4.78 and he hasn't even really experienced the boost in offense that comes during the summer in Arizona. Even away from Coors Field, there are bats in the Rockies lineup I like in a stack.
Cron has benefited from hitting in Denver, but you don't post a .925 OPS over the last two seasons solely on your home ballpark. Seven of his homers have come at home this year, but two have been on the road and this is a hitter-helpful ballpark. Blackmon is the one lefty I have facing the righty Davies. He's gone long four times and is a career .299 hitter. Grichuk is also off to a strong start with his new team, but it hasn't been home cooking for him with a .994 road OPS.
Angels vs. Josiah Gray ($38): Mike Trout ($24), Shohei Ohtani ($18), Jared Walsh ($17)
Gray was a vaunted prospect, and this year his 3.12 ERA could be a sign he's turning a corner. It's only five starts, but he's recorded a 3.92 FIP, and in his career he's allowed 2.05 home runs per nine innings. On a tricky night for DFS purposes, this is a worthwhile target to stack.
Trout is hitting like he basically always does. And on a side note, Taylor Ward has the same salary as Trout on Yahoo, which in a weird way kind of makes me feel better about paying for arguably baseball's best hitter. He's also posted a 1.124 OPS in 2022 and a 1.004 over his career. Even though Ohtani isn't hitting like he did last season in his MVP campaign, he still has four home runs and four stolen bases and is a lefty facing a righty. Walsh is also off to a slow start, but his .733 OPS against righties is fine and has a .970 OPS against right-handed pitchers since 2020.
