This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Thursday brings a limited schedule consisting of only eight games. There will be no shortage of important matchups, though. One game with playoff implications features the Guardians hosting the White Sox, who are nipping at their heels in the AL Central standings. Another will be the Blue Jays and Ray wrapping up their series. Both are probably too far back to catch the Yankees in the AL East, but they are jockeying for positioning among the AL Wild Card spots. Let's get to the task at hand and highlight some players to consider for your Yahoo lineups.
Pitchers
Lance McCullers Jr. ($45) has made five starts for the Astros since returning from the IL, and he didn't allow more than three runs in any of them. He's had some favorable matchups, including a start against the Athletics in which he pitched six shutout innings. Given that the A's have scored the second-fewest runs in baseball, McCullers could have similar success in their rematch.
Miles Mikolas ($38) brings some extreme splits into his home start against the Reds. While he has a 4.56 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP on the road, he has a 2.23 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP at home. Add in the Reds having a .646 OPS on the road and Mikolas could be in line to produce a dominant stat line.
Carlos Carrasco ($42) bounced back from a disappointing start against the Nationals to limit the Marlins to one run over six innings in his last outing. With that performance, he has allowed three or fewer runs in nine of his last 10 times. When the Nationals got to him for five runs, only one of them was earned. Given that the Pirates have scored the fourth-fewest runs in baseball, look for Carrasco to continue his recent run of success.
Top Targets
Pete Alonso ($13) is currently on an eight-game hitting streak that has seen him hit 11-for-33 (.333) with three home runs. He's up to 35 home runs for the season, and he's even batting a career high .268. Expect him to be a difficult out for JT Brubaker ($31), who has a modest 22.8 percent strikeout rate to go along with his 1.42 WHIP.
While he hasn't been as hot as Alonso, Francisco Lindor ($15) is 17-for-57 (.298) with two home runs and four doubles over his last 15 games. He only had a 15.6 percent strikeout rate during that stretch, lowering his season mark to 18.7 percent. With his .348 wOBA against right-handed pitchers, he's also an excellent option versus Brubaker.
Bargain Bats
It's been a disappointing season for Ketel Marte ($9), who only has a .316 wOBA. However, he's been much better versus left-handed pitchers, recording a .365 wOBA against them. That puts him in play against Sean Manaea ($29), who has also been underwhelming with his 5.23 ERA and 4.53 FIP.
With so few games on the schedule, picking a catcher is even more difficult than usual. Given Manaea's struggles, Carson Kelly ($10) should at least be on your radar. He only has a .278 wOBA for his career against right-handed pitchers, but he has a .352 wOBA versus lefties.
Stacks to Consider
Astros vs. James Kaprielian ($28), Athletics: Yordan Alvarez ($18), Jose Altuve ($21), Jeremy Pena ($9)
Kaprielian missed his last start with a cut on his finger, but is set to return for this matchup. That could lead to a big night for the Astros, given that Kaprielian has a 4.79 ERA and an even worse 5.20 FIP. The player to build any Astros stack around should be Altuve, who has a .221 ISO and a .384 wOBA. He even has 17 stolen bases, which is more than he's had the last three seasons combined.
Cardinals vs. Chase Anderson ($25), Reds: Albert Pujols ($23), Nolan Arenado ($23), Tommy Edman ($24)
Anderson has made four appearances this season, and he allowed a home run in three of them. That's nothing new for him, given that he allowed 21 home runs over 81.2 innings the last two seasons combined. This could be a great spot for Pujols, who is only three home runs away from reaching 700 home runs for his career. While he doesn't normally bring the same power that Pujols does, Edman has been locked in at the plate, hitting 29-for-79 (.367) with five home runs and nine doubles over his last 21 games.
