This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We have an eight-game main slate Saturday night. Despite the medium-sized contest, there aren't many high-end pitching options to work with. But for those willing to take on more risk in tournaments, a few excellent values are available. As for the hitters, independent of matchup, the Mariners-Angels and Rockies-Cardinals games stand out as favorable hitting environments based on park factor. Without further ado, let's get into some picks.
Pitchers
There are two choices at the top of the salary range in Corbin Burnes ($11,700) and Blake Snell ($11,000). Burnes' primary advantage is matchup, and it's a significant one as he draws the Pirates while Snell takes on the Dodgers. For the season, Snell carries a significant K% advantage. But of late, their numbers have both been north of 30 percent. As a result, Burnes is the superior play.
Kenta Maeda ($9,500) is a couple of tiers down in terms of valuation, though he's quietly turned his season around in seven starts since returning from the injured list Jun. 23 by maintaining a 2.63 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 12.2 K/9. Arizona lists an above-average offense for the season, but has been on a significant slide since the start of last month.
Though we noted Busch Stadium as a potential place to target offense, Steven Matz ($6,900) is still worth pointing out as a potential value. He's been solid since rejoining the rotation on a full-time basis since Jul. 9, having topped 19 DK points four times in five starts. The Rockies traded away a few of their middle-of-the-order bats at the deadline, so their lineup should be even less potent than it has been for much of the year.
For those really looking to pay down, Tylor Megill ($6,300) is a true punt for tournaments. The most likely outcome is a poor performance, but he's managed over 20 DK points from four of his 15 big-league starts in 2023. A matchup against Baltimore doesn't help, but its home park does.
Top Hitters
The White Sox aren't exactly a loaded lineup to target, yet they boast one of the better matchups against Noah Syndergaard (14.3 K%, 1.8 HR/9). Luis Robert ($5,900) is the best bet in the order and can be a building block for your lineups.
Christian Yelich ($5,600) has produced one of the better bounceback seasons and is appropriately valued. Meanwhile, Bailey Falter will make his first start for the Pirates and has surrendered 1.8 HR/9 this season a career 1.6 HR/9 across 158 innings.
Value Bats
Oscar Gonzalez ($2,400) appears to be the primary cleanup hitter for the Guardians. That says more about the state of the team's lineup than his skills, though he's still undervalued against Michael Kopech – who's been among the most homer-prone starters in the league at 2.1 HR/9.
Edouard Julien ($3,600) has hit second in the Twins' lineup against righties since being recalled in late June. His performance has been uneven, but he should be in a decent position in a matchup against Ryne Nelson with his 10.9% barrel rate against this season.
Stacks to Consider
Cardinals vs. Rockies (Ty Blach): Lars Nootbaar ($4,400), Paul Goldschmidt ($5,800), Nolan Gorman ($3,900)
Though the Cards were sellers, the majority of their losses came from the rotation. They've reshuffled the lineup a bit, leaving it relatively cheap to stack the top-three hitters in the order. The matchup is also positive as Blach has only recorded a 9.6 K% this season and a 12.8 career mark. This is a good stack to use for those that want to pay up for at least one pitcher spot.
Padres vs. Dodgers (Ryan Yarbrough): Ha-Seong Kim ($5,000), Fernando Tatis ($6,300), Juan Soto ($6,100)
The Dodgers can fix a lot of negatives in a player's profile, yet Yarbrough's shortcomings are particularly glaring as he completely lacks the ability to generate whiffs. While the Padres' offense has been inconsistent, there's no denying they offer the talent to make any pitcher pay for mistakes - particularly one who gives up as much contact as Yarbrough. The obvious downside of the stack is the cost, though there are enough value options that it's possible to take on some risk at pitcher and go with the top of the order.
