This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
This weekend we hit the midway point of June. Friday features 12 MLB games starting at 7:05 p.m. ET or later. What will unfold Friday evening? We won't know until we see it, but this is about making predictions and assessments to help you set your DFS lineups. These are my recommendations for all your MLB DFS needs.
Pitching
Chris Sale, ATL vs. TAM ($10,500): Sale bounced back nicely in his last start after an inexplicably-rough outing against the Athletics. In his seven starts surrounding that game, though, he's allowed two runs or fewer. The Rays have really struggled offensively this year, and they also usually have a few southpaws in their lineup. Sale, a southpaw, has held lefties to an .182 average, so that lines up well for the veteran.
Luis Castillo, SEA vs. TEX ($8,600): The Mariners pushed the rotation back a day, giving Castillo, not George Kirby, this start. Castillo is coming off a rough outing, but he still has a 3.35 ERA, because nine of his prior 10 starts were of the quality variety. Now, you might be worried about the Rangers, given the names and the title last year. However, Texas is actually middling in terms of runs scored this season, and Adolis Garcia has been ice cold.
Simeon Woods Richardson, MIN vs. OAK ($7,500): Woods Richardson was a top pitching prospect, but after a couple false starts, he began 2024 as a pitching prospect. Well, he's still only 23, and it seems like he's finally ready to be an MLB pitcher. Through 10 starts for the Twins he has a 2.84 ERA. Now he gets a chance to face an Oakland team that ranks 28th in runs scored and has a sub-.300 OBP, which should keep his rookie season going smoothly.
Top Targets
In the past, Petco Park has not hindered Manny Machado ($5,200). This season has been different. With only six homers (but also five stolen bases) thus far, Machado is not likely to hit 30 homers for the third season in a row. That being said, on the road he's slashed .290/.367/.486, and those are numbers you'd be happy with. Unsurprisingly, the bloom has come off the rose for Sean Manaea in his first season with the Mets. Over his last four starts he has a 6.98 ERA and has allowed five homers in 19.1 innings.
The 16 stolen bases for Julio Rodriguez ($5,000) are what were expected, but his six home runs have surprised and disappointed. While he's out of the MVP running, his issues have been stronger against righties. Against southpaw pitchers he has an .827 OPS. Veteran lefty Andrew Heaney is in line to start for the Rangers on Friday, and in his career he has a 4.46 ERA and has allowed 1.57 homers per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
Last season, Geraldo Perdomo ($3,200) took an interesting step forward. The shortstop didn't have much in the way of power, but he had a .353 OBP with four triples and 16 stolen bases. While he's a switch hitter, he struggled against lefties but had a .736 OPS versus righties. Righty Chris Flexen has a 5.06 ERA this season, and he had a 6.86 ERA last year as well.
Over the last three weeks, Gio Urshela ($3,000) has an .800 OPS. He's struggled against southpaws, and in his new home ballpark, but luckily for him (and DFS players looking for a low-salary bat with upside) neither of those things comes into play Friday. Hunter Brown has actually gotten worse since last season, and he had a 5.09 ERA last season. This year his ERA is up to 5.58 and he's walked 4.26 batters per nine innings. Additionally, righties have hit .279 against Brown in his career.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Guardians (Logan Allen): Vladimir Guerrero ($5,000), Danny Jansen ($4,600), Justin Turner ($3,600)
The Blue Jays have been one of the most disappointing offenses in MLB, but sometimes, such an offense is still worth a stack. When you look at Allen's game log, you see a propensity for crooked numbers. He has a 5.57 ERA and has allowed multiple homers in six of his 13 starts. Additionally, righties have hit .306 against the southpaw, and that's why I am stacking three righties north of the border.
It turned out that Guerrero is not the all-time slugger he looked like in 2021. We should all make peace with that. However, he's still slashed .271/.347/.453 in the three seasons since then, and a "30 doubles, 20 homers" guy is still viable (and valuable). Vladito also has an .819 OPS at home this season. A catcher with a .347 OBP stands out for fantasy-minded folks, and Jansen also brings an affinity for his home ballpark. Since 2022 he's slugged .502 at home. Well, maybe the 39-year-old Turner hung on a year too long. His overall numbers are down, but he can still step up to the plate as a lefty. He had a .900 OPS versus southpaws last season, and he has an .858 OPS versus them this year.
Pirates at Rockies (Ryan Feltner): Oneil Cruz ($4,900), Bryan Reynolds ($4,700), Jack Suwinski ($3,800)
The Pirates get to enjoy a weekend in Denver, which is to say a weekend at Coors Field. Feltner is not a good pitcher. His career 5.15 road ERA speaks to that. However, he pairs that with a 6.80 home ERA. Additionally, in his career both righties and lefties have averaged .275 against him. This season, though, lefties have batted .313, so I have gone with two lefties and a switch hitter.
Finally healthy, Cruz still has not learned plate discipline, but he has nine homers, 14 doubles and five stolen bases in 61 games. He's terrible against his fellow lefties, but has an .868 OPS against righties. Now, he's also been excellent at home but has a .546 OPS on the road. With most parks, I'd be worried about that, but this is Coors Field. I'll overlook his home/road splits because of that. Reynolds has batted .262 with eight homers, two triples, and five swiped bags, which is business as usual for him. Unusually, he's been better against lefties than righties, but his .802 OPS versus righties since 2022 works for me. Suwinski had 26 homers and 13 stolen bases last season. He's taken a step back this year, leading to lost playing time, but he still has five home runs and five swiped bags in 55 games. In 2023, when he played better, the southpaw had an .856 OPS versus righties, and an .884 OPS on the road as well.
