This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
It's rare when teams have an off day on a Friday, but after playing in the Field of Dream game Thursday, the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox won't be in action. Still, 14 games leave lots of intriguing story lines. The New York Mets, who are trying to work their way back to the top of the NL East, will have the unenviable task of facing Julio Urias and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Two teams battling for an AL Wild Card spot will also be in action when the Seattle Mariners face the Toronto Blue Jays. Let's get down to business and highlight some players to consider for your DraftKings lineups.
Pitchers
Urias ($9,900) is locked in after having allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven of his last eight starts. During that stretch, he also recorded 49 strikeouts over 46.2 innings. He'll try to stay hot against the Mets, who do have some dangerous hitters in their lineup. However, they have been underwhelming as a group, ranking inside the bottom-10 in baseball in OPS.
Despite losing Ronald Acuna (knee) for the rest of the season, the Braves can still find their way into the playoffs. They will take on a Nationals team that were sellers at the trade deadline and made moves that weakened their lineup. That could mean a big night is coming from Charlie Morton ($8,300), who has a 3.42 FIP to go along with his 27.9 percent strikeout rate. He also faced the Nationals in his last start and recorded seven strikeouts over six scoreless innings.
Adbert Alzolay ($7,600) has some crazy splits. Left-handed hitters have dominated him, posting a .410 wOBA and a .637 slugging percentage. However, righties only have a .235 wOBA and a .281 slugging percentage against him. The Marlins have a bad lineup, in general, since they have the fourth-worst OPS in baseball. Considering their best left-handed hitters right now are probably Magneuris Sierra and Joe Panik, Alzolay could provide significant value.
Top Targets
Tylor Megill ($8,600) has similar splits as Alzolay. While he's held righties to a .221 wOBA and a .265 slugging percentage, lefties have a .373 wOBA and a .527 slugging percentage against him. That could make this an opportune matchup to deploy Max Muncy ($5,400), who is in the midst of an excellent campaign with his 153 wRC+.
The Tigers will start Tyler Alexander ($5,400) against Cleveland, which means Jose Ramirez ($5,700) could be in store for a big night. It's been a struggle for Alexander, who has a 4.51 FIP and has allowed 1.5 HR/9. Ramirez certainly brings plenty of power to the plate with his .271 ISO.
Bargain Bats
Given Megill's struggles against left-handed hitters, Cody Bellinger ($4,100) might also be someone to target. He's started to come alive at the plate, hitting five home runs and three doubles over his last 15 games. He also has at least one hit in eight of his last nine games.
Anthony Santander ($2,300) has been swinging a hot bat for the Orioles, going 15-for-35 (.429) with four home runs and two doubles over his last nine games. Given his extremely cheap salary and his improved hitting, he could provide value against Nick Pivetta ($8,000), who has allowed 12 home runs and has a 5.00 ERA across 54 innings in his last 10 starts.
Stacks to Consider
Giants vs. Austin Gomber ($6,800), Rockies: Kris Bryant ($5,200), Brandon Crawford ($4,100), Buster Posey ($3,900)
The Rockies have to be pleased with the performance of Gomber, who has a 3.79 FIP and a 1.09 WHIP. However, the last time we saw him face the Giants in San Francisco, he allowed nine runs over 1.2 innings. The Giants have a .799 OPS at home, so Gomber could have similar difficulties this time around. Bryant could be a key part of any Giants stack given his career 162 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers.
Brewers vs. Mitch Keller ($6,900), Pirates: Willy Adames ($5,500), Eduardo Escobar ($5,900), Kolten Wong ($4,400)
Keller continues to struggle after allowing four runs in each of his last four starts. He has been somewhat unlucky based on his .364 BABIP allowed, but his 12.0 percent walk rate and 50.3 percent hard-hit rate allowed don't help matters. Adames has been the Brewers' best hitter since being acquired from the Rays, and Escobar also brings a much-needed power boost to their lineup with his .235 ISO.
Red Sox vs. Spenser Watkins ($5,100), Orioles: Rafael Devers ($5,800), J.D. Martinez ($5,100), Jarren Duran ($3,200)
Watkins' numbers at Triple-A don't exactly generate a lot of confidence for his level of success in the big leagues. As a member of the Tigers' system in 2019, he had a 7.98 ERA and a 6.65 FIP at Triple-A. This year, he had a 3.58 ERA, but a 5.11 FIP at Triple-A for the Orioles. He also allowed 1.7 HR/9 to go along with an underwhelming 20.0 percent strikeout rate. Now with the Orioles, he's allowed at least four runs in each of his last three starts. This could get ugly in a hurry against the Red Sox, who have the sixth-best OPS in baseball. They've been led by Devers, who has a .283 ISO to go along with a .388 wOBA.
