This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We get a full schedule of games Saturday night with 20 teams on the main slate. It's a fairly strong group of pitchers, but there are still a lot of favorable spots for hitters – particularly some salary savers.
Pitchers
Carlos Rodon ($9,500) is likely the best cash-game option as he's maintained a 32 percent strikeout rate and 3.02 SIERA on the season. He draws a matchup against the Athletics, who have the league's third-worst wOBA against left-handed pitching. Max Scherzer ($10,600) has maintained even better skills than Rodon. Meanwhile, his matchup against Atlanta can go one of two ways as the Braves are among the best teams in the league as measured by wOBA but also strike out at the third-highest rate.
It's hard to see Merrill Kelly's ($9,000) salary and consider him seriously based solely on his name value, but he's been excellent for the majority of the year and has been on quite a run of late with 21.6 DK points across his last 10 starts. The Rockies don't have a scary lineup on the road maintaining only a .284 wOBA for the season.
Aaron Ashby ($8,000) and Nick Lodolo ($8,300) both deserve consideration. They've produced uneven results in their rookie campaigns, but are undervalued based on their strikeout rate and SIERA relative to the available arms on Saturday night. Of the duo, I'd lean Ashby thanks being the home pitcher and on the easier side of the matchup.
Nathan Eovaldi ($7,300) represents the value pitcher of the day. He didn't get his velocity back in his last start against Houston, but still managed to put up 26.7 DK points against one of the tougher lineups. The task will be easier Saturday as Eovaldi takes on the Royals.
Top Hitters
Until proven otherwise, I'll operate under the assumption Domingo German isn't back to full strength. He's allowed at least one long ball in all three of his starts this season and just a 6.3 K-BB%. The Cardinals boast a number of hitters capable of taking advantage, but Nolan Arenado ($5,300) is a solid building block.
Since Jun. 1, Michael Kopech has allowed multiple home runs in four of 11 starts, resulting in a 2.0 HR/9. Corey Seager ($5,000) has slowed down relative to his power binge in early July, but he's a steady contributor and very good cash game play on a lot of slates.
We also don't need much excuse to pick hitters in Toronto's lineup, but that's even more true with Dylan Bundy on the mound. He's not the worst performer in any one particular area, but offers an uninspiring skillset that culminates in a 4.31 SIERA – fifth-highest among the pitching pool. Vladimir Guerrero ($5,300) has produced four extra-base hits in his last four games and should be in a strong spot to continue his power binge.
Top Values
Brandon Belt ($3,000) has posted a .429 OBP over his last 10 starts, but is slugging only .414 in that same span. He's in a decent spot to up his power output Saturday as the Giants take on Adam Oller, who's served up 2.6 HR/9 across 38.2 innings in 2022.
Seth Beer ($2,000) has struggled to capitalize on his second chance in the majors, but I like him for a few reasons. Of course, his minimum salary helps, as does a matchup against Antonio Senzatela – who enters with the lowest strikeout of any pitcher taking the mound on the main slate.
Jake Cave ($2,000) is another bat with some pop that checks in at the base salary. He'll take on Mitch White, who has given up 11.3 baserunners per nine innings this season.
Stacks to Consider
Giants at Athletics (Adam Oller): Joc Pederson ($3,600), Brandon Belt ($3,000), Wilmer Flores ($4,200)
We'll start with a nice value stack, and utilizing it would open up a lot of different possibilities for builds including a pair of aces or a high secondary stack. That isn't to say the Giants can't do some damage. Joc Pederson is expected to return to the lineup Saturday. And in addition to the shortcomings already noted in Oller's profile, he also carries an 11.5 percent walk rate and only a 15.3 percent strikeout rate.
Cardinals vs. Yankees (Domingo German): Dylan Carlson ($4,100), Nolan Gorman ($3,800), Paul Goldschmidt ($6,100)
The Cardinals are valued much more fully compared to the Giants. However, they still offer spots for savings with Carlson and Gorman lining up as the 1-2 hitters in the order against right-handed pitching. German is capable of putting together decent starts, but we haven't seen it yet this year.
Red Sox vs. Royals (Daniel Lynch): Jarren Duran ($3,000), Tommy Pham ($4,700), Rafael Devers ($5,200)
Lynch has limited runs effectively for several consecutive starts, but he's failed to work more than 5.1 innings in any of his last five appearances and under five three times. That has put a lot of pressure on the Royals' bullpen, a unit that has allowed a 4.56 ERA – third-highest in the league. The Red Sox haven't met expectations this season, but they still have a lineup capable of producing plenty of offense.
