This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There are 14 games that will make up the main evening slate Friday on Yahoo. That leaves us with a ton of pitchers and hitters to wade through. Let's try to help narrow down the field by highlighting some players who could thrive in favorable matchups.
Pitchers
Joe Ryan ($49) has been excellent for the Twins, recording a 2.90 ERA and 2.77 FIP. He has been taken deep just six times over 77.2 innings and he has shown excellent control with a 4.9 percent walk rate. As far as favorable matchups go, it doesn't get much better than the Tigers, who have scored the fewest runs in baseball.
Taijuan Walker ($38) hasn't pitched as well as he did last season, posting a 4.67 ERA and 4.86 FIP over 14 starts. Part of the problem has been a 10.7 percent walk rate that is nearly three percentage points higher than his career mark. He has pitched better lately, allowing three or fewer runs in each of his last five outings. Look for him to continue that streak against the Athletics in their pitcher-friendly home park. For the season, the Athletics have just a .618 OPS in Oakland.
JP Sears ($36) has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise awful starting rotation for the Athletics. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his last six starts, leaving him with a 4.15 ERA for the season. His 5.02 FIP is more of a concern, and he has also given up 1.8 HR/9. However, he has pitched well enough of late to at least be worth considering in tournament play. Not only does he have his home part advantage, but the Phillies only have a .730 OPS versus left-handed pitchers.
Top Targets
Luis Robert Jr. ($18) hit another home run Thursday, giving him three over his last four games. He already has 17 homers for the season to go along with his .362 wOBA. He will look to stay hot in a matchup against Bryan Woo ($25), who has allowed eight runs and 11 hits over 6.2 innings since being called up from Double-A.
Bobby Witt Jr. ($18) provides an excellent combination of speed and power, recording 11 home runs and 21 steals. He is swinging a hot bat lately, hitting 14-for-43 (.326) with a .370 OBP over his last 11 games. More success could be coming against Patrick Sandoval ($33), who has a bloated 1.45 WHIP.
Bargain Bats
Will Benson ($10) has rebounded from a slow start to hit 13-for-39 (.333) with a .422 OBP over his last 13 games. His strikeout rate is 27.4 percent for the season, but it was just 13.3 percent during that 13-game stretch. Strikeouts might not be an issue for him J.P. France ($33), who has just a 20.5 percent strikeout rate this season.
Talk about speed. Dairon Blanco ($12) stole 45 bases over 107 games at Triple-A last year. This season, he had 47 steals over 49 games before being called up to the majors. Given Sandoval's elevated WHIP, Blanco could find himself with a couple of opportunities to record a steal.
Stacks to Consider
Braves vs. Dinelson Lamet ($27), Rockies: Ronald Acuna Jr. ($26), Matt Olson ($18), Austin Riley ($17)
Most nights, the Braves are one of the top teams to stack. They have the second-highest OPS and have scored the fourth-most runs in baseball. Don't expect Lamet, who has a 10.38 ERA and 5.17 FIP, to be able to slow them down. Although he hasn't hit for average, Olson has a .362 wOBA to go along with his .262 ISO.
Angels vs. Brady Singer ($34), Royals: Shohei Ohtani ($18), Mike Trout ($18), Hunter Renfroe ($13)
Singer has not been able to replicate his excellent 2022 campaign that saw him finish with a 3.23 ERA and 3.58 FIP. He has taken a major step backward with a 6.58 ERA and 4.63 FIP. Not only is his walk rate up by more than three percentage points, but opponents have recorded a 11.2 percent barrel rate against him. All of that could spell doom against Ohtani, who is dominating again with a .320 ISO and a .418 wOBA.
Dodgers vs. John Brebbia ($25), Giants: Mookie Betts ($24), Freddie Freeman ($25), Will Smith ($18)
Brebbia will be the opener for this bullpen game for the Giants. Sean Manaea, who has a 5.52 ERA and a 4.64 FIP, is an option to pitch multiple innings behind him. Even if he doesn't follow Brebbia, injuries have left the Giants with few quality options that can log multiple innings. A top selection for a Dodgers stack is Smith, who remains one of the best hitting catchers with his .227 ISO and .392 wOBA.
