This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
With several early start times Thursday, we only have seven games to choose from on Yahoo. The starting pitching options are generally unappealing, but there are still a few hurlers who could provide value. Let's dig into the matchups to help you gain an edge over the field.
Pitching Overview
The biggest name of the night on the mound will be Stephen Strasburg ($52). He's once again having a fantastic season with his 3.47 ERA and even better 3.14 FIP. While facing the Braves is no walk in the park, he has had success against them this season. He's already started against them three times, allowing eight runs and recording 23 strikeouts across 18.1 innings. With his strikeout upside, he could once again finish with a valuable stat line.
With all of the big names in the Astros' starting rotation, Wade Miley's ($39) contributions sometimes go unrecognized. They shouldn't with him posting a 3.06 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. His FIP is less enticing at 4.36, but he's done a good job of limiting home runs and has one of the most potent offenses in baseball providing him with run support. The Mariners have showed some signs of life after calling up a few of their young hitters, but Miley is still one of the more appealing options for this limited slate.
John Means ($37) has been by far the most productive member of the Orioles' starting rotation. With that being said, he had a five-start stretch from the middle of July to the middle of August in which he allowed 21 runs over 22.2 innings. He's started to show signs of getting back on track, allowing six runs (five earned) across 19 innings in his last three starts. Don't be surprised if he has another strong outing versus the Rangers, who have the fourth-lowest wRC+ against left-handed pitchers (83) in baseball.
Key Values/Chalk
The Twins are normally among the chalk stacks more often than not. That should be the case once again versus the Red Sox and Nathan Eovaldi. He pitched well against the Angels is his last outing, but still only lasted four innings. He's struggled to keep men off base for the most part, leaving him with a bloated 1.57 WHIP. A key stat is that he has given up 10 home runs over 43.1 innings, leaving the likes of Nelson Cruz ($26) and Miguel Sano ($18) with high ceilings.
Staying in that same game, the Red Sox should be included in plenty of entries with Martin Perez pitching for the Twins. He's fading down the stretch, posting a 6.86 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP across his last eight starts. His last outing was particularly dreadful with the Tigers pounding him for eight runs (seven earned) over 2.2 innings. There are several hitters on the Red Sox worth targeting, the best of which might be J.D. Martinez ($27) based on his 246 wRC+ versus lefties.
Stacks
Rays vs. Trent Thornton (Blue Jays)
Austin Meadows (OF - $19), Tommy Pham (OF - $20), Travis d'Arnaud (C - $13)
Thornton can't be looking forward to this matchup. The Rays have crushed him in three previous matchups, scoring 14 runs over 11.1 innings. Add his 1.50 WHIP to the fact that he has allowed 1.6 HR/9 and he's going to struggle more often than not. d'Arnaud is showing no signs of slowing down, hitting 15-for-52 (.288) with three home runs and three doubles over his last 15 games, making him one of the top catching options.
Pirates vs. Elieser Hernandez (Marlins)
Josh Bell (1B - $19), Bryan Reynolds (OF - $21), Colin Moran (3B - $14)
There are two significant splits regarding Hernandez that work in favor of this Pirates' trio. First, Hernandez has a 6.98 FIP on the road compared to a 4.87 FIP at home. Second, he's held right-handed hitters to a .296 wOBA, but lefties have a .390 wOBA against him. Bell brings the power upside to this stack while Reynolds has a 154 wRC+ versus righties.
Marlins vs. Dario Agrazal (Pirates)
Jon Berti (SS - $18), Starlin Castro (3B - $17), Harold Ramirez (OF - $9)
While Agrazal's 4.50 ERA isn't terrible, his 6.09 FIP indicates he's been lucky to even reach that mark. He barely misses any bats, leaving him with an 11.5 percent strikeout rate. He only had a 21.2 percent strikeout rate a Triple-A, which was actually his highest mark during any of his stops in the minors. Despite their inability to score runs this season, stacking the Marlins might be a prudent risk to take. Castro has been one of their few bright spots, hitting 39-for-103 (.379) with eight home runs and nine doubles over their last 26 games.
