DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdown – Saturday, August 11

FanDuel MLB: CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 27: Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer #47 of the Cleveland Indians reacts after striking out Yuli Gurriel of the Houston Astros to end the top of the sixth inning at Progressive Field on May 27, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
FanDuel MLB: CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 27: Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer #47 of the Cleveland Indians reacts after striking out Yuli Gurriel of the Houston Astros to end the top of the sixth inning at Progressive Field on May 27, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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DFS MLB
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 05: Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Boston Red Sox at bat against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning of the Red Sox home opening game at Fenway Park on April 5, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) DFS MLB /

Welcome into the Saturday edition of the DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdown! We have a nice sized 10 game slate on this Saturday night, so let’s dig in!

Well, you either had some Red Sox and Orioles or it was likely not the best DFS MLB night. They put up a combined 31 runs and the Boston stack paid off to some extent. I’m fairly certain 181 was the highest I’ve hit with three zeroes in the lineup. I’m already a little tilted about this slate because I can’t attack Jon Lester since it’s an afternoon game, but that doesn’t mean we can’t figure out the games in front of us!

DFS MLB – Red Sox at Orioles

Red Sox Probable Starter – TBD 

As of now, the Sox haven’t announced who is going to start this game. FanDuel had it listed as Chris Sale but he’s not starting until Sunday. Since it’s a double header, it will likely be someone from AAA making a spot start. As soon as we know who it is, we can gauge which Orioles to play.

Orioles Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – TBD

Secondary Options – TBD

Orioles Probable Starter – Yefry Ramirez, RHP 

5.66 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 22.2 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .265 average, .369 wOBA, 23.5 K rate, 45.7 fly ball rate and 29.2 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .232 average, .314 wOBA, 20.6 K rate, 46.3 fly ball rate and 33.3 hard hit rate

Ramirez has yet to go past five innings or record more than seven strikeouts so this doesn’t appear to be a spot to use him and hope for a cheap 25-30 points. It also doesn’t appear we have to be terribly picky about which Red Sox bats we want to use. Yes, Ramirez has been a little worse to lefties but are you not going to use Mookie Betts or J.D Martinez because they bat righty? I’m not either. You can go with the top shelf lefty Andrew Benintendi who has a .213 ISO and .409 wOBA versus righty pitching. He also comes with a great BB/K ratio and could steal a bag as well. You can also drop down the pricing spectrum and use a mid-range Rafael Devers(.215 ISO) or punt with Brock Holt. He hit a homer last night but I wouldn’t expect that again.

Red Sox Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, Mitch Moreland

Secondary Options – Rafael Devers, Brock Holt, Xander Bogaerts

Home Run Pick – Andrew Benintendi

DFS MLB
FanDuel MLB: DETROIT, MI – JUNE 9: Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians reacts after catching a line drive off the bat of Nicholas Castellanos (not in photo) during the sixth inning of the game at Comerica Park on June 9, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Indians at White Sox

Indians Probable Starter – Trevor Bauer, RHP 

2.25 ERA, 1.12  WHIP and 31.3 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .197 average, .259 wOBA, 30.0 K rate, 35.4 fly ball rate and 35.9 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .216 average, .268 wOBA, 32.4 K rate, 33.9 fly ball rate and 36.9 hard hit rate

Even at $12,000, it might be hard to find a pitcher with a better matchup tonight. The White Sox sit atop baseball in strikeout rate versus righty pitching and Bauer is one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game. He also got back on track in his last start but striking out 11 Twins. The previous games had represented a little bit of a bump in the road but Bauer should be locked in tonight.

White Sox Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – None

White Sox Probable Starter – James Shields, RHP 

4.50 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 18.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .211 average, .302 wOBA, 19.2 K rate, 41.3 fly ball rate and 31.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .257 average, .323 wOBA, 17.6 K rate, 43.9 fly ball rate and 35.6 hard hit rate

This might appear to be a spot to load up on Indians but I’m not sure how anxious I am to go there tonight. The pitch he throws the most to lefties is the changeup and he throws it about 31 percent of the time. Shields really mixes his pitch type but the change has been a weapon for him this season. That’s right, Shields has a pitch that has been a weapon. He’s only giving up a .068 ISO against that pitch and Jose Ramirez has a .125 ISO on righty changeups all season. I don’t think I’d pay up for Ramirez tonight but I might make an exception for Francisco Lindor. In nine at-bats, he has a .557 xwOBA versus Shields and has six hits with a home run. Perhaps it’s because Lindor has a monster .457 ISO and .423 xwOBA against righty change ups. Yonder Alonso also has three homers in 12 at-bats and a .450 xwOBA. I think Shields negates the full Indians stack but there are a couple hitters to use.

Indians Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Francisco Lindor, Yonder Alonso

Secondary Options – Jose Ramirez, Michael Brantley

Home Run Pick – Francisco Lindor

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FanDuel MLB: MILWAUKEE, WI – MAY 27: Lorenzo Cain #6, Jesus Aguilar #24, and Christian Yelich #22 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after Aguilar hit a home run in the third inning against the New York Mets at Miller Park on May 27, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Brewers at Braves

Brewers Probable Starter – Wade Miley, LHP  

2.10 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 15.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .185 average, .283 wOBA, 14.7 K rate, 27.3 fly ball rate and 54.6 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .206 average, .262 wOBA, 15.6 K rate, 24.7 fly ball rate and 43.8 hard hit rate

If you want a sneaky stack tonight, take a couple of the Braves righties but then mix in a couple lefties as well. Miley’s splits didn’t make a ton of sense with a hard hit rate so high but his xFIP and FIP are way higher than the ERA. That’s especially true to the lefties as the FIP is 4.65 and the xFIP is all the way up at 6.00. I highly doubt that many folks will play Freddie Freeman against a lefty that has a 2.10 ERA at $4,200. Freeman has a .248 ISO and a .410 wOBA versus lefties this year so he can definitely rack up some points against Miley tonight. Nick Markakis is also very solid with a .381 wOBA and .187 ISO and is $500 cheaper. If you go the more traditional rout of righty hitters versus lefty pitching, Tyler Flowers and Johan Camargo are the spots to go as to save money to pay for Freeman. Flowers leads the team in OPS, ISO and wBA against lefties and Camargo has a higher ISO at .283 than Freeman or Ozzie Albies.

Braves Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Tyler Flowers, Johan Camargo

Secondary Options – Freddie Freeman, Nick Markakis(both elite for GPP), Ozzie Albies

Braves Probable Starter – Julio Teheran, RHP  

4.48 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 21.9 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .225 average, .344 wOBA, 17.6 K rate, 42.5 fly ball rate and 42.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .198  average, .298 wOBA, 25.9 K rate, 41.0 fly ball rate and 36.8 hard hit rate

There’s reason to think that this spot could get a little ugly for Teheran. He’s giving up homers at a higher rate to righties but hitters from both sides of the plate pop out here. Teheran throws a four seam/sinker combo over 60 percent to either side and there are hitters that do some serious damage against those pitches. Three hitters have an ISO over .300 and an xwOBA over .400 and they’re Eric Thames, Jesus Aguilar and Travis Shaw. The best combo of both metrics probably goes to Aguilar, and he’s a righty so he has the higher percentage chance at a home run. The .393 wOBA and .312 ISO versus righties overall doesn’t hurt either. I’m kind of betting Thames sits because he’s been in a pretty rough slump lately(that coincided with me trading for him in seasonal for some homers down the stretch, thanks Eric) so don’t be afraid to play Mike Moustakas either. Teheran has had some blowup starts and this could be one of them.

Brewers Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Jesus Aguilar,Travis Shaw, Christian Yelich

Secondary Options – Eric Thames, Mike Moustakas, Jonathan Schoop

Home Run Pick – Jesus Aguilar

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NEW YORK, NY – JULY 15: Corey Oswalt #55 of the New York Mets pitches against the Washington Nationals during their game at Citi Field on July 15, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Mets at Marlins

Mets Probable Starter – Corey Oswalt, RHP 

5.13 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 17.2 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .218 average, .304 wOBA, 11.5 K rate, 45.7 fly ball rate and 25.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .217 average, .281 wOBA, 21.9 K rate, 26.9 fly ball rate and 37.7 hard hit rate

I think Oswalt is a pitcher that I might be willing to take a shot on tonight. It’s not a perfect situation. So far, his ERA is over 7.00 on the road and one of the big reasons for that was this very Marlins team waxed him for six earned runs in his second start. So why would I want to play him? First, I’m not going to put a ton of stock into the second start of the career, good or bad. Secondly, the trade of Justin Bour has made the Marlins lineup even less dangerous. While the road splits look ugly, the xFIP versus righty hitters is down at 3.71. That’s plenty good enough to risk a pitcher at $6,200. The only hitter that really does much for me at this point is J.T. Realmuto who has a .223 ISO and .382 wOBA versus righty pitching.

Marlins Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – J.T. Realmuto

Marlins Probable Starter – Dan Straily, RHP 

4.35 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 20.0 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .251 average, .358 wOBA, 20.5 K rate, 33.6 fly ball rate and 44.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .221 average, .304 wOBA, 19.2 K rate, 44.4 fly ball rate and 45.0 hard hit rate

Straily has been worse against righties at home so far and that would likely be where I would head in this matchup. I know it’s a mirage but Austin Jackson continues to just destroy righty pitching in a Mets uniform. Against righties, Jackson has a 1.411 OPS, .320 ISO and .591 wOBA through 28 at-bats. He’s even chipped in a stolen base and is just $2,800. You could also use Wilmer Flores, who has a .232 ISO versus the pitch mix for Straily and a .211 against righties overall. I would caution slightly that Straily has only allowed more than three earned runs once in his last nine starts. I won’t have many Mets in my lineup as of now.

Mets Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Austin Jackson

Secondary Options – Wilmer Flores, Brandon Nimmo, Jose Bautista

Home Run Pick – Austin Jackson

DFS MLB
CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 27: Evan Gattis #11 of the Houston Astros flips his bat after hitting a solo home run in the 13th inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on May 27, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Mariners at Astros

Mariners Probable Starter – Wade LeBlanc, LHP 

3.81 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 19.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .270 average, .329 wOBA, 21.5 K rate, 43.7 fly ball rate and 31.5 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .238 average, .294 wOBA, 18.6 K rate, 41.2 fly ball rate and 32.3 hard hit rate

I will take all of the Evan Gattis tonight, please and thank you. LeBlanc is a fly ball pitcher who throws his sinker and changeup a ton to righty hitters. Gattis loves seeing that mix with a .453 xwOBA and an absurd .429 ISO versus that pitch mix. If you need more convincing, Gattis also has a .244 ISO overall and he has the BvP data against LeBlanc. In 11 at-bats, he has a .605 xwOBA to go along with two doubles and three homers. Oh, the last thing that makes him a lock for me? How about a ridiculously low price tag of $2,300 on FanDuel, which is so low even if Gattis flops, it really doesn’t hurt from a points per dollar perspective. Alex Bregman and the returning Carlos Correa are also very affordable at $3,700 and $3,600. They both have wOBA’s over .375 and I would still lean Bregman because he’s not just missed a chunk of the season. Josh Reddick is also pretty interesting with LeBlanc’s reverse splits and his .287 against lefty pitching.

Astros Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Evan Gattis, Alex Bregman

Secondary Options – Carlos Correa, Josh Reddick, Tyler White

Astros Probable Starter – Charlie Morton, RHP 

2.81 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 30.8 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .206 average, .310 wOBA, 36.1 K rate, 34.5 fly ball rate and 41.3 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .200 average, .262 wOBA, 24.1 K rate, 24.7 fly ball rate and 24.6 hard hit rate

I just can’t see any upside to playing Mariners hitters tonight unless you stack up the top part of the lineup and hope that Morton is a little bit off. He did just throw six strong innings against this team two starts ago, even though Seattle is a bottom five team in strikeout rate. I still want to find the money to get up to Bauer, but if you don’t want to spend that much, Morton could be a fine pivot.

Mariners Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Nelson Cruz, Mitch Haniger

Home Run Pick – Evan Gattis

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ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 23: Jedd Gyorko #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a double in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium on May 23, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael B. Thomas /Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Cardinals at Royals

Cardinals Probable Starter – Jack Flaherty, RHP 

3.27 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 29.9 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .200 average, .279 wOBA, 25.1 K rate, 33.9 fly ball rate and 32.2 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .213 average, .297 wOBA, 34.5 K rate, 40.0 fly ball rate and 35.1 hard hit rate

When Lucas Duda is the best hitter you can offer from an ISO and wOBA standpoint, that’s really not the best thing in baseball. Among hitters with at least 50 at-bats on Kansas City, Duda has a .198 ISO and a .339 wOBA which doesn’t exactly scare me. Flaherty is coming off a strong start in Pittsburgh, going six innings and striking out seven while giving up zero runs. The quality start is always kind of a question with Flaherty but the $8,000 price tag makes it worth the risk. The Royals offense doesn’t look like anything we need to chase.

Royals Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Lucas Duda

Royals Probable Starter – Danny Duffy, LHP 

4.70 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 20.6 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .263 average, .289 wOBA, 22.1 K rate, 32.4 fly ball rate and 39.5 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .257 average, .341 wOBA, 20.3 K rate, 45.3 fly ball rate and 38.4 hard hit rate

Duffy has been significantly worse at home this year, seeing his ERA spike by almost three full runs. Jedd Gyorko is once again insanely cheap in a juicy spot, racking up a 1.009 OPS, .288 ISO and a .423 wOBA. The pitch data gets even more enticing with a .534 xwOBA and a .607(!) ISO against the main two pitches for Duffy. Righty hitting Paul DeJong, Marcell Ozuna and Yadier Molina are all in play and Harrison Bader is a really solid punt option as well. It’s a little difficult to recommend paying the premium for Matt Carpenter tonight. He smacks around lefties without an issue but Duffy has only given up two homers to lefty hitters. Greg Garcia would also be a punt of all punts if he plays. It’s an extremely limited sample size of 21 at-bats, but he has a .300 ISO versus lefties overall and a .496 xwOBA against the pitch mix for Duffy. The Cardinals stack could be a great way to get to Bauer with offensive upside.

Cardinals Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Jedd Gyorko, Greg Garcia(punt)

Secondary Options – Paul DeJong, Marcell Ozuna, Yadier Molina, Matt Carpenter

Home Run Pick – Jedd Gyorko

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DENVER, CO – JUNE 10: Kyle Freeland #21 of the Colorado Rockies pitches in the first inning of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field on June 10, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Dodgers at Rockies

Dodgers Probable Starter – Walker Buehler, RHP 

3.63 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 26.3 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .237 average, .296 wOBA, 27.3 K rate, 35.9 fly ball rate and 31.2 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .213 average, .265 wOBA, 25.3 K rate, 29.4 fly ball rate and 37.6 hard hit rate

Coors Field hasn’t exactly been crazy lately and one way you can tell that is Charlie Blackmon is at home against a righty pitcher…and is only $3,900. Yes, Buehler has looked good in his career so far but under $4,000 for Blackmon at home seems almost too good to pass up. One of the reasons I might not play him is I might save $500 and play David Dahl instead. It’s a smaller sample but Dahl has the higher ISO and wOBA than Blackmon. The pitch data is also massively in Dahl’s favor. Buehler’s main two pitches are the four seam and the sinker. Dahl’s xwOBA and ISO is .535 and .407 compared to Blackmon’s .371 and .345. That’s not an insignificant difference, especially for the cheaper player. Nolan Arenado left yesterday’s game and if he’s out, I think Buehler could be worth a dice roll at $7,100. With no Arenado, Buehler would have to get by the two lefties and then the lineup gets easier to control. It’s a GPP special only because Coors can go nuts at any moment.

Rockies Hitters to Target 

Elite options – David Dahl, Charlie Blackmon

Secondary Options – Carlos Gonzalez

Rockies Probable Starter – Kyle Freeland, LHP 

3.04 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 18.9 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .203 average, .266 wOBA, 26.6 K rate, 32.5 fly ball rate and 26.7 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .243 average, .304 wOBA, 16.5 K rate, 33.6 fly ball rate and 32.4 hard hit rate

I belive I said it the last time Freeland pitched at home but be cautious here. He’s got a 2.18 ERA at home and even against righties, he’s only giving up a .209 average, .299 wOBA and a 1.14 HR/9 ratio. Those are all numbers that would lead me to not target hitters against him if the game was anywhere but Coors and the Dodgers lineup wasn’t loaded. I might limit my exposure here to GPP only because it’s impossible to ignore what Freeland has done to this point. Matt Kemp rates the best as a righty against the three main pitches for Freeland, all variations on the fastball. Kemp has a .525 xwOBA and a .435 ISO. Maybe he’s the cash play if you definitely want a hitter from that side and then reserve hitters like Manny Macho, Justin Turner and Brian Dozier for GPP.

Dodgers Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Matt Kemp

Secondary Options – Manny Machado, Justin Turner, Brian Dozier, Kike Hernadez

Home Run Pick – David Dahl

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 04: Nick Williams #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates a three run home run in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on August 4, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Phillies at Padres

Phillies Probable Starter – Aaron Nola, RHP 

2.37 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 24.8 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .206 average, .259 wOBA, 22.9 K rate, 32.8 fly ball rate and 24.5 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .193 average, .231 wOBA, 26.7 K rate, 29.2 fly ball rate and 25.4 hard hit rate

I don’t attack Nola on a good day and I’m certainly not going to go after him with a team that strikes out over a quarter of the time. In a total of 35 at-bats against the active Padres hitters, Nola has held them down to a .143 batting average and a .161 xwOBA, which is the lowest I can remember since we’ve used that metric. No thank you at all.

Padres Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – None

Padres Probable Starter – Walker Lockett, RHP 

9.28 ERA, 2.34 WHIP and 17.9 strikeout rate(10.2 IP)

Vs LHH – .414 average, .517 wOBA, 11.4 K rate, 28.0 fly ball rate and 44.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .263 average, .273 wOBA, 28.6 K rate, 7.7 fly ball rate and 38.5 hard hit rate

I’ve always preached that we can’t weigh splits too heavily when it’s a sample of 10 innings but it’s hard not to want some Philly lefties tonight. What’s really nice is there are two cheaper ones in Odubel Herrera and Nick Williams, who both have an ISO over .195 and a wOBA over .335. The wOBA’s are a little lower than I would normally want but it’s hard to see Lockett having a good game. He should face four lefty hitters in the first five hitters and the lone righty is Rhys Hoskins, which is no picnic in and of itself. You can definitely go with Cesar Hernandez and Carlos Santana as well, they are just a little pricier and the ISO and wOBA are just a little bit lower.

Phillies Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams

Secondary Options – Carlos Santana, Cesar Hernandez, Rhys Hoskins, Asdrubal Cabrera

Home Run Pick – Nick Williams

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FanDuel MLB: PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 06: Corey Dickerson #12 of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a two run RBI double to right field in the sixth inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on April 6, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Pirates at Giants

Pirates Probable Starter – Trevor Williams, RHP 

3.88 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 16.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .244 average, .307 wOBA, 11.7 K rate, 37.2 fly ball rate and 29.1 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .236 average, .304 wOBA, 20.9 K rate, 40.7 fly ball rate and 32.2 hard hit rate

The Giants took the Pirates stupid plan of giving their pitchers an extra day of rest coming out of Coors Field and wrecked it last night, going for double digit runs. Williams should bring better results than that but I’m not overly excited about using him. He just doesn’t have a high strikeout ceiling so if he gives up any runs, your score is likely sunk. Alen Hanson had a big game last night and he does have a .242 ISO and .357 wOBA versus righties. This has a typical San Francisco game of just a couple runs scored written all over it.

Giants Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Alen Hanson

Giants Probable Starter – Dereck Rodriguez, RHP 

2.34 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 20.6 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .232 average, .306 wOBA, 17.0 K rate, 37.4 fly ball rate and 47.1 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .203 average, .253 wOBA, 23.6 K rate, 30.8 fly ball rate and 40.0 hard hit rate

Part of the reason I don’t want a whole lot to do with this game is the pitching of Rodriguez in his career to this point. He might not be as good as the numbers would lead you to believe, because he is giving up a lot of hard contact. He’s rocking a 1.99 ERA at home so far and the FIP is only at 3.25 which suggests he is mostly for real in his home park. Since Rodriguez is worse against lefty hitters, you ca use Gregory Polanco or Corey Dickerson if you’d like. They both have ISO’s over .210 and a wOBA over .360. They just aren’t my favorite plays given the other factors around them tonight.

Pirates Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Gregory Polanco, Corey Dickerson

Home Run Pick – Corey Dickerson

DFS MLB
LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 14: Kole Calhoun #56 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo homerun in the tenth inning of their MLB game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Calhoun’s solo homerun was the eventual game-winning run. The Angels defeated the Dodgers 5-4. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – A’s at Angels

A’s Probable Starter – Edwin Jackson, RHP 

2.87 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 18.5 strikeout rate

VS LHH – .202 average, .277 wOBA, 18.4 K rate, 39.2 fly ball rate and 32.9 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .213 average, .272 wOBA, 18.8 K rate, 37.5 fly ball rate and 33.3 hard hit rate

Jackson is having some sort of weird run of usefulness as far as real life baseball goes. He really hasn’t been that bad for fantasy either, averaging around 30 FanDuel points a game. I’m still not totally bought into Jackson being a solid pitching option, even though Mike Trout is finally on the disabled list. I want the two lefties that can do the most damage against Jackson and that means Shohei Ohtani and Kole Calhoun. Ohtani has light up righty pitching with a huge .340 ISO and a .431 wOBA to go along with a 1.035 OPS. The ISO is actually higher than Trout by just a little bit and comparable in the other metrics. Calhoun has continued to smash in the past 30 days with a .307 average, .446 wOBA and a whopping 10 home runs. For some reason, both hitters are just $3,100.

Angels Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Shohei Ohtani, Kole Calhoun

Secondary Options – Justin Upton, Andrelton Simmons

Angels Probable Starter – Tyler Skaggs, LHP

3.34 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 25.0 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .235 average, .282 wOBA, 27.1 K rate, 37.8 fly ball rate and 37.4 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .254 average, .306 wOBA, 24.3 K rate, 30.9 fly ball rate and 39.1 hard hit rate

Skaggs could be a really good GPP option considering his performance thus far in the season. The issue is he’s coming off the disabled list, which is usually a no-fly zone for me. He also got hammered in his last start before hitting the DL for 10 earned runs by the Rays. Was it just Skaggs pitching through injury, a bad start or something else? Even if you can’t decide on which lane you want overall, Mark Canha is a fantastic option for his price point. He’s got a .331 ISO versus lefty pitching to go along with a .396 wOBA. Chad Pinder is in the same boat but has lower statistics by this metrics. If you think Skaggs could get beat up, kick in Khris Davis and Matt Chapman. They both have ISO’s over .190 and Davis has been hitting the ball well lately.

A’s Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Mark Canha

Secondary Options – Chad Pinder, Khris Davis, Matt Chapman

Home Run Pick – Shohei Ohtani

DFS MLB
OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 29: Trevor Bauer #47 of the Cleveland Indians pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum on June 29, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – FanDuel Sample Lineup

P – Trevor Bauer  

More from FanSided

C/1B – Evan Gattis

2B – Brock Holt 

3B – Jedd Gyorko

SS – Brandon Crawford

OF – Nick Williams, Shohei Ohtani, Kole Calhoun 

Utility – Odubel Herrera

It was fairly simple to play Bauer and make everything work. Not having any Coors doesn’t worry me as much as it normally would, especially when there are such strong plays in other games. Gattis and Holt are so cheap and help make everything work easily. Gyorko and Crawford are nice mid-range plays, although I’m not the craziest about Crawford. It’s more of he’s the best option within the budget of everything else. The outfield looks pretty fun with two mini stacks from Philly and the Angels. If you din’t like the Angel stack, it’s an easy switch to Dahl/Canha instead.

The Core – Evan Gattis, Jedd Gyorko, Trevor Bauer

Pitching to Consider 

High End – Trevor Bauer, Aaron Nola, Charlie Morton

Mid-Range – Dereck Rodriguez, Jack Flaherty, Either Coors pitcher for GPP

Punt – Corey Oswald

Stacks to Consider – Boston Red Sox, Brewers/Braves game stack, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Coors Field

Fantasy Football RB Rankings. dark. Next

As always, may fortune be on your side and make sure to follow me on Twitter @bucn4life as MLB allows late swap. If there’s a late scratch and/or lineup cards aren’t put in for the late games, this article will always be updated on Twitter ASAP.