DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdown – Monday, August 13

ST. LOUIS, MO - MAY 18: Jedd Gyorko #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a two-RBI single against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning at Busch Stadium on May 18, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwana
ST. LOUIS, MO - MAY 18: Jedd Gyorko #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a two-RBI single against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning at Busch Stadium on May 18, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwana /
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DFS MLB
ATLANTA, GA – JUNE 12: Pitcher Mike Foltynewicz #26 of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch in the first inning during the game against the New York Mets at SunTrust Park on June 12, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) DFS MLB /

Welcome into the Monday edition of the DFS MLB Game by Game Breakdown! We have a 10 game slate on tap for tonight so let’s dig right in!

Sunday was mostly good to us as the Carrasco DFS MLB lineup went over 135 and should have cruised into the green. It’s a bit of a bummer to see Chen’s performance go to waste because the offensive players ghosted us. What really stinks is seeing the Indians score nine runs and we got one lousy walk out of Francisco Lindor. That’s why that one is a GPP lineup. Let’s see what we can put together for Monday night!

DFS MLB – Marlins at Braves

Marlins Probable Starter –  TBD 

We’ll need to keep an eye not things today for the Marlins pitching(and for that matter, Atlanta’s). They’re playing a double header and as of this writing, the Marlins haven’t announced who’s pitching which game. It will most likely be a minor league player which means we could have an opportunity to attack. The Braves are a good offense and could wind up in a good spot tonight.

Braves Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – TBD

Secondary Options – TBD

Braves Probable Starter – Mike Foltynewicz, RHP 

2.98 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 28.0 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .193 average, .299 wOBA, 26.8 K rate, 39.9 fly ball rate and 34.8 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .227 average, .272 wOBA, 29.3 K rate, 33.3 fly ball rate and 33.8 hard hit rate

It’s a bit of a boom or bust pitching slate but one of the mid-range options is going to be Mike Foltynewicz… if he pitches Game 2. As of now, he is listed as the starter but Atlanta could elect to have him pitch Game 1 and throw big time pitching prospect Touki Toussaint in the evening game. For now, we’re going to assume it’s Folty and his strikeout ceiling is pretty high tonight. He has reverse splits via average but not via the long ball, having given up on five homers to righties all season. The only everyday player who’s lefty is Derek Dietrich and you’re not sweating his .160 ISO against righty pitching. As long as Folty stays in the evening, he’s a prime target for me and the Marlins seem pretty unattractive.

Marlins Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Derek Dietrich, J.T. Realmuto

Home Run Pick – Let’s see who’s starting for Miami first

DFS MLB
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 23: Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets pitches against the San Diego Padres during their game at Citi Field on July 23, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Mets at Yankees

Mets Probable Starter – Jacob deGrom, RHP 

1.77 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 30.7 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .237 average, .282 wOBA, 29.4 K rate, 33.0 fly ball rate and 26.3 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .169 average, .204 wOBA, 32.0 K rate, 30.9 fly ball rate and 32.1 hard hit rate

This side of the game is easy because I’m not playing a single Yankee bat against deGrom. The Yankees are an awesome team for power at home but deGrom has been on another level this year.  He’s already faced this Yankees lineup once this season when Aaron Judge was healthy and he went eight innings with eight strikeouts and gave up two runs. He should have been over 50 FanDuel points that night if he could have gotten a win. If you really want the deep tournament plays, you can take a shot at Didi Gregorius and his .227 ISO against righties. Also, Giancarlo Stanton has really out of whack BvP stats. In 25 at-bats, Stanton has four homers and a .530 xwOBA to back up his .360 batting average.

Yankees Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Didi Gregorius, Giancarlo Stanton

Yankees Probable Starter – Luis Severino, RHP 

3.11 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 27.7 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .240 average, .291 wOBA, 28.5 K rate, 30.2 fly ball rate and 34.7 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .223 average, .276 wOBA, 27.0 K rate, 3.7 fly ball rate and 31.3 hard hit rate

This one is a little harder to figure out. Severino had been getting smacked in the face until his last start when he pitched well against the White Sox to stop the bleeding. The hard part to figure out is if he figured out what his issues were or if the Sox just stink that badly. I’m going to lean towards Severino in this spot because he’s been better at home, which seems a little weird considering where he pitches. The Mets offense is better versus righty pitching but they’re still not good, rating no higher than 19th in all of our normal offensive categories. When Severino is on the bump, I like to look at who hits the slider well and about the only play is Brandon Nimmo with a .280 ISO versus the pitch. The Mets might make a decent GPP stack if Severino isn’t on his game but I don’t think that’s going to be the case.

Mets Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Brandon Nimmo, stack with Wilmer Flores and Jeff McNeil

Home Run Pick – Brandon Nimmo

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DETROIT, MI – JUNE 26: Shortstop Niko Goodrum #28 of the Detroit Tigers turns the ball after getting a force out on Marcus Semien of the Oakland Athletics at second base during the seventh inning at Comerica Park on June 26, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Matt Joyce of the Oakland Athletics hit into the play and was safe at first base. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – White Sox at Tigers

White Sox Probable Starter – Reynaldo Lopez, RHP 

4.30 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 16.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .224 average, .311 wOBA, 15.3 k rate, 52.1 fly ball rate and 34.1 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .255 average, .340 wOBA, 17.5 K rate,  43.6 fly ball rate and 33.2 hard hit rate

The fact Reynaldo Lopez doesn’t strike hitters out makes the Tigers a bit more attractive even though they are awful against righty pitching. I feel like I’ve said this a lot these past few days but I like Niko Goodrum once again. Lopez throws the four seamer about 60 percent of the time to either side of the plate and Goodrum smashes that pitch. The ISO is .391 versus that pitch and it flows nicely with his .438 xwOBA as well. It’s also nice that Goodrum has been over 20 FanDuel points in three straight games and is still just $2,200. It’s just hard to get behind many hitters on a team that has so many poor stats to go with the pitcher’s handedness. Jeimer Candelario, Nicholas Castellanos and maybe Jim Aducci are in play as well. I would just treat this three as lineup fillers, not primary targets.

Tigers Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Niko Goodrum

Secondary Options – Jeimer Candelario, Nicholas Castellanos, Jim Aducci

Tigers Probable Starter – Artie Lewicki, RHP 

4.76 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 18.2 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .319 average, .370 wOBA, 12.7 K rate, 35.5 fly ball rate and 46.8 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .292 average, .332 wOBA, 24.6 K rate, 31.3 fly ball rate and 47.9 hard hit rate

The Sox aren’t a good offense but yet they have five hitters with an ISO over .200 versus righty pitching and it’s not like Lewicki is anything that great to write home about. Those five include Daniel Palka, Jose Abreu, Yoan Moncada, Avisail Garcia and Matt Davidson. I’d probably use Palka and Moncada here because it appears that Lewicki is worse against lefties. There’s always risk with the Chicago hitters due the strikeout downside but that’s another reason to go with the lefty hitters. Palka shows up the best in the pitch data with a .219 ISO but the xwOBA is further down at .305. It’s hard not to get some uneven numbers through the Chicago lineup so this is just a day when you hold your nose and use them if you need some cheap bats to fit everything else.

White Sox Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Daniel Palka, Yoan Moncada, three or four man stack with Abreu

Home Run Pick – Niko Goodrum

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DFS MLB – Indians at Reds

Indians Probable Starter – Mike Clevinger, RHP 

3.38 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 24.1 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .233 average, .303 wOBA, 20.5 K rate, 39.6 fly ball rate and 34.8 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .241 average, .286 wOBA, 27.7 K rate, 37.4 fly ball rate and 35.2 hard hit rate

I’d be lying if I said I feel completely confident in this side of the game. I think Clevinger is going to have the upper hand in real life but he’s not worth the tag in fantasy. The last time he hit 40 points on FanDuel was the middle of June, when he got the White Sox for 60+ points in consecutive games. During that stretch, he’s faced the Reds and struck out 11 hitters. The flip side is he let in five earned runs. He’s been far better on the road but this isn’t exactly a good pitching environment. There’s a lot of conflicting numbers here and I think I’m avoiding it completely. The one hitter that I might look at is Joey Votto. I usually have passed him by but he carries a .270 ISO versus the four seam, which he’ll get 55 percent fo the time. He also does have a homer against Clevinger as well with a .412 xwOBA.

Reds Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Joey Votto

Reds Probable Starter – Homer Bailey, RHP 

6.19 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 14.7 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .277 average, .363 wOBA, 16.1 K rate, 36.7 fly ball rate and 33.6 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .311 average, .373 wOBA, 13.5 K rate, 34.0 fly ball rate and 50.0 hard hit rate

If there was ever a guaranteed thing that has happened in this article all season, it was Bailey getting lit up by the Mets after I gave him a tepid recommendation. You can bet I’m not going there tonight against the powerful Indians lineups and it doesn’t bother me in the least he’s a little better against lefty hitters. This is an “all kids in the pool” type of spot for me and any big name hitter from Cleveland is in play. Jose Ramirez is going to be fresh after a day off yesterday and he carries a whopping .370 ISO versus righty pitching. I’m not going to talk you out of any Cleveland bat tonight.

Indians Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley

Secondary Options – Yonder Alonso, Jason Kipnis, bottom of the lineup value plays

Home Run Pick – Jose Ramirez and Joey Votto

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FanDuel MLB: ARLINGTON, TX – MAY 04: Bartolo Colon #40 of the Texas Rangers throws in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington on May 4, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Diamondbacks at Rangers

Diamondbacks Probable Starter – Zack Greinke, RHP 

2.89 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 25.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .224 average, .270 wOBA, 22.9 K rate, 29.3 fly ball rate and 36.6 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .226 average, .289 wOBA, 27.4 K rate, 37.4 fly ball rate and 44.5 hard hit rate

The better hitters for the Rangers are on the left side of the plate but Greinke has given up 14 home runs to righties. He’s also thrown four of his six pitches over 250 times and the worst ISO against among the four pitches is the four seam fastball at .237 overall. With this game being in the Texas heat and Greinke being worse on the road, this could be a pretty rough start for him. Shin-soo Choo is the best hitter on the Rangers against the righty fastball with a .470 xwOBA and a .321 ISO. He also has a team-leading .398 wOBA and a .238 ISO versus righty pitching which is the highest outside Joey Gallo. Robinson Chirinos, Gallo and Elvis Andrus are all over a .200 ISO versus the righty fastball too so there are plenty of options tonight if you want to attack Greinke. I wouldn’t use him at his price tag.

Rangers Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Shin-soo Choo(cash), Elvis Andrus, Robinson Chirinos, Rougned Odor(all GPP)

Secondary Options – Joey Gallo, Adrian Beltre

Rangers Probable Starter – Bartolo Colon, RHP 

5.18 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 13.1 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .275 average, .333 wOBA, 12.3 K rate, 34.6 fly ball rate and 42.5 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .274 average, .357 wOBA, 13.8 K rate, 35.3 fly ball rate and 43.6 hard hit rate

Big Bart has a 2.80 HR/9 to the righty hitters when he’s at home so we’re going to want a piece of that stat. The three I would want the most in order might be Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock and Nick Ahmed. They all have an ISO over .180 versus righty pitching and there’s no reason to think Colon can keep this team in the yard. I would tread carefully with the lefties from Arizona. Colon has somehow only given up six bombs to lefties so far.

Diamondbacks Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, Nick Ahmed

Secondary Options – Steven Souza, David Peralta

Home Run Pick – Shin-soo Choo and A.J. Pollock

DFS MLB – Nationals at Cardinals

Nationals Probable Starter – Tommy Milone, LHP 

5.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 25.7 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .105 average, .112 wOBA, 36.8 K rate, 66.7 fly ball rate and 33.3 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .346 average, .423 wOBA, 21.8 K rate, 41.5 fly ball rate and 39.5 hard hit rate

Whew this spot looks ugly for Milone. Thank you FanDuel once again for making Jedd Gyorko one of the easiest plays of the night since he’s still $2,900 and destroys the lefty four seamer he’ll see about 45 percent of the time. The pitch data is a .547 xwOBA and an enormous .700 ISO and that sinks up with a .271 ISO and .424 wOBA overall this year versus lefty pitching. Harrison Bader is just as easy to play at $2,400 and his .228 ISO and .402 wOBA against lefties. He’s swiped five bags in 89 plate appearances so there’s a little upside there as well. The Cards generally roll out around six righties including Paul DeJong, Yadier Molina, Jose Martinez and Marcell Ozuna. Any righty is in play but I might leave off Matt Carpenter. The FIP to lefties for Milone is a minuscule 0.68 so his splits appear real for the time being.

Cardinals Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Jedd Gyorko, Marcell Ozuna, Harrison Bader

Secondary Options – Any righties in the lineup

Cardinals Probable Starter – Miles Mikolas, RHP 

2.74 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 16.9 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .279 average, .306 wOBA, 15.5 K rate, 27.9 fly ball rate and 37.3 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .182 average, .209 wOBA, 18.6 K rate, 24.5 fly ball rate and 28.1 hard hit rate

This would appear to be a difficult matchup for Mikolas since there’s some really good lefties in the Washington lineup. The biggest issue here is the upside really isn’t there. Mikolas is only giving  up a 0.73 HR/9 to lefties. He really splits up his four pitch mix, throwing none of them over 27 percent of the time. I’m not playing Mikolas because he doesn’t have any strikeout potential but I’d be very limited in my Nationals exposure as well. The only two I’d really want are their best hitters which is Juan Soto and Bryce Harper. Both have an ISO over .215 and they can take any pitcher out of the yard. This would be a game where I would two man stack or let it be.

Nationals Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options -Two man stack

Home Run Pick – Marcell Ozuna

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FanDuel MLB: TORONTO, ON – MAY 22: Kendrys Morales #8 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a single in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Rogers Centre on May 22, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Blue Jays at Royals

Blue Jays Probable Starter – Sean Reid-Foley, RHP 

*Major League Debut*

The pitching punt of the night could well be a player making his major league debut. We don’t know a ton about Reid-Foley but he’s been striking out hitters over 27 percent of the time in 126.2 innings between AA and AAA. The Royals have been striking out 21 percent of the time the past 30 days which is a tick higher than normal. Lucas Duda and Alex Gordon are the best hitters Kansas City can offer against righties. The fastball can reach around 97 MPH but sits more around 93-95. He’s only allowed a 35 percent fly ball rate and a 0.55 HR/9 as well. His strikeout rate is high enough he’s worth a shot at minimum price because he appears to have a realistic shot at 30 points. I would only really use Duda or Gordon but I think I’d rather see how this side of the game plays out than be heavily involved.

Royals Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Lucas Duda, Alex Gordon

Royals Probable Starter – Brad Keller, RHP 

3.57 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 15.6 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .257 average, .317 wOBA, 16.8 K rate, 22.2 fly ball rate and 31.3 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .251 average, .282 wOBA, 14.7 K rate, 25.5 fly ball rate and 33.5 hard hit rate

Keller is a really weird pitcher in that he’s still only given up three total home runs. With an ERA barely over 3.50 and not giving up bombs, I’m not sure where we’d really want to attack him. I guess you can make a case for the lefties which puts Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales on the radar more than anyone else because they smack righty fastballs. That’s what Keller throws the most to lefties and they both have an xwOBA over .435 and an ISO over .345. Seeing as how Morales is $1,000 cheaper and the home run might not come, I think I would play him first. This game looks attractive when we see the names of the pitchers and maybe they both bust tonight. It’s just not the likeliest, especially on this side of things. I really can’t wait until they call up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. so we can see him and I can play him.

Blue Jays Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Kendrys Morales, Justin Smoak

Home Run Pick – Alex Gordon

DFS MLB
SEATTLE, WA – JULY 22: Marco Gonzales #32 of the Seattle Mariners warms up in the bullpen prior to taking on the Chicago White Sox during their game at Safeco Field on July 22, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Mariners at A’s

Mariners Probable Starter – Marco Gonzales, LHP 

3.79 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 21.5 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .301 average, .355 wOBA, 14.8 K rate, 29.9 fly ball rate and 40.0 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .256 average, .303 wOBA, 22.7 K rate, 29.4 fly ball rate and 33.1 hard hit rate

Gonzales got beat up last time out against a lefty heavy Rangers lineup. I’d want a lefty to play against him but even if lefty Matt Olson plays, that’s not a great bet. The last time Oakland saw a lefty, they played nine righties all the way through the lineup. Gonzales has had a pretty solid year and it would seem like last start was a bump in the road. If we’re playing hitters against him, I’m starting with Mark Canha, destroyer of lefties. He has the highest wOBA and ISO on the team against lefties and it’s not exceptionally close. Khris Davis would be up next with a .255 ISO and he’s been hot lately. If you forced me to pick, I’d go with Gonzales in this spot. At home, Oakland ranks no higher than 19th in average, slugging, OBP, OPS, ISO, wOBA and wRC+ in addition to their top five strikeout rate.

A’s Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Mark Canha

Secondary Options – Khris Davis, Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien

A’s Probable Starter – Sean Manaea, LHP 

3.50 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 16.9 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .227 average, .280 wOBA, 16.7 K rate, 30.1 fly ball rate and 24.4 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .222 average, .283 wOBA, 17.0 K rate, 36.5 fly ball rate and 39.6 hard hit rate

Nelson Cruz let me down on Sunday but he’s in another prime spot tonight. He’s beating up lefties as it is and we also have some BvP data that could carry some weight. In 18 at-bats, Cruz has three homers and a huge .708 xwOBA against Manaea so I like the fact that meshes with his .366 ISO and .418 wOBA overall. Manaea also throws a four seam/change combo 90 percent of the time and Cruz wrecks those two pitches. He’s rocking a monster .533 xwOBA and .595 ISO versus the mix. He’s a fantastic late night hammer. Ryon Healy is also a super cheap option that rates well versus the mix but I think Cruz is the one-off we want from this game. Manaea has given up 17 home runs to righties and it’s about time for the 18th.

Mariners Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Nelson Cruz

Secondary options – Ryon Healy, Jean Segura

Home Run Pick – Nelson Cruz

DFS MLB
PHOENIX, AZ – APRIL 22: Christian Villanueva #22 of the San Diego Padres bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of an MLB game at Chase Field on April 22, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Angels at Padres

Angels Probable Starter – Andrew Heaney, LHP 

3.96 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 23.1 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .211 average, .220 wOBA, 24.8 K rate, 17.9 fly ball rate and 24.7 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .241 average, .324 wOBA, 22.7 K rate, 40.1 fly ball rate and 43.8 hard hit rate

I feel pretty safe with a good hitter like Cruz but if you’re looking for another late night tournament special to pair with him, you want to go with Christian Villanueva. Yes, he can leave you with a zero and a Golden Sombrero with four strikeouts but he’s awfully interesting regardless. Just versus lefties overall, the wOBA is .476, the ISO is .419 and the OPS is a monster 1.153. Where things get really juicy is the pitch data. Keep in mind it’s very small sample against lefty sinkers(which is 60 percent of the arsenal for Heaney), Villanueva has a .659 xwOBA and a titanic .875 ISO. It’s roughly about 10 results for each but my word those are some big numbers. On a normal day, Hunter Renfroe and his .457 xwOBA and .333 ISO would be where I would head. He’s still a great play but he’s been white hot so his price tag is up to $3,500. That’s a little worrisome to pay for him at that price. I wouldn’t pitch Heaney in this spot personally.

Padres Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Christian Villanueva, Hunter Renfroe

Secondary Options – Franmil Reyes, Jose Pirela, Austin Hedges

Padres Probable Starter – Clayton Richard, LHP 

5.13 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 16.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .222 average, .288 wOBA, 18.3 K rate, 9.9 fly ball rate and 32.3 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .261 average, .341 wOBA, 15.9 K rate, 26.2 fly ball rate and 43.6 hard hit rate

Richard is not a good pitcher and maybe he gets smoked in this matchup but without Mike Trout and being able to neutralize the lefties of Kole Calhoun and Shohei Ohtani changes the Angels lineup dramatically. They don’t rank higher than 20th across the board in offensive categories versus lefties. The might be without Andrelton Simmons as well which really leaves only Albert Pujols and Justin Upton as right power threats that you can sort of trust. Upton is priced at $3,800 which seems steep for his .120 ISO and .284 wOBA. Pujols is $1,000 cheaper and carries the higher ISO by .68 points. With how banged up the Angels lineup is, it doesn’t look like my favorite game of the night.

Angels Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Albert Pujols, Justin Upton

Home Run Pick – Christian Villanueva

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LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 30: Manny Machado #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is announced for his first at bat against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Giants at Dodgers

Giants Probable Starter – Madison Bumgarner, LHP

2.69 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 20.2 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .217 average, .288 wOBA, 29.4 K rate, 23.3 fly ball rate and 35.5 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .221 average, .287 wOBA, 18.4 K rate, 35.1 fly ball rate and 38.5 hard hit rate

These two pitchers know each other extremely well but I’m not sure how excited I am to use either of them. The Dodgers have added both Brian Dozier and Manny Machado which just makes this lineup that much tougher to deal with. Bumgarner has been getting beat up by righties away from AT&T Park, giving up a .270 average and a .361 wOBA. It would be a nice GPP option to stack against him tonight with righty hitters that hit the four seam/cutter combo that he throws over 60 percent of the time. Matt Kemp is the best option via pitch data with a .581 xwOBA and .540 ISO. Adding in Dozier, Macahdo and maybe Justin Turner or Kike Hernandez could make for a huge jump in the standings late because I don’t think Bumgarner’s performance has outweighed his reputation as the ace he’s always been. He can be had but it’s a tournament play only.

Dodgers Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Four man righty stack

Secondary Options – Matt Kemp, Manny Machado, Brian Dozier as one-offs

Dodgers Probable Starter – Clayton Kershaw, LHP

2.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 24.2 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .279 average, .342 wOBA, 24.7 K rate, 32.8 fly ball rate and 43.8 hard hit rate

Vs RHH – .215 average, .258 wOBA, 24.1 K rate, 27.5 fly ball rate and 32.6 hard hit rate

As much as I don’t believe the Giants can mount a threat to Kershaw, it’s going to be tough to pay up with him with confidence. I thought he was in a great spot last start and the he stuck out exactly one hitter in Oakland. That’s disaster when you pay almost $11,000 for a starter and he’s only been above eight strikeouts one time in 18 starts. This side of the game is a total avoid for me.

Giants Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – None

Home Run Pick – Manny Machado

DFS MLB
OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 30: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Indians hits a solo home run against the Oakland Athletics in the top of the fourth inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on June 30, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

DFS MLB – Sample FanDuel Lineup

P – Luis Severino

C/1B – Kendrys Morales 

2B – Niko Goodrum

3B – Jedd Gyorko

SS – Nick Ahmed

OF – Nelson Cruz, Matt Kemp, Harrison Bader

Utility – Jose Ramirez 

This is a really bizarre pitching slate on first look. There’s a ton of upside with a lot of pitchers but I don’t feel totally confident with any of them. For now, I’ll build with Severino and hope the home splits hold up and he’s got the strikeout mojo working. We kept the cheap two man Cardinals stack but that’s key to affording Cruz and Ramirez. Kemp is a nice middle of the road option and the we still get one bat against Big Sexy Bartolo. Goodrum is the perfect punt to fit everything into the sample.

The Core – Jedd Gyorko, Nelson Cruz, Matt Kemp

Pitching to Consider 

High End – Jacob deGrom, Luis Severino

Mid-Range – Marco Gonzales, Mike Foltynewicz

Punt – Sean Reid-Foley(GPP only)

Stacks to Consider – Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres

Next. MLB DFS Picks and Pivots. dark

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.