This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
It's a light evening for MLB on Thursday. There are only five games on the docket at night, and that's with a first pitch of 6:35 p.m. ET. You may have fewer options than usual, but you do have options. Here are my DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Kodai Senga, NYM at SF ($10,300): Senga has had two strong starts and then a dicey outing. Hey, it's only three starts, and he was the top pitching option available out of Japan this offseason for a reason. The Giants are off to a slow start offensively, at least in terms of runs scored, so perhaps Senga will get back on track.
Matt Strahm, PHI vs. COL ($7,000): Strahm has primarily pitched out of the bullpen in his career, and he's only qualified for one win out of four appearances, but it's a bad night for pitchers. Also, Strahm has a 2.13 ERA thus far. The Rockies are always a different team offensively on the road than at home, but this year they are down in the bottom 10 in runs scored, even with the advantage of playing half their games at Coors Field.
Top Target
The kind of power that Pete Alonso ($5,800) has plays in any ballpark. His slugged .538 in his career and has hit at least 37 home runs in every full season of his MLB career. Alonso also has an .899 OPS versus lefties since 2021. Southpaw Sean Manaea refuses to leave the West Coast, having gone Oakland to San Diego to now San Francisco. He has a career 4.07 ERA, and since he left Oakland he's started allowing more home runs.
Bargain Bat
TJ Friedl ($3,900) is off to a hot start, having slashed .306/.377/.500. Last year the lefty got his first real taste of MLB action, and in 72 games he had eight homers, seven stolen bases, and a whopping five triples. Roansy Contreras also got his first real taste of the majors in 2022, and he responded with a 4.37 FIP. This year, he has a 6.00 ERA through three starts.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. Rockies (Ryan Feltner): Trea Turner ($6,300), J.T. Realmuto ($5,900), Nick Castellanos ($5,300)
Even by Colorado pitcher standards, Feltner has some rough numbers. In his career he has a 6.46 ERA, a staggering number by any measure. It's not all Coors either, as his road ERA is 6.31. Additionally, Feltner has allowed righties to hit .303 against him, which is why I am stacking three right-handed hitters.
Turner has supplemented his torrid start to his Phillies tenure by popping his first home run of the season Wednesday. Always an elite base stealer, Turner has now also had over 20 homers in each of his last two campaigns. Being a catcher with a career .275 average is unusual as is, but on top of that Realmuto had over 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in 2022. He also enjoys his home ballpark, where he has an .861 OPS since 2021. Castellanos is showing encouraging signs in 2023 after struggling in his first season with the Phillies. He's hitting for average, and while the power isn't there yet he did hit 34 home runs in 2021. Meanwhile, Feltner has allowed 1.7 home runs per nine innings on the road in his career.
Cubs vs. Dodgers (Michael Grove): Seiya Suzuki ($5,200), Ian Happ ($5,100), Cody Bellinger ($3,300)
Sure, Grove has a 3.31 FIP compared to his 9.00 ERA, but last year he had a 5.15 FIP in seven appearances, so his career FIP is still 4.65. Also, any success he's had in 2023 has been against righties. When lefties have come to the plate, they've hit .367 against Grove. Thus, I have a lefty and a switch hitter in this stack. I couldn't find another lefty on the Cubs worth stacking. Look, I've been around the block too many times to put any faith in Eric Hosmer.
Suzuki started the season hurt, so he has only played in a handful of games this season. However, last year in his debut MLB campaign he hit .262 with 14 homers and nine stolen bases in 111 games (staying healthy seems like it might be an issue). That included an .832 OPS at home. Fortunately, Happ is a switch hitter who prefers to face a righty. Since 2021 he has an .803 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. He also has an .823 OPS at home in that time. It'd be great if all Bellinger needed was a change of scenery, and the southpaw has slashed .284/.347/.483 with three homers and three stolen bases in his first year with the Cubs. Even last season, his final with the Dodgers, he had 19 homers and 14 stolen bases in spite of a sub-.300 OBP.
