This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Nighttime is the right time for baseball Friday. There are 15 games on the docket, and all of them start at 7:05 p.m. ET or later. You have an abundance of DFS options, but don't get overwhelmed. I've got some recommendations to try and help you out.
Pitching
Joe Musgrove, SD vs. COL ($10,500): It has been an incredible season for Musgrove. Through 10 starts he has an 1.64 ERA, and he hasn't allowed more than two runs in any start. Even his 2.76 FIP is excellent. The Rockies are in the top 10 in runs scored, but of course we must account for Coors Field on that front. This game is at Petco Park, a very different hitting experience.
Triston McKenzie, CLE vs. OAK ($8,800): McKenzie's last few starts have been a little iffy, at least in terms of allowing home runs, but this matchup is not an issue on that front. The Athletics are last in team OPS and 29th in homers. Plus, even with the homer happiness, McKenzie has a 3.10 ERA.
Jose Berrios, TOR at DET ($7,500): Berrios' 4.71 FIP is a concern, and a surprise, but he is coming off the best start of his season. He just went seven innings, only allowed two runs and struck out 13 Twins. Berrios gets to follow that up by facing the Tigers, last in runs scored by a whopping 30 runs.
Top Targets
For a couple years, Ty France ($5,100) has been a guy who hits for average and gets on base. This year, he's rounded out his repertoire and gotten even better. The 27-year-old has hit .327/.402/.491 with nine homers. Rich Hill can shut down lefties, but he has a 4.40 ERA because right handers have been a different story.
Luis Robert ($4,700) has to hit to get on base, but fortunately he hits plenty. He's hitting .281 this year with six home runs and eight stolen bases to boot. Glenn Otto has a 5.12 FIP, and that comes after he had a 9.26 ERA in his first MLB action in 2021.
Bargain Bats
He's missed about half the season, but when Josh Rojas ($4,300) has been on the field he's slashed .284/.369/.463 with four home runs and three stolen bases. Kyle Gibson has a 4.40 ERA in his first full season as a Phillies pitcher, and in his last start he allowed five runs in 3.1 innings.
Last season, Nathaniel Lowe ($3,100) hit 18 homers and stole eight bases, and this year he's hit .271 with seven home runs. The southpaw has also been hot recently, with a .975 OPS over the last three weeks. He'll be facing righty Davis Martin on Friday. He has a 4.35 ERA through two MLB starts and a 4.71 ERA in four Triple-A starts.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays at Tigers (Elvin Rodriguez): Bo Bichette ($5,600), Vladimir Guerrero ($5,400), Alejandro Kirk ($5,000)
Rodriguez is being trotted out again for the Tigers, even though he has a 10.13 ERA. His last outing was the worst one yet, as he allowed 10 runs and four homers. The Blue Jays lineup is heating up, and this is a great matchup to stay hot with.
Bichette has nine home runs and five stolen bases, and he's been rounding into form after a slow start. He's posted a .961 OPS over the last three weeks. Guerrero's power is down from last season, but he's still hit 13 homers. Plus, last year he slugged .601 and hit 48 home runs in a borderline-MVP season. You can slot Kirk in at catcher, even though he's been DHing, which speaks to his bat. He's slashed .322/.401/.477.
Red Sox at Mariners (Marco Gonzales): Xander Bogaerts ($5,300), Trevor Story ($5,300), J.D. Martinez ($5,000)
Last season, Gonzales had a 3.96 ERA but a 5.27 FIP. This year, his ERA is 3.59, but his FIP is 5.43. The problem? He allows a ton of home runs. Last season he gave up 1.82 homers per nine, and this season that number is 1.72. This is a lineup that can bring the homers.
Bogaerts has been an elite hitter over the last five seasons, slashing .301/.373/.518. He has six homers after having 23 last year. Story has had three 20-20 seasons, and the move from Colorado to Boston isn't hurting him on that front. He already has nine homers and eight stolen bases. Martinez has hit .351, and facing a lefty on the road is ideal for him. He has a 1.071 OPS against lefties and a 1.069 OPS on the road in 2022.
Brewers at Nationals (Erick Fedde): Willy Adames ($4,400), Christian Yelich ($4,000), Rowdy Tellez ($3,600)
Fedde has a 4.88 ERA, in line with his career 5.20 ERA. He's also got a problem with allowing home runs, as he's allowed 1.50 homers per nine innings. The Brewers lineup has struggled recently, but I still wanted to take advantage of this opportunity with a stack.
Adames is freshly back from the IL, so hopefully he's able to get his play on track. Last season after he joined the Brewers, he posted an .887 OPS with 20 home runs in 20 games, and even with his slow start he has 10 homers this year. Yelich was showing some promise for a bit there, but once again the guy who won an MVP has faded into the distance. That being said, he is a lefty facing a righty, and he does have five homers and eight stolen bases. The lefty Tellez has been better at the plate than Yelich, with 10 home runs and a .482 slugging percentage. He's also posted a .778 OPS against righties since 2020.
