This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We have a scheduling quirk Saturday with the majority of the games before the 7:05 p.m. EDT start of the main slate. As a result, we only five matchups to work with. The pitching landscape is clearly divided into the haves and have-nots, meaning roster rates are likely to condense around teams with solid matchups. That's not much different than any other day, but they just stand out more on this particular evening. And a couple of favorable hitting environments are in Atlanta and Angel Stadium.
Pitchers
We're immediately faced with a decision with Nathan Eovaldi ($10,400) the most expensive pitcher of the day. He was crushed by the Astros in his first game back from the injured list, so that combination should leave us with little faith in rostering him Saturday. The catch is that he's facing the A's. Luckily, there's a solid alternative as Logan Webb ($9,500) checks in significantly cheaper and still gets a nice matchup with the Rockies playing in San Fran. He's recently carried a mediocre track record, but a safer floor compared to Eovaldi. For those willing to take on some risk to get a little different in larger-field tournaments, paying up for Eovaldi could be a decent move.
Moving into the next tier, Lucas Giolito ($8,300) is the choice. He's another option who will require some risk tolerance, though that's true of basically every available arm. His matchup against the Angels is what makes him stand out as they enter with the second-lowest wOBA and eighth-highest strikeout rate in the league across the last 30 days.
There are two value pitchers to target. The higher of the two is Tyler Anderson ($6,300). His inconsistency is made tolerable by the lower salary point and he also has the benefit of another positive matchup. The Guardians carry a league-worst .286 wOBA against southpaws this season, but just don't expect a lot of strikeouts.
Dylan Dodd ($5,600) is the other punt option, primarily because he has a decent chance to earn a win pitching for Atlanta in a matchup against Pittsburgh. He has a questionable track record at home this season and had been pretty poor for Triple-A Gwinnett, so the floor is very low.
Top Hitters
The Giants don't have the benefit of a hitter-friendly home park, but that could help keep their roster rate in check. Wilmer Flores ($4,000) has quietly been the team's best hitter against righties while Chase Anderson has served up 2.2 HR/9.
Kyle Muller only has a 16 K% paired while surrendering 1.9 HR/9. Even in a slumping lineup, Corey Seager ($6,500) and Marcus Semien ($5,800) both represent solid options.
Value Bats
Atlanta is among the more obvious teams to grab hitters, though the Pirates are also interesting due to matchup and hitting environment. Dylan Dodd has given up 3.0 HR/9 in an admittedly small big-league sample, but that number was still 1.8 in the minors. Connor Joe ($3,300) has been Pittsburgh's primary cleanup hitter against southpaws and boasts a .311 ISO and .359 wOBA against them this season.
The Angels lineup is significantly beat up, so Trey Cabbage ($2,500) should have a clear runway to playing time against right-handed pitching. He's unproven in the majors, but does have an intriguing minor-league profile. For those willing to pay up a bit more, Randal Grichuk ($3,400) will likely hit higher in the order.
Stacks to Consider
Rangers vs. Athletics (Kyle Muller): Marcus Semien ($5,800), Corey Seager ($6,500), Mitch Garver ($4,200)
The Rangers have slumped considerably, but this matchup is too good to pass up. Perhaps their recent struggles will convince some to stay away, particularly in contrast to Atlanta and arguably the best stacking option of the day. In addition to their struggles, the other downside to Texas are the salaries. Garver helps a bit with that, but using the lineup will likely still require rostering at least one risky pitching option.
Pirates at Atlanta (Dylan Dodd): Ke'Bryan Hayes ($4,600), Bryan Reynolds ($4,800), Connor Joe ($3,300)
The Pirates aren't typically a team we want to stack, but they're a pretty easy contrarian play for larger field contests on a small slate. There's some merit to using them as they're relatively cheap and that would leave space to either stack a more traditional lineup or use more funds at both pitcher spots to avoid taking risks at the position. As was discussed, Dodd has struggled in both levels this season and Pittsburgh offers at least a couple bats toward the top of the order who can do damage.
Another team in a favorable matchup with value is the Giants, and the logic to rostering them would be similar to the Pirates.
