Our summer standard compact Saturday main slate at FanDuel features eight games which all start between 4:05 and 4:10 p.m. EDT. Three true aces lead the way as five-figure pitching options, but just one more comes in at the $9,000 tier as things rapidly fall off the cliff.
Half of our games come with run totals of 9.0 or 9.5, speaking to the lack of pitching depth on the slate. The Dodgers (-205) are overwhelming favorites, but things are relatively even otherwise, again speaking to the variable that is a lack of trustworthy pitching. It's dry and warm across the slate, helping offenses. The ball carried well last night in New York, and winds look favorable there again today for some big flys. Chicago looks blustery, too.
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Pitching
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LAD at CWS ($10,900): I absolutely believe this is a slate where paying for pitching is necessary, and Yamamoto has the least variables. He's failed to go six innings just twice all season, and while his strikeout rate is at a career-low, it should play up against an offense that's fanning 23.8 percent of the time off righties. He's a heavy ground ball guy (48.5 percent), helping take the wind out of play. Yamamoto has posted 37.0 or more fantasy points in nine of 12. A rock solid option worth paying for stability.
Ranger Suarez, BOS vs. TEX ($8,900): On name recognition alone, the middle of this pitching slate is pretty gross. Suarez is the exception, and he gets a Rangers lineup that's fanning at a high 25.9 percent off lefties while posting a below-average 97 wRC+. Boston is a slight favorite, and the game comes with a slate-low 8.0 run total. The form is middling, he has just one one quality start in his last six, so perhaps this is a stiff price to pay for an uncertain return. But I feel it's almost the only option if you're not paying above him.
Joey Cantillo, CLE vs. DET ($7,500): Multi-entry GPP only for me here, as we're chasing a spike outing while knowing full well it can blow up. Cantillo has allowed 15 runs in his last three starts. Prior to that, he had two massive outings out of three. He's been marginally better at home, and Detroit isn't an offense we'd typically fear. They carry a 97 wRC+ and .314 wOBA off lefties into Saturday. No Tiger has faced Cantillo 10 times, but overall, they're hitting just .227 with a .742 OPS off him, fanning 11 times in 51 plate appearances. He's tasked with matching Tarik Skubal and keeping this competitive, and if he does, he'll far exceed his price.
Top Targets
Atlanta's lineup is decimated by injuries but also priced for stacking, making for an interesting conundrum. Matt Olson ($3,900) stands out singularly; he's homered five times in his last 11 and has taken Sean Manaea deep in five at bats, while posting a .381 wOBA and .298 ISO off lefties overall.
I successfully worked a Baltimore stack into yesterday's column, and they've got an elevated 5.3 run expectancy Saturday, so going back to the well makes sense even if Randy Vasquez has been borderline dominant on the road. Adley Rutschman ($3,600) has a team-best .384 wOBA off righties, but I like Gunnar Henderson ($3,400) to build on last night's performance as well.
Bargain Bats
Liam Hicks ($3,200) is hitting .317 over his last 12 and has a .386 wOBA, 146 wRC+ and .243 ISO off righties in a matchup with against untrustworthy Bubba Chandler.
It seems to make sense to ride Bo Bichette's ($2,800) power surge (three homers in his last two) on this reduced slate. He's 3-for-7 (.429) off Martin Perez.
Offense is so bad for the Padres they don't have a bat priced above $2,900! Fernando Tatis ($2,900) is actually hot, hitting .321 in his last 12 with two homers. A matchup against Trey Gibson shouldn't scare us off of a potential bargain stack that includes Jackson Merrill; ($2,900), Manny Machado ($2,800) or Gavin Sheets ($2,800).
Stack to Consider
Diamondbacks vs. Rhett Lowder (Reds): Ketel Marte ($3,300), Gabriel Moreno ($3,000), Geraldo Perdomo ($2,900)
This is a weird slate, and a weird game for me. We've got the positive ballpark factor here, pitchers we shouldn't fear, an elevated 9.5 run total; yet both offenses' top options are either hurt or ice cold. As such, I'll go with an underpriced and frigid Marte to anchor here, and back it up with a surging Moreno (.300, two homers in his last six) and a cheap Perdomo who has four multi-hit games in his last eight. Jordan Lawlar ($2,800) is also in play if you need additional savings.
