This article is part of our DFS MLB series.
Even with the return of college football Saturday afternoon, we have baseball to enjoy throughout the day. While that's good news, there's less games on the main slate with seven and the first ones beginning at 7:10 p.m. EDT.
Pitchers
It's a good day for pitching with an argument to be made that pretty much anyone in the player pool is a reasonable choice. That typically means I'll want to pay down, though Tarik Skubal ($10,900) would be the exception. On top of being one of only two pitchers with a strikeout rate above 30 percent, he also draws the White Sox. The downside is a potential innings/pitch limit. The Tigers have publicly stated they will manage Skubal's innings for the final month of the regular season, but it was framed primarily in giving him extra rest between starts.
There are quality options in between, with Pablo Lopez ($8,600) the cheapest one of the top tier. That makes him a solid value proposition, though his ceiling could be limited facing a Cardinals team that doesn't strike out a lot.
This is likely the last time we'll see Clayton Kershaw ($7,800) this cheap. He's fully ramped up after working six innings in his last outing and has only allowed two earned runs across his last 16.1 frames. The Rays are typically regarded as a team that doesn't swing and miss much, yet that isn't the case against lefties with a 25 percent mark. Charlie Morton ($8,100) offers a wider range of
Even with the return of college football Saturday afternoon, we have baseball to enjoy throughout the day. While that's good news, there's less games on the main slate with seven and the first ones beginning at 7:10 p.m. EDT.
Pitchers
It's a good day for pitching with an argument to be made that pretty much anyone in the player pool is a reasonable choice. That typically means I'll want to pay down, though Tarik Skubal ($10,900) would be the exception. On top of being one of only two pitchers with a strikeout rate above 30 percent, he also draws the White Sox. The downside is a potential innings/pitch limit. The Tigers have publicly stated they will manage Skubal's innings for the final month of the regular season, but it was framed primarily in giving him extra rest between starts.
There are quality options in between, with Pablo Lopez ($8,600) the cheapest one of the top tier. That makes him a solid value proposition, though his ceiling could be limited facing a Cardinals team that doesn't strike out a lot.
This is likely the last time we'll see Clayton Kershaw ($7,800) this cheap. He's fully ramped up after working six innings in his last outing and has only allowed two earned runs across his last 16.1 frames. The Rays are typically regarded as a team that doesn't swing and miss much, yet that isn't the case against lefties with a 25 percent mark. Charlie Morton ($8,100) offers a wider range of outcomes in the same salary range.
David Peterson ($7,000) has the feeling of a pitcher that will let you down as soon as you trust him, but there's no denying his recent form as he's scored at least 13 DK points in five outings and more than 19 in three straight. The Padres strike out at a league-low season rate of 17.5 percent.
Ben Lively ($6,300) represents the punt play of the day. His game log will tell you he's inconsistent, yet he would open up a lot of potential options to either pay up with a stack or the other pitcher slot.
Top Hitters
As noted, Charlie Morton has produced a variety of performances of late, and his big problem has been conceding homers with multiple long balls in half of his eight starts since the start of July. That certainly puts CJ Abrams (5,900) on the radar, though James Wood ($5,300) and Luis Garcia ($5,100) are good selections.
The Dodgers are another place to look, even if attacking Taj Bradley isn't an obvious choice. He's been able to miss bats, but he also serves up a lot of hard contact. Freddie Freeman ($5,000) and Shohei Ohtani ($5,900) can take advantage.
Value Bats
Andy Ibanez ($3,400) has demolished lefties this year by maintaining a .206 ISO and .395 wOBA and Ky Bush isn't an imposing matchup. He should also be locked into the second spot of Detroit's lineup.
A strong pitching pool means we can't rely solely on matchups to identify hitters. Other than facing Kershaw, Dylan Carlson ($2,900) checks a decent number of boxes and is very cheap. He bats second for the Rays against lefties and has traditionally been a stronger hitter from the right side over his career while Dodger Stadium is an elite park for home runs.
Stacks to Consider
Royals vs. Phillies (Ranger Suarez): Maikel Garcia ($4,400), Bobby Witt ($6,700), Salvador Perez ($5,200)
This is a high-salary stack, but there are places to spend less elsewhere without taking on too much risk. Kauffman Stadium is a favorable place to score runs, and Suarez is returning from a stint on the injured list. And prior to that, he was starting to struggle and that makes this matchup not as daunting.
Padres vs. Mets (David Peterson): Jurickson Profar ($4,800), Xander Bogaerts ($4,100), Manny Machado ($5,200)
As mentioned in the pitching section, Peterson has been on a strong run. However, San Diego's offense has performed well against lefties all season and has generally produced of late. Even during recent performances, Peterson has given up a lot of traffic on the basepaths (9.9 BB percent), which will eventually be reflected in his surface stats. Unlike the Royals, this is a pretty easy stack to build in an affordable way.
