This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Though the days left in the MLB regular season are dwindling, Thursday is not packed with action. In fact, there are only six games on the slate, with the earliest starting at 6:40 p.m. ET. Your lineup options are limited in terms of sheer quantity, but I think these recommendations offer DFS quality.
Pitching
Griffin Canning, LAA vs. CLE ($8,800): Over his last six starts, Canning has a 3.52 ERA, which is a step up for him. He's struck out 10.06 batters per nine innings, with the righty's issue throughout his career being a propensity to give up homers. Well, the Guardians are specifically ill-suited to take advantage of that. They are comfortably last in home runs as a team.
Ryan Pepiot, LAD at MIA ($8,500): The Dodgers need somebody, anybody, to step up in the rotation. Maybe it will be one of the better pitching prospects in baseball. He's only pitched 14.0 innings in MLB this season, but Pepiot has an 1.29 ERA. The Marlins just dropped 11 runs on the Dodgers, but that only just got them out of the bottom five in runs scored.
Top Target
While some "bumps and bruises," in the words of Cubs manager David Ross, have led to Cody Bellinger ($6,300) slotting in at DH, the team is still rolling him out there at the plate, and with good reason. The lefty has enjoyed a significant rebound campaign, having slashed .321/.365/.555 with 24 homers and 19 stolen bases. Rotowire has Ryne Nelson getting called back up from Triple-A with Slade Cecconi having been demoted. In his 24 starts with the big club in 2023, the righty has struck out a mere 5.90 batters per nine while allowing 1.58 homers per nine innings as well.
Bargain Bat
He hasn't been "first-overall pick" good in his sophomore season, but Spencer Torkelson ($4,700) has made strides. "Tork" has hit 25 homers and added 30 doubles, and being away from the Motor City has benefited him. The first baseman has an .833 OPS on the road. While Carlos Rodon's ERA has dipped after a second trip to the IL, he's allowed a home run in all three starts since returning. On the season he's given up 2.32 homers per nine innings, a big reason for his 6.63 FIP.
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta vs. Cardinals (Adam Wainwright): Matt Olson ($6,200), Marcell Ozuna ($4,800), Michael Harris ($4,500)
The last time Wainwright was supposed to take the mound, he was a late stretch to get some extra rest. Now, he's supposed to start Thursday. So, if you need a refresher, Wainwright's final season is going terribly, as he has an 8.10 ERA with a mere 4.86 K/9 rate and a hefty 1.73 HR/9 rate. Lefties have hit a staggering .368 against the veteran righty, but owing to the chance he's scratched again, I didn't want to go full-on southpaw with this stack. When "Waino" got pulled last time, lefty Zack Thompson got the call.
With 46 homers and over 100 RBI and runs scored, Olson has been a counting-stats machine in 2023. He's also slugged over .600 against righties as well as at home. Ozuna is as hot as any hitter, posting an 1.382 OPS over the last three weeks. By the way, Wainwright has allowed a .351 average to righties, so it's not like only southpaws are smashing him. Harris has played two MLB seasons, and he's stolen 20 bases both times. He gets himself on base with plenty of hits, as he's posted a .294 average.
Dodgers at Marlins (Braxton Garrett): Mookie Betts ($6,700), Will Smith ($5,500), Chris Taylor ($3,200)
Garrett has two significant styles of splits. One, he has a 4.94 ERA at home, compared to a 2.74 ERA on the road. Two, the southpaw has held lefties to a .216 average, but has allowed righties to hit .267 against him. To me, that means this has to be an all-righty stack, but having found one of those, it is a worthwhile stack.
Betts is going to hit .300 with 40 homers, double-digit steals, and over 100 runs and RBI. While he is better at home, his 1.137 OPS balances that out for me. It's all just different degrees of greats with the possible MVP. The catcher Smith has a .363 OBP. He's improved his performance against lefties the last couple of years as well, including an .866 OPS this season. I assume with a lefty like Garrett on the mound Taylor will draw into the lineup. He has 14 homers and 15 stolen bases, and over the last three weeks he has a .917 OPS.
