This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The rise of the 6:40 p.m. ET start in MLB has taken a bite out of DFS options, since typically DFS sites will wait until the 7:05 p.m. ET starts for contest purposes. Friday, that means 10 games on the docket, though. That's not too shabby, and options abound. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Shane Bieber, CLE vs. MIL ($9,400): It's been a strange season for Bieber, who has seen his strikeout rate plummet to such a degree that, barring an injury, it feels ready to regress. Plus, he still has an 1.89 ERA at home. The Brewers are quietly brutal offensively, as they are in the bottom five in runs scored with a .374 slugging percentage as a team.
Chris Bassitt, TOR vs. OAK ($9,200): After two brutal starts on the road, Bassitt needs a chance to right the ship. He definitely has it Friday. One, Bassitt has a 2.18 ERA at home, compared to a 5.89 ERA on the road. Two, the Athletics have the worst offense in baseball and honestly it doesn't feel all that close They are last in runs scored and team OPS, after all.
Wade Miley, MIL at CLE ($7,000): Might as well flip this matchup around. The Brewers rank 26th in runs scored, but the Guardians rank 27th. Miley's first start returning from injury went well, as he threw five shutout innings against the Pirates. He's also a lefty, which should keep Cleveland's lefty-heavy lineup in check.
Top Targets
In his return from injury, Bryce Harper ($6,000) has majorly struggled against lefties, but against righties, it has been business as usual for the southpaw slugger. After all, since 2019 he has an 1.055 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Kodai Senga is a righty, and he has significant home/road splits in his first MLB season. His road ERA is 4.78, and he's allowed 1.4 homers per nine innings away from Citi Field.
Even though he has struggled against lefties and at home, George Springer ($5,100) has managed to rack up 10 homers and 12 stolen bases. Luckily for him, he's at home facing a right-handed starter Friday. A terrible right-handed starter at that. James Kaprielian a career 4.63 FIP, and he's been brutal on the road this year. Sure, it's only 17.1 innings, but a 7.27 ERA in away games is still jarring.
Bargain Bats
Let Randal Grichuk ($4,000) face a lefty at home and he'll usually produce for you. Since joining the Rockies, he's slugged more than .500 at Coors Field – not shocking – but since 2021 he has also slugged .527 against southpaws. While lefty Patrick Sandoval doesn't allow a lot of home runs, Denver's thin air could alter that. Plus, even while suppressing homers he has a 4.08 ERA.
As a guy who can slot in as your catcher in your lineup, Blake Sabol ($3,500) provides real upside. Well, as long as he faces a righty, as the southpaw can't hit lefties. He has an .825 OPS against righties, though, including hitting all seven of his home runs in those matchups. Zach Davies may have a 9.90 ERA at home compared to a 2.31 ERA on the road, but putting up a 9.90 ERA in any scenario is a red flag. Plus, last season he had a 4.77 ERA on the road with the Diamondbacks, so it's not like there is a track record for these splits.
Stacks to Consider
Angels at Rockies (Kyle Freeland): Shohei Ohtani ($6,700), Hunter Renfroe ($4,500), Taylor Ward ($4,400)
I mentioned Coors Field already, and obviously it usually makes sense to try and stack visitors to the Rockies' park. Freeland has had one season with an ERA below 4.10, and one season with a FIP below 4.21. Over the last three seasons he has a 5.00 ERA at home as well. Though Freeland is a southpaw, I did include Ohtani in my stack anyway. Since 2021, lefties have hit .301 against the Rockies pitcher, so elite left-handed batters are still worth the stack.
Ohtani is better against righties, unsurprisingly, but he can handle himself against lefties. His .876 OPS in those matchups since 2021 paired with a game at Coors Field is good with me. Renfroe has hit at least 26 home runs in all five of his full MLB seasons. Though he has a .538 OPS on the road this year, this I Renfroe's first season with the Angels, his fifth team in as many seasons. Clearly, his success in the past was not based at being in the Angels' ballpark. Ward has taken a step back from his breakthrough campaign last year, though he still has nine home runs. The righty has been better recently, posting a .788 OPS over the last 21 days, and his issues this year have mostly been at home.
Padres vs. Nationals (Patrick Corbin): Manny Machado ($5,300), Xander Bogaerts ($5,100), Gary Sanchez ($4,000)
It's another woeful campaign in Washington for Corbin. His ERA has dropped from 6.31 to 4.89, but his FIP has risen from 4.83 to 4.91. His strikeouts are down, his line-drive percentage is over 25 percent, and he's allowed 2.4 home runs per nine innings on the road. While the southpaw has gotten a handle on lefties again, righties have hit .321 against him, so I am stacking three righties here.
Machado has had strange struggles against righties, but he's still crushing lefties to the tune of a .965 OPS. Additionally, he's been better at home this year, where he has a .274 average. In his first season with the Padres, Bogaerts has seven home runs and nine stolen bases. Don't blame Petco Park on his lack of power, by the way, as he has a .794 OPS at home this year. Sanchez has been able to grab a role as the catcher for the Padres against lefties. He has a .905 OPS in those matchups this year, and since 2021 he has a .420 slugging percentage against southpaws.
