This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
It's the first weekend of June, when it really starts to feel like the baseball season. Saturday features five MLB games starting at 7:15 p.m. EDT or later. Here are a few recommendations for your DFS lineups.
Pitching
Sonny Gray, MIN vs. CLE ($9,500): Gray's low-key Cy Young campaign should get a boost in this matchup. He's posted a 1.94 ERA, but a 1.27 at home. Cleveland sits in the bottom-three in runs scored and team OPS, and comfortably last for home runs.
Yu Darvish, SD vs. CHC ($8,600): Darvish has been Petco Park-dependent for a while, including this year. He's registered a 3.30 ERA at home in 2023, and a 3.06 there since 2021. The Cubs are just above the bottom-10 in offense and last in the NL Central.
Top Target
While Adley Rutschman ($5,200) carries significant home/road splits this year, he managed a .781 road OPS last year compared to an .834 at home. What has been consistent for two years is that the catcher is much better versus righties than lefties with an .890 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Anthony DeSclafani is in line for the start for the Giants and has allowed lefties to hit .271 against the last couple campaigns. He's also struggled to a 4.17 ERA at home this season.
Bargain Bat
Being at home against a righty? That's right up the alley of southpaw LaMonte Wade ($3,100). During his time with the Giants, he's posted an .831 OPS against right-handers and an .841 at home. Kyle Bradish, a righty, has dropped his ERA from 4.90 to 3.89 in his sophomore campaign, but his FIP is still up at 4.22.
Stacks to Consider
Braves at Diamondbacks (Ryne Nelson): Matt Olson ($5,800), Austin Riley ($5,200), Michael Harris ($3,200)
Nelson's three-game cameo in 2022 may have flattered him. He's recorded a 5.37 ERA through 11 starts this season while only striking out 5.84 batters per nine innings. Nelson's home ERA is 6.75, where he's allowed 1.5 home runs per nine innings. I selected two lefties for my stack since they've gone .337 against Nelson this year.
Olson is the only lefty who has really hit for Atlanta in 2023, and mostly that has just been on the power front slugging .528 with 17 home runs and a .520 against righties since 2021. Riley has dipped a bit this year, but still maintains a .262 average with a .452 slugging percentage and 10 homers. He's hit better of late with an .867 OPS over the last three weeks. Harris is having a brutal sophomore slump, but at least has five stolen bases and produced 19 homers and 20 swipes as a rookie. And during his career, he's managed an .846 OPS versus righties and an .870 on the road.
Yankees at Dodgers (Michael Grove): Aaron Judge ($6,300), Anthony Rizzo ($4,800), Jake Bauers ($2,000)
Grove will return from the IL to start Saturday for the Dodgers, but he's still an arm being turned to out of necessity. After all, he's posted a career 5.96 ERA and 4.98 FIP. He's also allowed lefties to hit .298 against in the majors, which is why I grabbed two left-handed bats.
Judge is a righty, but he's an elite hitter and is generally worth stacking. He's also recorded a 1.045 OPS versus righties and an 1.120 road mark the last two years. Rizzo has slashed .298/.369/.495 with 11 home runs. He's actually typically better against lefties, but given Grove's career .298 average versus lefties, that all balances out. Going with Bauers gives me a lefty, and also comes in with a reasonable salary. After mashing at Triple-A, the southpaw got called up and has produced a .460 slugging percentage against righties.
