This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
As teams make adjustments to their post-deadline rosters, a few squads get Thursday off as per usual. In the evening, there are six games starting at 7:15 p.m. ET or later. Looking for a few suggestions before setting your DFS lineups? You've come to the right place!
Pitching
Julio Urias, LAD vs. OAK ($9,800): The Dodgers will hope to get Urias on track as they head toward the playoffs, but at home, he's been on track all season. He has posted a 2.47 ERA in his starts at Dodgers Stadium. Of course, this matchup also helps a ton. The Athletics rank last in runs scored and team OPS.
Mitch Keller, PIT at MIL ($9,100): The Pirates held onto Keller, though a couple bad starts recently may have made it harder to trade him anyway. All in all, he has a 3.81 FIP, and his strikeout rate is his highest and his walk rate his lowest since his rookie campaign in 2019. The Brewers are 23rd in runs scored, and they rank 28th in slugging percentage as well.
Top Target
He likely won't hit 30 homers for the third year in a row, but Kyle Tucker ($5,700) has 18 homers to go with 20 stolen bases, and his .300 average has him primed to set a new high there as well. Additionally, Tucker has excelled on the road , where he's posted a .987 OPS. Clarke Schmidt has allowed 1.8 home runs per nine innings at home, and lefties have hit .290 against him. Tucker is, of course, a southpaw.
Bargain Bat
It's been a tough campaign for Carlos Correa ($4,700), but he does have a .724 OPS versus lefties, and since 2021 he has an .854 OPS against southpaws. Matthew Liberatore is back in the Cardinals' rotation for…some reason. He has a career 6.35 ERA and righties have hit a whopping .338 against him.
Stacks to Consider
Cubs vs. Reds (Luke Weaver): Cody Bellinger ($5,200), Nico Hoerner ($4,800), Dansby Swanson ($4,600)
If the Reds want to make the playoffs, their pitching will need to pick it up. There's no hope of Weaver making that happen, though. He has a 6.80 ERA this season, and his career ERA is 5.11. This year lefties have hit .282 against him, while righties have hit .326 against him, so feel free to mix it up on the stack front! I ended up with this trio.
The Cubs decided to keep Bellinger around, and if they want to make the playoffs, it was a wise decision. His rebound campaign has seen the lefty slash .316/.368/.541 with 16 homers and 14 stolen bases. Also, if a lefty comes out of the bullpen, Bellinger has an 1.042 OPS versus southpaws. Hoerner is a righty who hits for average and steals bases, so facing a pitcher like Weaver is perfect for him. He's swiped 26 bags, and Hoerner also has an .815 OPS at home since 2021. Swanson has been hot since returning from injury, and he has 16 homers in 94 games. In his first season as a Cub, he has an .839 OPS at Wrigley Field.
Dodgers vs. Athletics (JP Sears): Freddie Freeman ($6,400), Will Smith ($5,600), James Outman ($3,400)
In his first full season as a starter, and his first full season with Oakland, Sears has a 5.19 FIP. His groundball percentage is a mere 27.0, which is quite low. Unsurprisingly, he's also allowed 1.93 homers per nine innings. Now, I have two lefties in this stack against a southpaw. Why? Because lefties have hit .300 against Sears.
Freeman is having an MVP-caliber season once again, having slashed .338/.416/.586 with 21 homers and 14 stolen bases. While he's smashed righties as per usual (.957 OPS since 2021), this year he has an 1.052 OPS versus southpaws. Smith is a catcher with a .276/.387/.469 slash line. He also has an .893 OPS at home. Outman started the season hot, got cold, but now he is hot again. He has a .932 OPS over the last three weeks. The lefty also has a .774 OPS versus righties and a .756 OPS versus southpaws, so he doesn't show significant splits.
