This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday, as per usual, is a transitional day for MLB teams. Some teams are off, some are finishing series, while others are beginning new series. There are only four games on the docket on FanDuel, as it has excised the Yankees-Red Sox game, now once again a doubleheader due to rain. First pick is at 7:07 p.m. EDT. With that in mind, here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Kevin Gausman, TOR vs. TEX ($10,300): There's only a handful of matchups out there, so I'm going to go with an elite pitcher even if the matchup is not perfect. The Rangers have been scuffling, and they are dealing with injuries to some key bats as well such as Josh Jung and Adolis Garcia. Gausman has a 2.83 FIP, has struck out 11.67 batters per nine innings, and has only allowed 0.91 homers per nine for good measure. Plus, he has a 3.07 ERA at home, compared to a 3.52 ERA on the road.
Kenta Maeda, MIN at CWS ($7,600): If you want to go matchup over pitching profile, Maeda is your guy. His 3.42 road ERA is respectable enough, and the White Sox are woeful offensively. They are 25th in runs scored, but last in team OBP.
Top Target
Since 2021, George Springer ($3,600) has an .806 OPS against righties and an .815 OPS versus lefties. During that same time frame he also has an .849 OPS at home. Throw in his 19 homers and 19 stolen bases in 2023, and Springer has a balanced profile. Nathan Eovaldi has made two starts since returning from injury, but has gone a total of 3.2 innings. This could end up being a bullpen game if that continues, which is conducive to relying on a guy like Springer, who can deliver in multiple ways against an assortment of pitchers.
Stacks to Consider
Twins at White Sox (Jose Urena): Max Kepler ($2,900), Edouard Julien ($2,800), Alex Kirilloff ($2,600)
Urena is now serving as the fifth starter for the White Sox, owing to a lack of other options in a season that the franchise just wants to be done with. The veteran right hander has cut a swath of poor-quality pitching wherever he has gone. In fact, this will be his fifth season in a row with an ERA over 5.00. Since 2021, lefties have hit a robust .333 against Urena, so even though the Twins are plagued by injury, I found a worthwhile stack.
Kepler is the power play of these three, having hit 22 homers this year and once tallying 36 in a season. Facing a righty is to his benefit, of course, and he's slugged .497 in those matchups in 2023. The rookie Julien has hit .270 with a .381 OBP, with a profile built upon success against righties. Having yet to solve southpaw pitchers, the bulk of his production is owed to a .903 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. This matchup suits Kirilloff in multiple ways. In addition to his .853 OPS versus righties, he has an .860 OPS on the road.
Giants at Rockies (Chase Anderson): Thairo Estrada ($3,800), Wilmer Flores ($3,700), J.D. Davis ($3,200)
If you think Urena on the verge of his fifth consecutive season with an ERA over 5.00 is bad, Anderson is primed to finish with an ERA over 6.00 for the fourth year in a row. No wonder he's pitched for five franchises in that time. While he is right-handed himself, Anderson has allowed righties to hit .307 against him since 2021, so I went that way with this stack.
Estrada doesn't have huge power, though he has slugged .447 against righties. However, he's hit .272 with 26 doubles and 21 steals, and even getting to first base and then swiping second provides DFS value. Flores will bring the power, as he's slugged .526 with 22 home runs in 113 games. He's been solid at home, but his road OPS is a hefty .987. In his first full season with the Giants, Davis has been better on the road, where he has a .769 OPS. Recently he's been better than that on the whole, as he has an .812 OPS over the last three weeks.
