This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Friday might as well be ace day across baseball. There are a ton of top-tier pitchers set to take the mound, including Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole. Two of them will even face each other when Shane Bieber and the Guardians host Kevin Gausman and the Blue Jays. Another exciting pitching matchup will be Yu Darvish against Sandy Alcantara for the second game of a series between the Padres and Marlins. Let's discuss how all of these great pitchers will impact the DFS slate, while also focusing on some hitters who could take advantage of more favorable matchups.
Pitchers
The Blue Jays brought in Gausman ($51) to replace Robbie Ray, which were big shoes to fill considering Ray won the AL CY Young last season. Gausman hasn't disappointed, posting a 2.27 ERA and an astonishing 0.50 FIP. Arguably his most impressive stat is that he has recorded 41 strikeouts without issuing a walk. The Guardians have had a surprisingly potent lineup this season, but this is still a great spot to roll with Gausman in DFS.
The Rockies continue to have dramatic home and road splits. They have a .802 OPS at Coors Field, compared to a .697 OPS on the road. They'll play the Diamondbacks in Arizona, which makes Merrill Kelly ($41) someone to target. He's off to a hot start, in his own right, with a 1.27 ERA and a 2.10 FIP.
If you want to take a chance on a pitcher with a cheaper salary for tournament play, then rolling with Jordan Lyles ($29) might not be crazy. He's off to another middling start with a 4.50 ERA and a 4.98 FIP. However, this is a great matchup against the Royals, who have scored the fewest runs in baseball.
Top Targets
Ty France ($19) performed well against left-handed pitchers last season with a 141 wRC+. He's off to an even better start against them this season with a 205 wRC+. Given that he'll be facing a lefty in Josh Fleming ($25) who has a career 1.35 WHIP through 152.1 innings, France could continue to shine.
Cole Irvin (shoulder) was originally scheduled to start against the Twins, but with him being placed on the IL, the Athletics are left scrambling. Reports indicate that left-handed pitcher Zach Logue is the leading candidate to start in his place. Across four starts at Triple-A this season, he posted a 5.63 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. This could be a great matchup to deploy Byron Buxton ($27), who is healthy and mashing with a .710 slugging percentage.
Bargain Bats
With injuries piling up for the Twins, Jose Miranda ($8) is likely to get everyday at bats moving forward. He's posted excellent numbers throughout the minors, including a 156 wRC+ at Triple-A last season. Add in the favorable matchup against Logue and he's another player to pursue on the Twins.
After a slow start, Kolten Wong ($12) looks to be heating up at the plate. Across his last seven games, he is 9-for-26 (.346) with a home run, three doubles, three steals and a .419 OBP. The Brewers will take on the Braves, who have yet to name a starting pitcher as of early Friday morning. Given that their lack of viable options has lead to this point, Wong could remain hot against whoever the Braves send to the mound.
Stacks to Consider
Angels vs. Joan Adon ($25), Nationals: Shohei Ohtani ($20), Taylor Ward ($27), Jared Walsh ($18)
If the Nationals had better options, Adon might not be in their starting rotation right now. He's allowed at least four runs in four of his five starts, thanks in large part to his 1.67 WHIP. During his time in the minors, he only pitched a combined 18 innings above Single-A. The Angels could hang a crooked number in this matchup, with Ward possibly being right in the thick of the production. He's as hot as it gets, recording a 257 wRC+ across 18 games.
Mets vs. Kyle Gibson ($35), Phillies: Francisco Lindor ($16), Eduardo Escobar ($14), Brandon Nimmo ($16)
Gibson faced the Mets in his last start and allowed one unearned run over 4.1 innings. However, things could have been much worse considering that he issued five walks. His lack of control could be a problem again Nimmo, who has a career 14.9 percent walk rate. Escobar is another appealing player for a Mets stack because, even though he only has one home run, he has a .349 wOBA.
Red Sox vs. Vince Velasquez ($258), White Sox: Rafael Devers ($19), J.D. Martinez ($19), Alex Verdugo ($12)
Velasquez hasn't been able to reach the high expectations that followed him throughout the minors because he does a terrible job of limiting baserunners. He has a 1.47 WHIP this season, which is close to in line with his career 1.39 WHIP. He's also allowed 1.5 HR/9 for his career, which is even more troublesome when you combine it with his WHIP. Even though the Red Sox currently rank inside the bottom-third of the league in runs scored, this matchup could lead to a breakout performance.
