This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Baseball closes out the work week with 14 games on the schedule Friday. There are two games that stand out amongst the crowd. First, two of the top teams in the NL East will face off when the Mets host the Braves. Second, the Padres will travel to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers. That game features a good pitching matchup, too, between Sean Manaea and Tony Gonsolin. Gonsolin will certainly have his hands full given the additions of Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the Padres' lineup. As well help you try and narrow down the options on Yahoo, here are some pitchers and hitters to consider for your entries.
Pitchers
The Angels' have gone cold at the plate, lowering their team OPS to .683. That's the fifth-lowest mark in baseball. Looking to take advantage of their struggles will be Robbie Ray ($46), who is coming off of two bad starts against the Astros. The only time that he's faced the Angels previously this season, he allowed one run and recorded 10 strikeouts over seven innings.
It's been a rough stretch for Corey Kluber ($45), who has allowed at least four runs in three straight starts. He recorded 10 strikeouts over six innings in his last start against the Guardians, though, and he has a very respectable 1.15 WHIP for this season. This could be a great bounce-back start for him against the Tigers, who have scored the fewest runs in baseball.
Kyle Gibson ($28) was activated from the bereavement list Thursday and will make his return to the mound in a matchup against the Nationals. Gibson can be prone to blow ups, which is evident by the fact that he has allowed at least five runs in three of his last six starts. With that being said, he has to at least be considering in a matchup against the Nationals, who don't have many feared hitters in their lineup after they traded away Soto and Bell.
Top Targets
The Yankees had an off day Thursday and Aaron Judge ($29) sat out Wednesday's game against the Mariners, so he if fresh heading into a battle with the Cardinals. Starting for St. Louis will be Dakota Hudson ($25), who has actually allowed a higher wOBA to right-handed hitters (.343) than he has lefties (.297). He generally pitches to contact given his 12.8 percent strikeout rate, so he could be in trouble against the red-hot Judge.
When Josiah Gray ($37) starts for the Nationals, it's time to hunt power hitters on the opposing team for DFS. For his career, Gray has allowed 2.2 HR/9. In Friday's case, he'll be matched up against the Phillies. This could be a prime opportunity to roll with Kyle Schwarber ($16), who has already gone deep 33 times this season.
Bargain Bats
It's been a down season for Nick Castellanos ($11), who only has nine home runs. Still, this is a player with a career .476 slugging percentage. Given Gray's home run issues, Castellanos might be worth the risk at such a cheap salary.
Zack Greinke ($30) was never great source for strikeouts, but he's been especially unproductive in that area this season with a 13.4 percent strikeout rate. That low mark has contributed to his 4.41 ERA and 4.47 FIP. With the amount of contact he gives up, Alex Verdugo ($10) could be worth a look. He doesn't strike out much in his own right, posting an 11.3 percent strikeout rate.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Ian Anderson ($34), Braves: Pete Alonso ($18), Francisco Lindor ($19), Jeff McNeil ($10)
Anderson's 4.24 FIP is almost right in line with his mark from last season, but his ERA has increased from 3.58 to 4.99. His strikeout rate has dropped to 20.2 percent, while his WHIP has increased significantly to 1.50. The only other time he faced the Mets this season, he allowed just one run over 5.1 innings, but he may have been a bit lucky given that he permitted nine total baserunners. This could be a great matchup for McNeil, who has used a good eye at the plate to generate a 129 wRC+.
Brewers vs. Robert Dugger ($25), Reds: Hunter Renfroe ($19), Rowdy Tellez ($19), Kolten Wong ($18)
When the Brewers traded away Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle, they opened up two holes in their starting rotation. Dugger will get a crack to fill one of them, but he may not last in the role for long given his career 6.97 ERA and 5.61 FIP. He's allowed 16 home runs across just 82.2 career innings, so he could be in trouble against the powerful duo of Renfroe and Tellez.
Rays vs. Bryan Garcia ($25), Tigers: Randy Arozarena ($20), Yandy Diaz ($21), Ji-Man Choi ($13)
There may be no team in baseball that has suffered more injuries to their starting rotation than the Tigers. They are patching things together down the stretch, and will give Garcia another start, which will be only his second of the season. In his first outing, he allowed two runs over 3.2 innings to the Blue Jays. Given his career 1.68 WHIP, there isn't much to be excited about here. One hitter to consider building a Rays stack around is Diaz, who has used a selective eye at the plate to help him produce a .355 wOBA.
