This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
With a heavy dose of day baseball Thursday, only four games will make up the main evening slate on Yahoo. While that doesn't leave us with a bevy of options, here are some pitchers and hitters who could still help you emerge with a winning lineup.
Pitchers
Shane McClanahan ($53) has not allowed more than two runs in any of his five starts. He has logged 29 total innings, posting 37 strikeouts along the way. He will take on the White Sox, who have scored the seventh-fewest runs in baseball. When he faced them in his last start, he allowed two runs and had 10 strikeouts over six innings. McClanahan is someone to consider building your entire entry around.
Tyler Mahle ($39) generally does a good job of keeping hitters off base, recording a WHIP of 1.23 or lower in each of the last three seasons. He remains sharp in that department this year with a 1.15 WHIP over four starts. Facing a Royals team that has the lowest OBP in baseball, Mahle has a chance to shine.
Talk about stepping up in a big way. With the Mets dealing with injuries and the Max Scherzer suspension, they turned to Joey Lucchesi ($45) to make a start against the Giants. He responded by posting nine strikeouts across seven scoreless innings. Another favorable matchup awaits him against the Nationals, who have scored the fourth-fewest runs and hit the fewest home runs in baseball.
Top Targets
Aaron Judge ($20) avoided a scare yesterday when he jammed his hands sliding into third base on a steal attempt. He stayed in the game, finishing 3-for-4 with two doubles and a walk. As long as he's in the lineup Thursday, he's a great option versus left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney ($38). The same can be said for Gleyber Torres ($17), who has used his 17.5 percent walk rate and 15.5 percent strikeout rate to compile a .370 wOBA.
Bargain Bats
For those who decide not to roll with Lucchesi, Joey Meneses ($12) is a hitter with a cheaper salary to consider. He got off to a slow start, which has resulted in his .295 wOBA. However, he is 14-for-40 (.350) with two doubles and a home run over his last nine games.
The combination of just four games and a few top-tier pitchers taking the mound makes it difficult to find good value bats. Josh Lowe ($12) won't have an easy matchup against Dylan Cease ($47), who has a 1.18 WHIP over his first five starts. However, with Lowe sporting a .297 ISO and a .422 wOBA, he might be worth the risk.
Stacks to Consider
Twins vs. Zack Greinke ($28), Royals: Byron Buxton ($17), Joey Gallo ($18), Carlos Correa ($11)
Greinke has some drastic splits. He had a 2.79 FIP and a 1.17 WHIP at home last year, compared to a 5.18 FIP and a 1.51 WHIP on the road. This year, he has allowed seven runs over 17.1 innings at home, compared to eight runs (seven earned) over 10 innings on the road. With this game being played in Minnesota, stacking the Twins is a viable route to take. A pleasant surprise for them has been Gallo, who has seven home runs and a .480 wOBA over 15 games
Mets vs. Trevor Williams ($32), Nationals: Pete Alonso ($20), Francisco Lindor ($18), Brandon Nimmo ($21)
Williams has a 3.38 ERA over his first four starts, but his FIP is less encouraging at 4.65. He also has just a 19.1 percent strikeout rate for his career, making him one of the more underwhelming pitchers for this slate. Alonso and Lindor bring the power to this stack, while Nimmo, with his .409 wOBA, could take advantage of Williams' inability to miss bats.
