This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The weekend is arriving and MLB is kicking into high gear with 14 games on the slate Friday evening. If only the Cubs and Rockies weren't playing during the day, we could have the full schedule. 28 teams are plenty and leaves you with plenty of options. To try and help, here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Michael Wacha, BOS vs. KC ($9,200): Wacha has had an impressive year for a Red Sox rotation that's needed it what an 11-1 record and 2.69 ERA. He's also posted a 1.79 ERA at home. The Royals, meanwhile, are 24th in runs scored with a .305 team OBP.
Taijuan Walker, NYM vs. PIT ($8,000): Walker's first year as a Met didn't go great, but 2022 has been much better with a 3.48 ERA while only allowing 0.80 home runs per nine innings. The Pirates have surpassed the Marlins in runs scored and team OPS! That means they're now all the way up to…27th.
Lucas Giolito, CWS at DET ($7,800): Giolito has endured a rough year, but I figured I'd take a shot on him against the Athletics in his last start. Sure enough, he went six innings and only gave up three runs with six strikeouts. The Tigers offer an even-better matchup for Giolito as they rank last in offense and OPS. He's also produced a 3.96 ERA on the road, which is better than his 6.61 home mark.
Top Targets
Over the last three weeks, Manny Machado ($5,600) has recorded a .997 OPS. And while he's typically done more at home since joining the Padres, his .916 road OPS this year tops his home number (a still robust .889). Madison Bumgarner's start got pushed back a day, but it's not going to save him. He still has a 7.68 ERA across eight starts, not to mention a .290 average against righties.
Dansby Swanson ($5,200) has racked up 20 home runs and 17 stolen bases to go with an .840 home OPS and an .863 versus lefties. Ranger Suarez is a southpaw who's been strong at suppressing home runs, but still comes in with a 3.64 FIP. And in his last four starts, he's posted a 5.40 ERA.
Bargain Bats
A career .305 hitter, Jeff McNeil ($4,800) has registered a .322 and .374 OBP this season. When the southpaw faces a righty, he even shows some power with a .472 slugging percentage. Mitch Keller doesn't allow a lot of homers, but has allowed lefties to hit .299 against since 2020. Maybe McNeil doesn't go deep, but getting a couple doubles off Keller wouldn't be surprising.
This is a gamble since he isn't the definitive starter at any position, but Nick Fortes ($4,300) can be your lineup's catcher and sometimes he's the DH. I was looking for power upside and he's managed seven homers in 60 games and enters with a career .444 slugging percentage. Why do I particularly care about power? Because Josiah Gray has as much of an issue with home runs as any MLB pitcher having pitched over 200 innings during his career and allowing a staggering 2.45 home runs per nine.
Stacks to Consider
Cardinals vs. Reds (Justin Dunn): Tommy Edman ($5,500), Tyler O'Neill ($5,400), Brendan Donovan ($3,300)
Dunn's time as a Mariner wasn't exactly a dream having never posted a FIP lower than 4.73. However, his first season with the Reds has been truly brutal with an 8.30 FIP through seven starts. On top of that, Dunn's given up 3.19 home runs per nine innings. In his last appearances, he suffered his worst outing by giving up six runs in three innings. There's currently no silver lining for Dunn, but that presents opportunity for the Cardinals.
Edman has posted an 1.083 OPS the last three weeks. His 13 home runs may actually flatter his power a bit, but his 29 stolen bases are definitely legitimate. O'Neill has 14 homers and 12 steals of his own with a .931 OPS the last three weeks. As a lefty, the fact Donovan's .781 OPS versus righties is better than what the does against southpaws isn't surprising. However, the rookie also boasts a .928 at home.
Red Sox vs. Royals (Jonathan Heasley): Xander Bogaerts ($5,300), Rafael Devers ($5,200), Connor Wong ($2,200)
Let's see. Heasley has a career 5.94 FIP. He's allowed 1.87 home runs and struck out 5.89 batters per nine innings. The 25-year-old just gave up seven runs in four innings to the DETROIT TIGERS. And if that wasn't enough, he's also let righties hit .302 against in the majors. Yeah, I like this stack opportunity.
You know how I just said righties as a whole hit .302 against Heasley? Well, Bogaerts boasts a .317 average, so he doesn't exactly need help. He's also produced an 1.165 OPS the last three weeks. Devers has a .917 OPS at home and a .921 against right-handed pitchers in 2022 and is a career .281 hitter with a .513 slugging percentage in the bigs. I know Devers and Bogaerts are at the top of the salary market, so I included Wong to balance things out. The right-handed catcher has barely played in the majors, but he's been the primary catcher for the Red Sox the last bit. Wong's career OPS in MLB is .820 and put up an .832 down in Triple-A this year.
Astros vs. Athletics (Adrian Martinez): Alex Bregman ($5,700), Kyle Tucker ($5,600), Jeremy Pena ($4,500)
There have been a couple good starts in Martinez's rookie campaign, but he's posted a 5.59 ERA overall. He's also allowed a lot of contact, including 1.63 home runs per nine innings. Lefties have hit .273 against Martinez. And even though he's a righty, right-handers have hit .329 against.
Bregman is a righty who prefers to face a righty with a .918 OPS in those situations. He also lists a 1.018 home OPS. Tucker isn't going to post a .916 OPS like he did last season, but nobody should be holding their noses about 27 home runs and 22 stolen bases. His dip has been almost entirely against lefties as he's recorded an .876 OPS in matchups with righties. The rookie Pena has accumulated 17 homers and 10 stolen bases. He truly doesn't walk, but he's a shortstop with a favorable matchup and that's good enough for me.
