This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Friday could be, potentially, jam packed with baseball. It's hard to say anything too definitive this season. There are 20 games scheduled at the moment. Obviously, that includes a few doubleheaders, which messes with the DFS landscape. Only nine games are included in DraftKings' Friday night slate. Here are my picks.
PITCHING
Dustin May ($8,700) has looked like the future star promised by prospect prognosticators. He has a 2.83 ERA, but his ERA at home is 2.35. That's key to my recommendation. The Rockies have big offensive numbers, but that's bolstered by Coors Field. This game is at Dodgers Stadium. So, don't be too afraid to select May for your lineup.
Carlos Carrasco ($10,200) is averaging over 11 strikeouts per nine innings for the first time in his career. Sure, strikeouts aren't what they used to be, but that's still significant. So is the fact he's coming off a six shutout innings in his last start. The Brewers' offense has been better recently, but that's only been enough to get them just outside the bottom five in runs scored and to get their collective OBP over .300.
You want to talk splits? Tyler Anderson ($6,000) has some splits. On the road he has a woeful 7.59 ERA. At home, though, his ERA is a nearly pristine 0.61. The last time Anderson got to pitch in San Francisco he tossed a complete-game shutout against the Diamondbacks. Friday, he's at home against those same Diamondbacks. History may not repeat itself, but I'm in on Anderson here.
TOP PICKS
Some Dodgers have struggled this year, but Seager ($5,000) has not been one of them. A hot stretch has got him slashing .323/.371/.600. He also has an OPS of .910 against righties since 2018. That's a big reason why I'm recommending the southpaw slugger. He'll be facing righty Antonio Senzatela who may have a 3.32 ERA this year but has a career 5.11 ERA. Plus, his FIP this season is 4.25.
Whit Merrifield ($5,300) hit over .300 in each of his last two seasons and has stolen at least 20 bases in each of his last three campaigns. He already has seven swiped bags to go with seven homers in 2020. Dane Dunning has made two starts in his MLB career. One went well, and one went poorly. We don't really know which is more accurate yet.
Kyle Lewis ($5,100) is vying for the AL Rookie of the Year thanks to a .945 OPS and eight homers through 36 games. The Mariners have been off due to their series with Oakland being postponed, but they're currently scheduled to face the Rangers on Friday. The Rangers are scheduled to start Kyle Cody, who has pitched all of 4.1 innings in his MLB career.
VALUE PLAYS
Michael Conforto ($4,800) has enjoyed hitting at home the last couple of years. His OPS at Citi Field was .934 last year and is over 1.000 this season. The lefty will also be facing the right-handed Jake Arrieta in this matchup. Arrieta was once a feared pitcher, but this year he has a 6.47 ERA through six starts.
Rhys Hoskins ($4,600) saw his batting average drop to .226 in 2019, but he still had a .364 OBP with 29 homers. This year his average is back up to .269, and that has helped him lift his OBP to .432. Arrieta is not having a good season, but the same is true of one-time Cy Young winner Rick Porcello. Porcello has a 6.00 ERA one year after having a 5.52 ERA in 2019.
Brandon Belt ($4,000) is one of many hot Giants in 2020. His OPS is up to 1.041 and he's batting .333. Maybe that won't continue, but I like his chances of staying scorching versus Arizona's Taylor Clarke. Sure, he has a 2.22 ERA, but with a .130 BABIP. That's not sustainable, as his 4.69 FIP indicates. The left-handed Belt could hit the righty hard.
STACKS
White Sox vs. Brady Singer: Jose Abreu ($5,400), Eloy Jimenez (5,000), Luis Robert ($4,900)
Singer has been no saint on the mound for the Royals, as he has a 5.55 FIP. His biggest problem? Allowing over two home runs per nine innings. That's a bad recipe against this White Sox team. Abreu is batting .316 with a .619 slugging percentage. He's never failed to hit at least 25 homers when playing more than 128 games in a season. Jimenez doesn't walk, but when you are batting .281 and coming off a year with 31 homers, it doesn't matter too much for DFS purposes. Then there's Robert, who could be both Rookie of the Year and MVP. He also just hit his 11th home run.
Rangers vs. Yusei Kikuchi: Nick Solak ($2,900), Isiah Kiner-Falefa ($2,800), Jose Trevino ($2,700)
If you want a budget stack, I'm interested in the Rangers against Kikuchi. The lefty has a career 5.54 ERA and has allowed .295 batting average to righties. The problem? Finding right-handed batters who haven't been lousy for Texas, arguably the worst offense in the majors. Fortunately, I found three guys I could get behind. Solak quietly slashed .293/.393/.491 as a rookie in 2019 and has a .350 OBP this year. Kiner-Falefa has a .281 batting average and has stolen six bases. As for Trevino, he's a cheap catcher who is batting .291 with a .473 slugging percentage. That's enough for me from a backstop for DFS.
