This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Perhaps owing to the fact the MLB regular season is almost over, Thursday's schedule is busier than this day of the week often is. However, perhaps to facilitate travel for the weekend's series, most of the games are starting early. That leaves us with six games on the DFS main slate docket, with the first pitch at 6:50 p.m. ET. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Yusei Kikuchi, HOU vs. LAA ($9,900): This has been a win-win trade for player and team. Kikuchi got out of Toronto and joined a Houston team that is going to win the American League West. Meanwhile, through eight starts, Kikuchi has posted a 3.19 ERA, providing better production than whatever fringe-rotation pitcher the Astros would have had to rely on otherwise. Plus, in the American League West, divisional matchups are much easier. The Angels are going to finish 27th in runs scored.
Luis Ortiz, PIT at STL ($7,700): Ortiz has moved in and out of the rotation, but through it all, he has a 2.84 ERA on the road. Lefties have taken him deep pretty well – they've hit 11 of the 15 home runs he's allowed – but the Cardinals don't have many power-hitting lefties, and have a .388 slugging percentage as a team. That's why the Cards are in the bottom seven in runs scored.
Top Targets
Well, 30+ homers and 30+ doubles are a reasonable substitute for Pete Alonso ($4,900) in a year where he's most likely not going to hit 40 home runs. He's enjoyed a strong power campaign at home where he's slugged .504. Taijuan Walker, Alonso's former teammate, has allowed 2.29 homers per nine innings. His fellow righties have also hit .325 against him.
A second baseman who has slugged .479 turns heads, and Brandon Lowe ($4,700) is such a player. He has 19 home runs, and those have come in only 98 games. Brayan Bello admittedly doesn't allow a ton of homers, but he has a 4.60 ERA anyway. Plus, in his career, lefties have hit .289 against him.
Bargain Bats
I didn't expect Joc Pederson ($4,600) to play as much as he has, given the fact he is usually a righty-mashing platoon player, but this year he's appeared in 123 games and slashed .277/.396/.520. His OPS against righties and OPS on the road are both over .900. Tobias Myers has allowed a home run in four-straight starts, and lefties have hit .268 against him.
Surprisingly, Garrett Mitchell ($3,200) has earned the job starting in center field for the Brewers, but he has earned it. The lefty has six homers, three triples and eight stolen bases in only 60 games, bolstered by a .862 OPS against righties. Brandon Pfaadt has been struggling, as he has a 7.58 ERA over his last nine outings. On top of that, lefties have hit .298 against him on the season.
Stack to Consider
Cubs vs. Nationals (Patrick Corbin): Seiya Suzuki ($4,900), Ian Happ ($4,500), Dansby Swanson ($4,300)
The Sun rises, the Sun sets, and Corbin gets mashed by righties. He has a 6.58 ERA at home this season and has allowed right-handed hitters to bat .313 against him. Thus, we have three Cubs who can hit right-handed in this stack.
Once again, Suzuki has hit the 20-homer mark, and he's added six triples. Plus, he's running better than ever, having stolen 15 bases in 125 games. Suzuki also has a .822 OPS over the last two weeks. The switch-hitting Happ has put together his second 20/10 season in a row, and he's over 30 doubles again as well. Though he hits righties a bit better than lefties, his .874 OPS at home balances that out. Swanson has tallied 15 homers and 17 swiped bags, and this year he's been reliant on hitting against southpaws. The shortstop has a .903 OPS versus lefties.
