This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The All-Star break is right around the corner for MLB, so make the most of your DFS opportunities until that brief hiatus. There are 12 games on the slate Friday starting at 7:05 p.m. ET. Here are lineup recommendations to try and take you into the weekend on a high note.
Pitching
Andrew Abbott, CIN at MIL ($9,900): The young hitters in Cincinnati's lineup are the ones driving the excitement over this team, but Abbott stepping into the rotation has been crucial in the rise of the Queen City's squad as well. He has an 1.21 ERA through six starts and has struck out 10.13 batters per nine innings. Sure, he has a 3.47 FIP, and his .190 BABIP will rise, but the Brewers aren't a threatening team. They are in the bottom 10 in runs scored, and with Abbott being a lefty, he's well-suited for this matchup as well.
Yu Darvish, SD vs. NYM ($8,800): Darvish may have a 4.84 ERA, but he has a 3.87 FIP. Also, he has a 3.64 ERA at home in 2023, and a 3.13 ERA at Petco since joining the Padres. The Mets have been disappointing, just like the Padres to be fair, with a below-average offense in terms of runs scored.
Aaron Civale, CLE vs. KC ($7,700): There haven't been many strikeouts from Civale in his eight starts, but he also has allowed only a handful of home runs, leaving him with a 2.96 ERA all in all. Three teams have separated themselves from the pack in terms of being the worst offenses in baseball, and the Royals, 29th in runs scored, is one of those three squads.
Top Targets
Mookie Betts ($6,600) combines leadoff-hitter skills (.373 OBP) with cleanup-hitter power (23 homers), which is why he is in the running for the NL MVP. He's also a big fan of his home ballpark where he has a .984 OPS. Griffin Canning has returned since missing the 2022 season, but his game did not improve in the interim. He has a 4.53 FIP and has allowed 1.51 home runs per nine innings.
It hasn't been the best season for Rafael Devers ($4,900) but his 20 home runs in 84 games shows his prodigious power is still showing itself. Since 2021, the lefty has a .918 OPS versus righties and an .889 OPS at home. Luis Medina, a righty, has a 7.43 ERA on the road in his rookie season, and he's allowed 1.84 home runs per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
It's been a disastrous season for Carlos Correa ($4,600), but maybe in the right matchup he can be a bargain. After all, just last season he had a .945 OPS against lefties and an .880 OPS at home, and this year he's been better in those two scenarios as well, though less robustly. Cole Irvin, a lefty, has a 6.32 ERA in his first season as an Oriole. Now, he's been better after two brutal starts early in the year that saw him returned to Triple-A, but over the previous two seasons with the Athletics he had a 4.11 ERA, even with the Athletics' pitcher-friendly ballpark.
The strength of Amed Rosario ($3,800) is his base running, having picked up five triples and nine stolen bases in 2023. Now, he generally lacks in power, but that's not uncommon for shortstops. Also, to the extent he has power, it's notable that since 2021 he has an .829 OPS against lefties, and this year he has an .829 OPS at home. The lefty Daniel Lynch has a career 5.12 ERA, and righties have hit .282 against him as well.
Stacks to Consider
Rangers at Nationals (Trevor Williams): Corey Seager ($6,200), Nathaniel Lowe ($4,600), Leody Taveras ($3,300)
The Mets wisely moved Williams to the bullpen, but the Nationals decided to put the righty back in the rotation as they rebuild, and it has not gone well. He has a 5.58 FIP and has allowed 1.91 homers per nine innings. Since Williams has allowed lefties to hit .296 against him over the last three seasons, I have three guys from the Rangers who hit left-handed.
With a .360/.422/.618 slash line, the only thing that will keep Seager out of the MVP race is the injury that has limited him to 56 games thus far. By the way, looking ahead to the Nationals' calling in the bullpen, since 2021 Seager has an .833 OPS against lefties, so he can't be neutralized by a southpaw. Lowe has had some issues with southpaws, but he has an .833 OPS versus righties. This year he has been better at home, but just last year he had a .919 OPS on the road, so this may be a classic case of correlation not equaling causation. If rising tides lift all boats, Taveras is a sterling example of that. Amid baseball's best lineup, the centerfielder has broken through with a .300 average with 10 homers and nine stolen bases. He's a switch hitter, but he has an .849 OPS against righties.
Yankees vs. Cubs (Jameson Taillon): Gleyber Torres ($4,700), Anthony Rizzo ($4,100), Billy McKinney ($2,100)
Taillon returns to his old stomping grounds having the worst season of his career. He has a 6.93 ERA and has allowed 1.84 home runs per nine innings. In the past, righties have hit Taillon better, and indeed this year right-handers have averaged .282 against him. However, lefties have batted .308 against the Cubs hurler, so I am going with two lefties in this stack.
Torres has 13 homers and seven stolen bases. Usually better against lefties, he has an .742 OPS at home this year, and since 2021 he has a .755 OPS at home. Getting Rizzo at home is key, as the lefty takes advantage of Yankee Stadium quite well. He has an .882 OPS at home in 2023 after having a .840 OPS in the Bronx last year. This is where I would typically end such a stack with the lefty Jake Bauers, but he's joined the list of injured Yankees and is expected to hit the IL. McKinney is a lefty, and he's next up. In limited playing time, he's hit four homers and slugged .493. At this salary, in this matchup, I'll take a shot, because anything positive he does is going to provide real bang for your buck.
Diamondbacks vs. Pirates (Rich Hill): Ketel Marte ($5,900), Christian Walker ($5,400), Lourdes Gurriel ($4,800)
Hill's still out there in his age-43 season, but with a 4.50 ERA after posting a 4.27 ERA last season, his longevity is the only impressive thing about the southpaw these days. Well, he does still manage to tamp down homers, but his 26.4 line-drive percentage is tough on the fielders behind him. July in Arizona is a conducive environment to fly balls as well, making stacking three Diamondbacks easier.
Originally, I was hoping to have Corbin Carroll, even in a lefty-on-lefty matchup, but then he left Thursday's game with an injury. However, as he exited the lineup, Marte returned. He's arguably a better option against a southpaw anyway, as he has a .949 OPS in those matchups since 2021. Walker hit 36 homers last year, and fittingly halfway through this season he's hit 18 home runs. While he's been hitting lefties and righties equally well, the slugger has a .932 OPS at home. Never a guy to pick up a walk, Gurriel has been a little more all-or-nothing recently, having slugged .447 with three homers over the last two weeks with a .213 average. He does enjoy his new ballpark, though, as he has an .860 OPS at home.
