This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Thursday bifurcates the MLB schedule. After four afternoon games, there are four evening games. Those evening affairs are the DFS contests I am focused on. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Carlos Rodon, NYY at LAA ($8,200): I was all set to roster Reynaldo Lopez as my pitcher, but then Atlanta swapped him out for Ray Kerr. Rodon has a 2.95 ERA this season, and he's only had one bad start. He has a 1.85 ERA in four outings since that bad start against the Orioles at the start of May. The Angels are middling in terms of runs scored, but obviously, a couple of notable names are no longer healthy. Rodon is also a lefty, so the left-handed bats of the Angels are in trouble.
Top Target
After hitting 54 homers and posting a .993 OPS last season, Matt Olson ($5,200) has been a bit worse this year. His numbers have dropped against righties after he had a 1.061 OPS versus those pitchers last year, but his real issue has been on the road. At home, his OPS is still a solid .810. Like Lopez, Trevor Williams has been a pleasant surprise this year. He's gone from a 5.98 FIP and allowing 2.12 homers per nine innings last season to a 2.77 FIP and 0.35 home runs per nine in 2024. Is that sustainable? I'm skeptical. Also, Williams has improved much more against righties than lefties. Southpaws have batted .240 against him after hitting over .300 against him across the two prior seasons.
Bargain Bat
It took some time, and the early returns were a concern, but Colt Keith ($2,600) is now a viable MLB player. The left-handed second baseman has a .973 OPS over the last three weeks. He's in line to face Nick Pivetta on Thursday. The righty has allowed 1.52 home runs per nine innings in his career. He has a 4.80 ERA at home since 2022.
Stack to Consider
Yankees at Angels (Patrick Sandoval): Giancarlo Stanton ($4,800), Anthony Volpe ($4,600), Gleyber Torres ($3,900)
Sandoval hasn't had a major issue with homers on the season, which is the norm for him, but he's allowed four home runs over his last two starts. Also, even without being homer-prone, the lefty has a career 4.02 ERA. This season his ERA is up to 5.60. While Sandoval has been good against fellow southpaws in the past, over the last three seasons he has let righties hit .270 against him. Thus, I am stacking three righties from the Yankees.
When he's healthy, Stanton still has a lot of power. He has 13 home runs this year and has slugged .481. He's hit at least 24 home runs in each of the previous three seasons, even with missed playing time. As a rookie, Volpe managed to tally 21 homers and 24 stolen bases, even though he barely hit over the Mendoza line. This year, his average is up to .288, which is nice when paired with six home runs and 11 stolen bases, not to mention three triples. Torres has had a tough year but has four home runs and four swiped bags. He also has a .846 OPS over the last two weeks. His issues have mostly been at home. His 725 OPS on the road is not terrible.
