This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Saturday's main slate at FanDuel gets going in the evening at 7:05 p.m. EDT and includes seven games. Just three of the 14 pitchers come with price tags of $9,000 or greater, so there's not a lot of elite arms available. That said, runs still look difficult to come by, as Braves-Guardians is our highest total at 9.0, while three games sit at a low 7.5 runs.
We look dry across the slate, but wind could be a factor with it seemingly blowing out in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Fransisco, and across the diamond in Atlanta and Chicago.
Pitching
Aaron Civale, TB at CWS ($10,100): No extra thought needs to be given if paying up for pitching Saturday. We know we target against the White Sox each and every day. They have a league-low .261 wOBA and 66 wRC+ off righties, striking out at a 24.7 percent clip. Civale's stikeouts are up, sitting at a career-best 10.1 per nine, and while that may be unsustainable throughout the year, he's in a spot to keep it going. He's earned three quality starts in five appearances, failing to go at least five innings just once. High floor of a 3x return here with the potential for more.
Jordan Hicks, SF vs. PIT ($8,600): This feels like a bit of a premium price to pay for a pitcher who's learning to throw to contact and isn't striking many out as a result. Hicks' Ks are down to 5.8 per nine as he continues his transition to a starter, but he's limiting damage by keeping the ball on the ground at an impressive 56.6 percent rate, in line with his prior work as a reliever. Pittsburgh's offense scares no one, bringing a .297 wOBA, 85 wRC+ and .110 ISO into Saturday, striking out 23.0 percent of the time. Hicks seems set up for at least five innings of minimal damage.
Slade Cecconi, ARI at SEA ($7,400): The Mariners offense appears to be warming up, particularly Julio Rodriguez, so it's getting a touch harder to back arms against them. But they still sit with just a .301 wOBA and average 100 wRC+ while striking out 28.8 percent of the time. Cecconi hasn't shown he can miss bats at a high level in the majors, and through 33 big league innings, he's consistently sat around a 4.00 ERA, so he's unlikely to get a lot of clean frames Saturday. But at this price, he can return fairly in the 3x range by just striking out a few while minimizing damage.
FanDuel incorrectly listed George Kirby as the Mariners' starter Friday, and I had interest in him as he appears to be righting his early-season struggles. He's not listed as of Saturday morning, but upon correction, he's a fine option.
Top Targets
The Braves' offense is far and away the best on this slate, so a share or two is likely necessary. Guardians' starter Tanner Bibee is allowing a .391 wOBA and .886 OPS to lefties, and Matt Olson ($3,700) is showing signs of life over his last two, making for a nice, underpriced target.
Given that it's the highest total on the board, it makes some sense to stay in Atlanta and target both sides of this game. Charlie Morton has been pretty consistently average this year and slightly more vulnerable to lefties. Jose Ramirez ($4,000) is always involved in what the Guardians do, but I usually prefer him when facing a lefty. That sets up Josh Naylor ($3,700) to be less targeted. He's second on the team with a .361 wOBA and 141 wRC+ while walking more than he's striking out.
Bargain Bats
White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon has some puzzling splits, sitting with a 7.27 ERA but only a 1.99 FIP. You'd expect Rays bats to be popular, as none are priced above $3,300. I'm willing to play a struggling Randy Arozarena ($2,900) almost nightly at this price, but if we're targeting Cannon's weakness against lefties (.489 wOBA allowed), we don't have many options. Josh Lowe ($3,000) is expected to make his season debut Saturday, and he's essentially the only left-handed bat the Rays will feature.
The Giants present favorably against left-handed Martin Perez with four bats sporting a wOBA of .386 or better. Jorge Soler ($3,000) sits with a .403 wOBA, 159 wRC+ and .233 ISO, while Matt Chapman ($2,900) boasts a .424 wOBA, 172 wRC+ and .241 ISO.
Stack to Consider
Angels vs. Chris Paddack (Twins): Mike Trout ($4,100), Taylor Ward ($3,800), Miguel Sano ($2,300)
Pay no mind to Paddack's last outing where he dominated the White Sox, that's a nightly routine for whomever is facing them. Outside of that game, he's allowed 13 runs and 24 hits across 14.0 innings in three starts. He's been more vulnerable to lefties, which the Angels don't have a ton of, so we'll simply target the top of their order. Trout and Ward are essentially the Angels offense, and we're paying a premium for them, but the rest of the lineup is cheap across the board, balancing our budget. Sano is far from must use, so perhaps a two-man mini-stack is a better option, but he's just under league average with a 94 wRC+ and should hit cleanup, giving him run producing opportunities.
