This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There aren't many places to go in Yahoo's night slate for bargain pitching, with two high-end pitchers leading the way followed by a slew of slightly overpriced arms. That means a lot of cheaper bats are needed, and the ones I focus on are against what should be the worst pitchers of the night.
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PITCHER
Dylan Bundy, BAL vs. TB ($52):Chris Sale ($60) is an obvious play, but I think Bundy can have just as good numbers at a cheaper price. He has at least six strikeouts in all five of his starts and has hit 25 fantasy points in four of those. The Rays present another favorable matchup in that they lack power (.118 ISO) and strikeout a decent amount (23.4 K percentage) against righties.
Jakob Junis, KC vs. CWS ($41): Outside of the top two pitchers, there isn't one who truly stands out. For Junis, he's at least been consistent, reaching seven innings in three of his four starts even with a K rate slightly under 20 percent. He faces a White Sox team that strikes out a decent amount against righties (23.6 K percentage) and that could help Junis reach around five or six Ks.
CATCHER
Christian Vazquez, BOS at TOR ($7): This isn't a spot on which I need to spend, so Vazquez gets the nod after last season's .318 wOBA against righties. That makes sense in this matchup, because Marco Estrada has been worse against righty bats throughout his career, and that was the case last season with a .366 wOBA allowed.
FIRST BASE
Anthony Rizzo, CHC vs. MIL ($12): Rizzo doesn't cost much and has made solid contact with seven hits in his last six games after a slow start. His .230 ISO and .382 wOBA against righties last season is a good reason to use him in this spot. Chase Anderson was great last year, but he's been blasted for six homers in his first five starts and has a career 4.45 xFIP against lefties.
SECOND BASE
Eduardo Nunez, BOS at TOR ($18): You can either pay up for a second baseman or pay nothing, and I'm going with the former given the cheaper options. Nunez had a solid .350 wOBA against righty arms last season and already has six doubles against them this year. As for Estrada, his 5.52 xFIP against righties last season hasn't improved in 2018. Jonathan Villar ($9) would be my pick if you don't want to spend.
THIRD BASE
Mike Moustakas, KC vs. CWS ($19): Moustakas is the first of many Royals I'm using against Lucas Giolito, who walked seven and gave up nine runs last start. For his career, Giolito has allowed a miserable 1.87 HR/9, and Moustakas can capitalize already with five homers against righties and coming off a year in which he had a .268 ISO.
SHORTSTOP
Brock Holt, BOS at TOR ($9): I had Alcides Escobar ($9) lined up and then saw Holt's name. Holt at least provides some upside with a hit in his last eight games. He was brutal last season, but has a career .304 wOBA and decent 16.5 K percentage against righties. As for Estrada, he's not an overwhelming strikeout pitcher (20.5 K percentage) and had a poor 4.63 xFIP against lefty bats in 2017.
OUTFIELD
Jon Jay, KC vs. CWS ($9): It makes sense to grab a cheap bat or two against Giolito in case he gets popped again. He doesn't have a good start yet this season with a minimum of three earned runs and four walks in every outing, and his career 5.52 xFIP against lefties leaves a lot to be desired. Jay had two singles against Giolito in their first meeting and he had a decent .327 wOBA against righties last year.
Jason Heyward, CHC vs. MIL ($17): Heyward turned things up this week with four multi-hit games in his last five starts. His early K percentage is at just 5.6 against righties in 54 plate appearances, which is a good sign going forward. That means Chase Anderson's 23.5 K percentage against lefties shouldn't be a factor.
Kyle Schwarber, CHC vs. MIL ($21): If you use enough cheap bats, there should be room for at least one expensive outfielder. Mookie Betts ($27) is on the table, but I'm going Schwarber for a few bucks cheaper. He's been roping as of late, and 18 of his 19 hits have come against righties. That's usually how it goes for Schwarber after last season's .276 ISO and .343 wOBA. Anderson's career 4.45 xFIP against lefty bats should help both Heyward and Schwarber.
