This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There will be no shortage of action Friday with 14 games scheduled to be played across baseball. One matchup that figures to get a lot of attention features the Red Sox hosting the Yankees. While the Yankees are struggling right now, they still have a sizable lead in the AL East, while the Red Sox might be watching their Wild Card hopes slip away. Two NL East teams with their sights set on the playoffs are the Mets and Phillies, who will play each other at Citi Field. The Phillies will be facing an uphill battle to gain ground with Max Scherzer set to start for the Mets. With so many options to choose from, let's try to help narrow down the field by highlighting some pitchers and hitters to consider.
Pitchers
Carlos Rodon ($52) misses a lot of bats, leaving him with a 31.2 percent strikeout rate. Now he'll face the Pirates, who have struck out the third-most times in baseball. They have also scored the third-fewest runs, potentially making this spot too good to pass up with Rodon.
Tyler Mahle ($43) was roughed up a bit in his last outing, allowing four runs and three home runs over six innings against the Blue Jays. That was a difficult matchup, though, and it ended a streak for him of four straight starts in which he had allowed three or fewer runs. A bounce-back outing could be in the cards against the Angels, who have the fifth-worst OPS in baseball.
A matchup against the Dodgers did a number on Mike Clevinger ($39). He only made it through 4.2 innings, allowing five runs and two home runs. It marked the first time that he allowed multiple home runs in a game this season and the first time that he allowed more than four runs, so don't read too much into one bad performance. Things will be looking up for him against the Nationals, who are rolling with a compromised lineup after the trade deadline.
Top Targets
Aaron Judge ($29) has been trying to carry a Yankees' lineup that is suddenly dealing with some key injuries. He's already gone deep 45 times to go along with 99 RBI, 94 runs scored and 11 stolen bases. More home runs could be coming for him versus Nathan Eovaldi ($33), who has allowed 1.9 HR/9.
It didn't take long for Juan Soto ($25) to make his return to Washington. This will be the first time that he opposes his former squad since the big trade deadline deal that sent the Padres and Nationals in very different directions. He'll look to exploit the inexperienced Cory Abbott ($25), who has a 6.30 ERA and 8.92 FIP across 30 career innings in the majors.
Bargain Bats
It took awhile for Andrew Benintendi ($12) to get settled into pinstripes, but he's started to come around, hitting 6-for-20 (.300) with four doubles over his last six games. While he doesn't normally hit many home runs, the former Red Sox could still exploit this matchup, given Eovaldi's 5.70 FIP and 1.60 WHIP at home this season.
Another player on the Yankees to consider is Josh Donaldson ($13), who has a .541 slugging percentage across his last 10 games. When these two teams met for a four-game series in Boston back in July, Donaldson hit two home runs.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. Domingo German ($28), Yankees: Rafael Devers ($19), Xander Bogaerts ($14), Tommy Pham ($11)
German hasn't pitched more than five innings in any of his four starts since coming off of the IL, posting a 1.53 WHIP along the way. He's been taken deep four times across 17.2 innings, which could be a troublesome trend if he can't improve his WHIP. A start at hitter-friendly Fenway Park might not help his cause. One of the hottest hitters on the Red Sox right now is Pham, who has four doubles and three home runs over his last eight games.
Rockies vs. Zach Davies ($29), Diamondbacks: C.J. Cron ($16), Randal Grichuk ($19), Charlie Blackmon ($14)
Davies does not have a skillset that is conducive to success at Coors Field. He only has a 17.4 percent strikeout rate for his career, and his 39.7 percent fly ball rate this season is on pace to be the highest mark of his career. The Rockies weren't able to score a run off of Davies in two previous matchups, but both of those games were played in Arizona. Look for them to be more productive this time around, given their team .816 OPS at home.
Astros vs. Adam Oller ($25), Athletics: Yordan Alvarez ($25), Jose Altuve ($22), Kyle Tucker ($17)
To say that Oller's first taste of the majors has not gone well would be an understatement. Through 43.2 innings, he has a 7.63 ERA, 7.15 FIP and has allowed 12 home runs. The Astros should be one of the more popular teams to stack for the evening given this matchup. Oller could also provide a jumpstart for Alvarez, who is only 6-for-41 (.146) with one home run over his last 11 games.
