This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There will be no day games Friday, leaving us with a ton of options to wade through on Yahoo. Let's try to help narrow down the field by highlighting some pitchers and hitters who could take advantage of favorable matchups.
Pitchers
After getting off to a late start to Spring Training, Nestor Cortes Jr. ($47) threw 91 pitches in his last outing against the Orioles. He allowed two runs over 5.1 innings, striking out five batters along the way. His strength has been keeping hitters off base, posting a 1.08 and a 0.92 WHIP, respectively, the last two seasons. Although the Twins jumped on the Yankees early Thursday, Cortes is still one of the better pitching options for this slate.
Talk about a way to ease into the majors. Kodai Senga ($45) faced the Marlins in both of his first two starts, allowing a total of two runs over 11.1 innings. He also recorded 14 strikeouts. Another favorable matchup awaits him against the Athletics, who have scored four or fewer runs in eight of their 14 games.
Marco Gonzales ($27) has been a much better pitcher at home than on the road. Since the start of the 2018 season, he has a 4.02 FIP and a 1.15 WHIP in Seattle, compared to a 4.69 FIP and a 1.33 WHIP on the road. Despite his lack of strikeout upside, he's worth considering for a home matchup against the Rockies, who had the lowest OPS on the road in baseball last season.
Top Targets
Jose Ramirez ($20) is still search for his first home run, but he has continued to have an excellent eye at the plate, drawing nine walks compared to five strikeouts. He has also stolen four bases. Expect him to be a tough out for Trevor Williams ($33), who has just a 19.2 percent career strikeout rate.
Bryan Reynolds ($23) has already slugged five home runs, while striking out just five times over 54 plate appearances. The Pirates don't have many potent bats in their lineup, which makes them difficult to stack, even when they do have a favorable matchup. However, Reynolds himself is worth deploying against Jake Woodford ($26), who allowed nine runs and four home runs over nine innings in his first two starts of the season.
Bargain Bats
The Brewers will start left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer ($33) against the Padres, meaning that Nelson Cruz ($13) should be in the lineup. While he is a shell of his former self, he has a career .393 wOBA versus left-handed pitchers. This season, he is 6-for-18 with a home run and two doubles against lefties.
It was a quick rise to the majors for Oscar Colas ($11), who played at three different levels in the minors last season. At each stop, he finished with a wOBA of at least .379. In Double-A, he slugged 14 home runs over just 51 games. His upside makes him worth considering in a matchup against Tyler Wells ($29), who has a 4.14 ERA and a 4.21 FIP for his career.
Stacks to Consider
Cardinals vs. Johan Oviedo ($29), Pirates: Paul Goldschmidt ($20), Nolan Arenado ($17), Nolan Gorman ($17)
After being roughed up by the Red Sox in his season debut, Oviedo rebounded to shut out the White Sox over 6.2 innings in his last outing. He began his career with the Cardinals, recording a 1.38 WHIP in 2020 and a 1.57 WHIP in 2021. He lowered that mark to 1.29 last season, but his 9.5 percent walk rate was a concern. The Cardinals drew the sixth-most walks in baseball last season, so if Oviedo can't control the plate, they could be in line for a productive evening.
Rays vs. Jose Berrios ($25), Blue Jays: Wander Franco ($23), Randy Arozarena ($22), Brandon Lowe ($23)
Berrios had an extremely disappointing 2022 campaign, posting a 5.23 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. His strikeout rate dropped to 19.8 percent, and he allowed 1.5 HR/9. He didn't look any better during his first two starts this year, allowing 14 runs (12 earned) over 9.2 innings. This has the makings of an offensive explosion for the Rays, who lead baseball in runs scored. One of their most productive hitters has been Franco, who has a .439 wOBA and a .358 ISO.
Mariners vs. Austin Gomber ($30), Rockies: Julio Rodriguez ($20), Teoscar Hernandez ($18), Ty France ($18)
Like most pitchers, Gomber did not perform well at Coors Field last year, posting a 4.72 FIP and a 1.40 WHIP. He wasn't much better on the road, though, finishing with a 4.54 FIP and a 1.37 WHIP. The underwhelming lefty being on the mound makes this right-handed hitting trio dangerous. Hernandez, in particular, has a career .379 wOBA against left-handed pitchers.
