This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
PITCHER
Max Scherzer, WAS vs. AZ ($59): Scherzer burned a lot of folks in his last start against the Mets, yours truly included, but there's nothing like an elite starter coming off a bad outing – especially when that outing came against a bad team. My fear in using Scherzer last time out was the possibility of him taking the Mets lightly – whether or not that's what actually happened we'll never know, but you can bet that Scherzer was not happy with his performance and with that, a renewed focus on the mound can be expected. Arizona has fared well against righties this season, but the Diamondbacks' K rate is sixth worst in baseball. That's a recipe for success for Scherzer.
Ariel Miranda, SEA vs. OAK ($33): With Scherzer in play and no good options immediately below him on the salary scale, we'll need to find some good value on the lower end. Miranda is certainly no safe bet, but he's looked good in two of his past three starts and his one poor outing came at the hands of the A's, which is actually a good thing as Miranda will have the advantage of making adjustments. The A's have also struggled against lefties this season with a bottom 10 wOBA and bottom 10 K rate. Miranda has recorded 18 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings over his past three starts.
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CATCHER
Tyler Flowers, ATL vs. NYM ($12): Flowers spent many years in obscurity with the White Sox, but he's starting to make a name for himself with the Braves. Through 19 games, Flowers holds a .380 average and although the power numbers aren't there, he's getting on base and knocking in runs when he has the opportunity. He'll face righty Zack Wheeler, which is good for Flowers as he's been better against righties than lefties this season. Flowers has a .410 wOBA against righties this season, which is good for 31st in all of baseball.
FIRST BASE
Ryan Zimmerman, WAS vs. AZ ($24): Braden Shipley gets the call into what can only be described as a terrible spot against the Washington Nationals. Shipley posted a 5.24 ERA in 13 games last season and he'll be lucky to match that number after this game. Washington has yet to explode since returning home, but it's only a matter of time. Zimmerman got off to a great start this season and he's shown no signs of slowing down. Zimmerman enters with a 10 game hitting streak, and in the past six games, he's managed multiple hits per game. Zimmerman is third in the majors with a .509 wOBA against righties this season.
SECOND BASE
Jonathan Schoop, BAL at BOS ($19): Boston sends out Kyle Kendrick to face the Orioles and unless Kendrick is better at the major-league level than he's been at the minor-league level, it will be a short stay in the bigs. Kendrick has struggled mightily at the AAA level this season and there's little doubt that he'll struggle in this spot. Schoop has the best wOBA against righties this season, so it makes sense that he should be at the top of the list when considering which Orioles to select against Kendrick.
THIRD BASE
Miguel Sano, MIN vs. OAK ($24): The way that Sano has been hitting lately, his performance in Wednesday's game – one hit, two runs and a walk – was a bit of a disappointment. That gives you an idea of how well he's produced this season. I mentioned in yesterday's write-up that he's almost matchup proof and I stand by that, but that doesn't come into play as Jharel Cotton isn't exactly a tough matchup. Sano is hitting righties at a very high level this season. His wOBA against righties is .490, which is good for seventh in all of baseball.
SHORTSTOP
Elvis Andrus, TEX at HOU ($16): Andrus has cooled a bit since a blazing hot start to the season, but he's in a good spot here against right-hander Joe Musgrove, who's struggled with righties this season. Opposing righties have posted a .386 wOBA against Musgrove and his xFIP against righties is very high at 5.23.
OUTFIELD
Seth Smith, BAL at BOS ($16): As mentioned earlier, Kendrick takes the hill for the O's and when we go back to his most recent season in the big leagues, we see that opposing lefties posted a wOBA of .413 against Kendrick, so targeting lefties would be wise. Smith isn't generally at the top of many wish lists, but in this case, he looks like a great option. Smith is one of a few O's that has a history with Kendrick. Smith has 11 hits in 22 career at-bats against Kendrick.
Bryce Harper, WAS vs. AZ ($26): I'm going for the jugular against Shipley in recommending the highest-producing Nationals on this slate. Zimmerman is the surprise of the season, while Harper's production has come with little surprise. Harper's production has actually slipped a bit during the current five game home stand, but it's only a matter of time before he cranks it up a notch again. Harper's wOBA against righties is .506, which is good for fourth in all of baseball.
Ben Gamel, SEA vs. LAA ($7): If you are looking for some value out of a low-priced option, Gamel could be your man. Gamel's value lies in his spot in the order, which on Wednesday was second. Seattle gets a crack at rookie Daniel Wright, so you can expect a good amount of production from the entire lineup and with Gamel sitting in a great spot within that lineup, he's bound to produce. Gamel is coming off a solid game Wednesday in which he posted 10.2 fantasy points.
