This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There are 10 games scheduled across baseball Thursday, most of which have early start times. With less time than usual to build lineups for the main Yahoo slate, let's get to it and highlight some pitchers and hitters to consider.
Pitchers
Pablo Lopez ($46) began the season by allowing five runs over 26 innings in his first four starts. Over his last two outings, he gave up 11 runs over 10 innings. What's even more baffling about his recent struggles is that it has come against two light-hitting teams in the Nationals and Royals. Still, he's worth considering against a White Sox team that has scored the ninth-fewest runs in baseball. The last time he faced them, he had 10 strikeouts and allowed two runs across 7.2 innings.
After giving up four runs in his season debut, George Kirby ($46) has pitched at least six innings and allowed two or fewer runs in all four starts since. This season, he has allowed just one home run over 30.2 innings. More success could be coming against the Athletics, who have scored the fifth-fewest runs in baseball.
The Cubs are set to receive a boost for their starting rotation with Jameson Taillon ($31) expected to be activated from the IL to start against the Nationals. Taillon doesn't miss a ton of bats, but he has recorded a WHIP below 1.20 in four of his first six seasons in the league. While his lack of strikeouts does limit his upside, his salary is still cheap enough to making him a viable option with the Nationals having scored the fourth-fewest runs in baseball.
Top Targets
There have been plenty of runs scored between the Blue Jays and Red Sox in their series. At least 11 combined runs were scored in each of the first three games, with the Red Sox winning each of them. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($21) has done his part for the Blue Jays, hitting 5-for-13 with a double and a home run. Look for him to stay hot against Brayan Bello ($26), who has a 1.79 WHIP over 69.2 career innings in the majors.
Jarred Kelenic ($20) looks to finally be living up to the hype that he arrived from the minors with. He is still striking out a lot at 27.8 percent, but that rate is nearly six percentage points lower than last season. His hard-hit rate is 54.4 percent, which has helped him generate a .299 ISO. Expect him to be a difficult out for Drew Rucinski ($26), who has a 1.64 WHIP over 59.2 career innings.
Bargain Bats
It has been a strange start for Nolan Arenado ($10), who has a .084 ISO and a .275 wOBA. His hard-hit rate is down to 31.5 percent, which is nearly seven percentage points lower than his career mark. However, it's not often that you can find a player with his track record at this cheap of a salary. That makes him worth considering against Griffin Canning ($32), who has a 4.69 ERA and a 4.66 FIP for his career.
An injury to Joey Wendle (intercostal) has opened up regular playing time for Jon Berti ($11). Since he went down, Berti is 12-for-75 (.253) with two home runs, four doubles and four steals over 25 games. Those numbers don't jump off the page, but he's been productive enough to be a viable option against lefty Dylan Dodd, who will be called up to start for the Braves. Dodd lacks experience at higher levels, throwing just 21.1 career innings at Triple-A and 9.1 innings in the majors.
Stacks to Consider
Cubs vs. Patrick Corbin ($25), Nationals: Patrick Wisdom ($23), Dansby Swanson ($21), Ian Happ ($20)
After recording a 6.31 ERA and 4.84 FIP last season, Corbin has a 5.74 ERA and 5.38 FIP this year. His strikeout rate is all the way down to 14.4 percent, while his WHIP comes in at 1.66. To complicate matters, he has been taken deep six times over 31.1 innings. The Cubs should be a popular team to stack, and rightfully so. One of their leaders has been Wisdom, who has 11 home runs to go along with his .396 wOBA.
Brewers vs. Connor Seabold ($25), Rockies: Willy Adames ($23), Rowdy Tellez ($26), Christian Yelich ($19)
The Rockies are running out of options with three starting pitchers landing on the IL. They will turn to Seabold, who has made seven relief appearances this season. He hasn't been effective, giving up eight runs across 13.1 innings. He hasn't thrown more than 67 pitchers in an outing yet, so the Rockies will likely be forced to get additional outs from their bullpen. When you add it all up, this is a great spot for the Brewers.
Rays vs. Vince Velasquez ($32), Pirates: Wander Franco ($21), Randy Arozarena ($21), Brandon Lowe ($14)
Velasquez has a 3.06 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP, while his FIP is also improved at 3.80. However, taking a look at his opponents, some of his success might be attributed to favorable matchups. All five of his opponents rank inside the bottom-half of baseball in runs scored, while four of them rank inside the bottom-10. This will be a difficult test against a Rays team that has scored the most runs. One of the keys to their success has been Franco, who has a 161 wRC+.
