Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

All 30 MLB teams are scheduled to be in action Saturday in a schedule that begins at 1:05 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find which individual pitchers and hitters are primed to provide the best value, as well as the top lineup stacking options in this expansive slate.

Pitching Overview 

This group of games falls on the hitter-friendly side with few aces in action, but there are a couple elite options out there on the mound for owners willing to pay top dollar. Blake Snell ($60) has struck out 24 batters over his past two starts, and the 2018 Cy Young winner should help bolster his chances for the 2019 award against a bottom-five Blue Jays offense.

Zach Eflin ($39) has allowed just one run while posting a 14:1 K:BB through 12 innings this season. Michael Pineda ($45) is looking healthy and effective after missing all of 2018, with a 2.00 ERA and 10:2 K:BB through nine frames. Both guys are primed to keep rolling against the league's two worst offenses in the Marlins and Tigers, respectively, though length could be an issue for Pineda.

Kyle Freeland ($42) surrendered a career-worst seven runs to the Braves in his last start, but he gets a great opportunity to bounce back against the 28th-ranked Giants offense. Freeland should benefit from this game being on the road, as he's posted a 2.31 ERA in 11.2 road innings compared to a 12.60 mark in five frames at hitter-friendly Coors Field this season. Among cheaper options, Adam Wainwright ($32) could be worth a look against the lowly Reds. He turned back the clock in his last start, striking out nine Padres without a walk over six innings of one-run ball.

Key Values/Chalk 

Few pitchers have been as underwhelming since start of last season as Mets southpaw Jason Vargas, who has allowed six runs in as many 2019 innings after pitching to a 5.77 ERA and 5.02 FIP last season. Braves' right-handed slugger Ronald Acuna ($25) and switch-hitter Ozzie Albies ($18) - who has a .386 career wOBA from the right side and just a .311 mark batting left-handed - are primed to take advantage of this favorable matchup.

Matt Carpenter ($16) is ready to wreak havoc on Reds righty Tanner Roark from the top of St. Louis' potent lineup. Ditto for Cubs catcher Willson Contreras ($18) - who has launched five long balls in his last eight games - against struggling Angels starter Chris Stratton.

Wilmer Flores ($8) had a down year against lefties in 2018, but he mustered a .351 wOBA against them in 2017 and a .455 mark in 2016. Batting in the top third of Arizona's order, Flores is worth a flier at $8 against converted Padres reliever Matt Strahm and his 7.04 ERA through two starts.

Stacks 

Hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium should feature some offensive fireworks from both sides when Ivan Nova - who gave up seven runs over 2.1 innings in his last start - takes on CC Sabathia in the latter's season debut. Brett Gardner ($14) stands out from New York's righty-laden lineup, as the left-handed leadoff man will have a platoon advantage over Nova while costing much less than some more prominent teammates. The switch-hitting Yoan Moncada ($20) continues to rake for Chicago, while right-handed slugger Jose Abreu ($17) mustered a .406 road wOBA against lefties last season.

Homer Bailey finished with an ERA north of 6.00 in 2016, 2017 and 2018, so don't expect his current 9.00 mark to come down all that much. Get as many Indians as you can in there against him, especially star slugger Jose Ramirez ($17).

The Astros are surprisingly looking up at the Mariners in the standings, but Houston has a good opportunity to close the gap against Felix Hernandez, who's 1-4 with an 8.56 ERA against the Astros in the past four years. 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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