Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Saturday's main MLB slate begins at 7:05 PM Eastern time and features nine games. 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 slate.

Pitching

While this slate lacks top-tier pitching options, there's no shortage of enticing players to choose from among the priciest available options.

A's southpaw Sean Manaea ($43) missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, but he's doing his best to make up for lost time with one run allowed through 18 innings and a 21:6 K:BB. The visiting Rangers are much less dangerous away from home, averaging just 4.42 runs per game on the road - seventh-fewest in the league.

Jose Berrios ($42) of the Twins enters with a 3.58 ERA, 3.91 FIP and 22.9 percent strikeout rate. Those numbers should look even better by the time he's through with this home matchup against Kansas City's 28th-ranked offense.

Johnny Cueto ($34) of the Giants is in a similar position to Manaea, albeit in a tougher matchup. He's yet to give up a run through 10 innings heading into this trip to Atlanta, making the veteran an enticing against-the-grain option.

Key Values/Chalk

The Dodgers and Twins offer some chalk plays while the Diamondbacks are set to provide nice bang for the buck, but there's also value to be found outside of those three stackable lineups.

Astros' second baseman Jose Altuve ($21) should be a near-automatic option whenever the opposition puts a lefty on the mound. His wOBA in that split comes in at .448, and Angels starter Patrick Sandoval is an average southpaw at best.

Oakland's Matt Olson ($24) doesn't seem like an intuitive play given his pedestrian numbers in lefty-on-lefty matchups, but paying up for him here could pay off in a big way. The first baseman is enjoying a power binge with six home runs in his last 10 games, while Rangers' southpaw Brock Burke is giving up a .405 wOBA to batters from the left side.

Brewers' third baseman Mike Moustakas ($17) boasts a wOBA north of .350 against righties. The left-handed slugger will try to help Milwaukee tighten its grip on the NL's second Wild Card spot against Pirates righty James Marvel, who has surrendered nine earned runs through nine innings at the major-league level.

Stacks

Dodgers vs. Rockies (RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez)

Joc Pederson (OF - $19), Cody Bellinger (OF - $20), Matt Beaty (3B - $7)

Gonzalez has allowed a .380 wOBA to left-handed batters, and the Dodgers own perhaps the league's scariest selection of options from that side to throw at him. Pederson has recorded a .370 wOBA against righties that climbs to .440 at home, and all 32 of the leadoff man's home runs have come off right-handed pitchers. Bellinger's wOBA against righties sits at a robust .426, and Beaty has delivered a .364 mark in that split that climbs to .391 at Dodger Stadium.

Twins vs. Royals (RHP Glenn Sparkman)

Jorge Polanco (SS - $21), Luis Arraez (2B - $16), Nelson Cruz (OF - $22)

Sparkman has struggled with an 8.57 wOBA over 55.2 road innings, and that number should only get worse against Minnesota's second-ranked offense. The switch-hitting Polanco has posted a .378 wOBA from the left side. Arraez enjoys the platoon advantage and a .387 wOBA against righties. Cruz is even better against lefties, but his .397 wOBA in righty-on-righty matchups is nothing to sneeze at.

Diamondbacks at Padres (RHP Cal Quantrill)

Abraham Almonte (OF - $7), Christian Walker (1B - $14), Alex Avila (C - $7)

Quantrill has been brutal recently, surrendering a whopping 28 earned runs in 16.2 innings over his last four starts while losing them all. An Arizona team that probably needs to win out to have any shot at the playoffs should capitalize on this favorable matchup, even without star slugger Ketel Marte (back). The switch-hitting Almonte was recently moved to the leadoff spot and owns a wOBA over .370 batting from the left side in limited action this season. Walker has produced a wOBA over .370 in righty-on-righty road matchups this season, while Avila has the platoon advantage as a left-handed slugger and a .345 wOBA against righties, making him a solid affordable option at the catcher position.

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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