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Hello there, MLB DFS grinders! We have a split Thursday slate and the focus of this article will be on the four-game only slate for DraftKings while still mentioning plays for the three-game early only slate on FanDuel. We have some good pitching options and good stacks to consider so let's dive on in and find the best plays for both your cash game and tournament lineups.
While most of our MLB DFS coverage here at RotoBaller is geared towards the main slate, I wanted to give you some of my favorite pitchers and bats for these early games that will help you cash in tournaments and cash game contests. I'll highlight my favorite pitching options here first and then give you some hitters at each price tier to consider as well as my favorite teams to stack up! You can read our DraftKings DFS lineup picks for the main slate and FanDuel DFS lineup picks for the main slate as well.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel and DraftKings slates beginning at 12:20 PM on 6/3/2021. Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also check out today's MLB DFS lineup picks for the main slate here, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. Let's get to it!
MLB DFS Pitchers
Gerrit Cole vs. TBR ($11,200 DK, $12,000 FD)
Cole is easily the top arm on the early slate and will be the highest owned pitcher and possibly player on the entire slate on both sites. Cole has turned out a quality start in all but two games this season and gets a very juicy matchup against the Rays whom he dominated in mid-May. In his outing on May 12th, Cole went eight innings while allowing only four hits and fanning 12 batters. In two total starts against the Rays, Cole has combined for 22 strikeouts while allowing nine hits in 14.1 innings and two runs allowed. He has the best floor and ceiling at the position and is worth spending up for on any and all sites.
Austin Gomber vs. TEX ($5,400 DK, $8,900 FD)
The pricing on Gomber over on DK is just too low to pass up. DK has Gray listed as the starter but both FD and MLB.com have Gomber listed as the starter so we will go with the masses and anticipate that Gomber is the true starter barring any change. Gomber has pitched well at home as he has 14 innings under his belt and has only allowed three runs but has struck out 14 and kept batters to just a .149 batting average. The Rangers as a team are batting .238 against left-handed pitchers but also have the sixth-highest strikeout total on the season and the fifth-lowest team ISO (.142) against this handedness. While the idea of choosing a pitcher in Coors isn't enticing, he is dirt cheap on DK and allows you to spend up for some bats over on DK.
Others to consider: Ryan Yarbrough vs. Yankees
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MLB DFS "Bats Worth Paying For"
Ryan McMahon– 2B/3B, COL vs. TEX ($5,600 DK, $3,800 FD)
McMahon has provided some serious pop to this Rockies lineup as he has blasted 10 home runs against right-handed pitchers and gets a great matchup against Mike Foltynewicz who struggles mightily against left-handed batters. When it comes to lefty-batters against Folty, they are sporting a .292 ISO and have a 49.5% fly-ball rate which only makes things worse for Folty as he is pitching in the best hitters park in the MLB. When digging into McMahon's numbers, he has a 45% flyball rate and a 43.8% hard-hit percentage against righties and those numbers only go up when he is at Coors against right-handed pitchers.
Alex Bregman – 3B, HOU vs. BOS ($5,000 DK, $3,800 FD)
If you look to stack the Astros, one of the top bats to consider is Alex Bregman. Bregman is hitting .338 against lefty pitchers while also sporting a .195 ISO and a .532 slugging percentage against this handedness. Perez mixes his pitches but does throw his cutter or sinker for a combined 50% of the time to righties and Bregman makes contact over 84% of the time to both pitches. Bregman has hit safely in four of the last five games that he has played and would be a top spend-up option on this slate.
Ronald Acuna Jr. – OF, ATL vs. WSH ($5,700 DK, $4,500 FD)
Acuna Jr. is the best bat on the slate and it is hard to just not press the lock button and move on. He is batting .351 and is sporting an ISO of .257 against lefties this year while also producing a 50% hard-hit percentage against this handedness. Corbin throws his sinker 34% and his fastball 21% of the time against righties and Acuna smashes both of these pitch types as he has a .414+ ISO and a .502 XwOBA+ against them. If Corbin misses his spot, Acuna Jr. will take him deep.
MLB DFS Values
Ryan Zimmerman– 1B, WSH @ ATL ($4,500 DK, $2,300 FD)
Zimmerman has been a lefty smasher throughout his career as he has hit .313 against them and is batting .366 against them this season. Zimmerman sat last night which leads us to think that he might be available in this matchup today against the Braves young lefty pitcher, Tucker Davidson. Zimmerman is sporting an ISO of .195 and is slugging .561 against this handedness so if he draws a start and is in the lineup, he would make for a great play in all formats.
Austin Riley– 3B, ATL vs. WSH ($3,900 DK, $3,200 FD)
If you're wanting to save some money but still have a batter that looks good based on the splits, look no further than Austin Riley. He is really priced down over on DK while he is moderately priced on FD and is hitting .289 against lefty pitchers while sporting a .267 ISo and a .556 slugging percentage. Riley profiles really well against Corbin's sinker as he has a .583 and a .772 XwOBA against that specific pitch type and Corbin throws it quite often to rightes.
Yonathan Daza – OF, COL vs. TEX ($3,200 DK, $2,500 FD)
Daza has been hitting very well over the last couple of games as he has recorded a multi-hit performance in three straight games and looks to be carving out a spot in this Rockies offense. He is batting .306 against right-handed pitchers on the season and has an 83%+ contact percentage against both Folty's fastball and sinker. If he gets placed near the top of the order, he looks to be a great value play and arguably the best value bat on the slate.
Also Consider: Yuli Gurriel vs. Martin Perez, Dansby Swanson vs. Patrick Corbin, Alex Verdugo vs. Jake Odorizzi
MLB DFS Hitter Stacks
Houston Astros vs. Martin Perez
As a team, the Astros hit left-handed pitchers very well as they are batting .284 against that handedness and sport a team slugging percentage of .443. They have five of their starters that are hitting above .300 against that handedness and as a team, they sport a .171 ISO while also having eight batters have a hard hit percentage that is greater than 36%. Perez has allowed four bombs to the right side of the plate and that is where the strength of the Astros lineup bats lies as four of their top five in the order are right-handed batters. Perez throws a mixture of pitches but only stays ahead in the count 48.6% of the time so if he falls behind early, the Astros lineup will sit back and wait for him to throw his fastball or cutter for a strike which could be bad for Perez.
Atlanta Braves vs. Patrick Corbin
The Braves show a lot of power against lefty-pitchers as they have a team ISO of .212 and have seven batters that have a hard hit percentage that is greater than 36% against this handedness. Patrick Corbin will be on the bump against the Braves on this four-game slate and while he has limited damage to the left side of the plate, righties have really knocked him around as they are hitting .311 against him this year with all 11 home runs allowed coming from right-handed batters. Atlanta has some powerful bats from the right side of the plate so locking in Acuna Jr., Albies, Riley, and then considering Dansby Swanson and William Contreras would be the way to go for Atlanta.
Other stacks: Colorado Rockies vs. Mike Foltynewicz, Boston Red Sox vs. Jake Odorizzi , Washington Nationals vs. Tucker Davidson
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