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Hello there, MLB DFS grinders! The focus of this article will be on the 4-game Early Only afternoon slate for DraftKings while FanDuel offers a two-game Early Only slate. 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 DraftKings and FanDuel slates beginning at 1:10 PM on 7/28/2021. 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!
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MLB DFS Pitchers
Zach Plesac @ St. Louis Cardinals ($6,600 FD, $6,800 DK)
One pitcher that I have had my eye on from the early set of games is Zach Plesac. Plesac is 5-3 on the year with a 4.3 ERA and brings a solid floor as he has had at least three strikeouts in four out of his last five outings and has gone six innings pitched in three out of those five games played. St. Louis has a few bats that could cause problems for Plesac but if he can navigate around Goldschmidt, Arenado, and O'Neill, he should be able to have a very solid outing. This Cardinals lineup has only three batters that have an ISO of .185 or greater and has five atters that have a strikeout percentage that is greater than 21% so on paper, this looks to be a solid matchup for Plesac.
Jake Odorizzi vs. Seattle Mariners ($7,300 FD, $8,500 DK)
One of the safest pitchers on this early slate is Jake Odorizzi. He is moderately priced over on DK and is relatively cheap on FD and brings a solid floor in the matchup against the Mariners. Odorizzi has gone at least five or more innings in three of his last five starts and has only allowed two home runs in that five-game span. The Seattle lineup features six batters who have a strikeout percentage that is greater than 21% and they have a collective team strikeout percentage of 25.8% so if Odorizzi can get ahead in the count, he might be able to get some Mariner bats to chase some pitches out of the zone which can result in some strikeouts.
Others to consider: Wily Peralta vs. Minnesota Twins
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MLB DFS "Bats Worth Paying For"
Matt Olson – 1B, OAK @ SDP ($4,000 FD, $ 5,800 DK)
Olson is having a fantastic year and he is seeing the ball well from both righties and lefties this year. He is hitting .307 against lefty pitchers this season and has a very high ISO of .324 against that handedness. Snell will be on the hill for the Padres and he throws three pitches to lefties with his fastball being thrown over 57% of the time while his slider is thrown 30% of the time. Olson hits the slider well as he has a .289 ISO and a .362 XwOBA against that specific pitch type and if Snell misses his spot with one, Olson could take one out.
Jose Altuve– 2B, HOU @ SEA ($4,300 FD, $4,700 DK)
One of the best hitters on the Houston team against lefties is Jose Altuve. Altuve is averaging .309 and is third on the team with five home runs against that handedness. Righties have gotten the best of Kikuchi as they have a .197 ISO and make up for 16 out of the 20 total home runs that Kikuchi has allowed on the year.
Fernando Tatis Jr. – SS, SDP vs. OAK ($4,500 FD, $6,200 DK)
With it being a smaller slate, it is tough to not consider a talent like Fernando Tatis Jr. He has the second-highest ISO against lefty pitchers on this Padres squad and has a very high hard-hit percentage against lefties as he has a 57% hard-hit percentage. While Manaea has been very good against right-handed batters, he will have to be careful around Tatis who profiles well against the two main pitches that he throws to right-handed batters.
MLB DFS Values
Miguel Cabrera – 1B, DET @ MIN ($2,400 FD, $3,300 DK)
One Tigers bat that could go overlooked is Miguel Cabrera. He is hitting .294 against lefty pitchers which is the third-highest average against lefties on the Tigers and has a 45% hard-hit percentage against that handedness. Happ throws his fastball over 56% of the time to right-handed batters and Cabrera profiles well against that pitch as he has a .235 ISO and a .593 XwOBA against that specific pitch type.
Cesar Hernandez – 2B, CLE vs. STL ($3,000 FD, $3,700 DK)
One Cleveland bat that could be used in all formats is Cesar Hernandez. While he has a low batting average against lefty pitchers, Hernandez leads Cleveland with 10 home runs against left-handed pitching while also sporting a .214 ISO and a .404 XwOBA. Kim will be pitching for the Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon and he throws his fastball 45% of the time to right-handed batters and Hernandez has a .300 ISO and an XwOBA of .584 against that pitch.
Eric Haase – C/OF, DET @ MIN ($2,600 FD, $4,700 DK)
One guy that is hard to ignore on this slate is Eric Haase. Haase has been swinging a hot bat lately as he has recorded a hit in eight straight games and has homered in back-to-back games with Haase hitting a grand slam last night. Haase gets a great matchup against lefty pitcher in J.A. Happ and he holds an ISO of .446 against this handedness and righties have an ISO of .263 against Happ this year.
Also Recommended: Michael Brantley vs. Yusei Kikuchi
MLB DFS Hitter Stacks
Houston Astros vs. Yusei Kikuchi
The Astros will be a tough opponent for Kikuchi and I expect them to be one of the top stacks, if not, the overall top stack on the slate. The Astros hit lefties very well as they have five batters who have batting averages that are above .289 while having eight batters who carry a hard-hit percentage that is greater than 36%. When looking at their lineup, they have seven guys who have at least three home runs against lefties and six batters who carry an ISO above .150. The top of the order is all in play with Yuli Gurriel, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Kyle Tucker all being the preferred options.
Oakland Athletics vs. Blake Snell
Snell has not been the same dominant pitcher that he was in Tampa Bay as he is 4-3 on the season with a 4.93 ERA which is the highest ERA in his entire big league career. He will draw a tough matchup against a right-handed heavy A's lineup that can do some damage against lefty pitchers. As a collective unit, the A's have seven batters who have a hard hit percentage that is greater than 36% and their top of the lineup should be in play like Mark Canha, Ramon Laureano, Matt Olson, and Jed Lowrie while also looking at guys further down the lineup like Matt Chapman and Sean Murphy.
Other recommended stacks: Detroit Tigers vs. J.A. Happ
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