RADIO
Today, Thursday July 23rd, includes 11 games and some excellent pitching throughout the league. I constructed this article a bit differently to address the match ups and best pitching options. Remember the potential that each player has given their circumstances. I find it is best to disregard the price at first and create your ideal lineup. Then, if the price does not fit, go back and edit, keeping the players that you feel the most comfortable with. I am going to try and provide the best options given the research that I have done, but it is up to you to make the final decision.
Editor's Note: If you play on DraftKings, you should check out our Partner FanDuel - they're hosting a one-day Fantasy Baseball league tonight. It's just $5 to enter and pays out $80,000 in cash prizes, including 8K to 1st place!
Sign up Now and we'll give you free access to RotoBaller's Premium DFS Lineup Picks and Tools (a $29.99 value). You'll also receive a 100% bonus on your first FanDuel deposit.
Offenses to Target for DraftKings Stacking
Tigers RHB vs RHP Hisashi Iwakuma
The Tigers face right hander Hisashi Iwakuma at home today. Iwakuma has the worst ERA (5.51) among pitchers today when facing RHB. Outfielders Yeonis Cespedes and J.D. Martinez should fill the scorecard nicely, as both have 130+ wRC+ against RHP. The Tigers park favors RHB and that should allow Ian Kinsler to post respectable numbers today as well. He is batting fantastically the past seven days, posting a .481 BA along with two homers. No need to stray far from the Detroit roster as all the players mentioned are reasonably priced for their potential today.
Athletics vs. RHP Drew Hutchison
I had to contemplate this pick for some time due to O.co Coliseum being a pitcher friendly park. Sadly for Hutchison, that factor should prove void after the Athletics are done with him. Starting with Hutchison has a +5.00 ERA in multiple splits including vs RHB / LHB / Away. Mark Canha, Stephen Vogt, Josh Reddick, and Ike Davis are all contributing +100 wRC+ against RHP this season. The park is slightly more favorable to right-handed batters, but there should be plenty of hits to go around for the Athletics. I would avoid Brett Lawrie though, his "hitless-ness" in the past week is scary enough to avoid him, but not the rest of the Oakland squad. Once again the Athletics top options are fairly cheap.
DFS Infielders to Target for DraftKings
Justin Turner, LAD - $3,400
Coming off his solo shot against the Braves last game, Turner is now messing around with a .480 BA over the past week. He looks like he about to catch fire so make sure you get him before he gets too hot.
Adrian Gonzalez, LAD - $4,000
Yes, the Dodgers are playing at Citi Field which favors pitchers, but Gonzalez has been near if not incredible the past week. He is already posting a .396 wOBA against RHP this season but his previous week produced seven RBI and four homers which should be enough for him to earn a spot in most lineups. His price is low for what he is capable of, he should bounce back today against Bartolo Colon.
Jimmy Paredes, BAL - $3,300
He leads the Orioles in wRC when facing RHP this year. Yankees stadium tends to favor left-handed batters similar to Camden Yards. Masahiro Tanaka lets up a surprisingly high .415 SLG % to LHB which coincides with Paredes .387 SLG % and should translate to a solid outing for him.
Johnny Giavotella, LAA - $2,700
Over the past week, Giavotella has been below is normal BA of .266 and sunk to a .241 BA. Do not fret his recent decline, as he went 3-4 against the Twins yesterday and has seemed to catch stride. The second baseman is a solid RHB that has a matchup in his favor.
Jung-Ho Kang, PIT - $3,400
One of my undervalued players due to his recent performances, Kang has produced a .458 BA which is among the top on the Pirates roster. He only trails Andrew McCutchen for wRC+ on the Pirates, and his hot streak should be played especially against a weak pitcher.
DFS Outfielders to Target for DraftKings
Yeonis Cespedes, DET - $3,800
The lack of Miguel Cabrera has seemingly had no effect on much of the Tigers hitting output. Cespedes is stepping up his hitting. Along with the J.D. Martinez splurge, 138 wRC+ against RHP is a solid line and above what most options near his price range are contributing.
Mark Canha, 1B/OF, OAK - $3,300
Mark Canha has been one of the top Athletics against RHP and is leading the team with his 141 wRC+. He has a SLG % of .524 as well, which is enough to make him a great value play for today.
Kole Calhoun, LAA - $3,900
While if Kole Calhoun were a RHB, this would be a perfect matchup. Calhoun is one of the top Angels players over the past week, and that is really saying something seeing how well the Angels have been. The past week ended with Calhoun contributing six RBI through three homers and even drove in two runs last game. It has been a great stretch for Calhoun that should continue today.
The rest of my article is going to be a little different from usual. You may have noticed there was no "Pitchers to Target" section. Here is why, when it comes to pitchers to choose for today, the options are plentiful. When doing my research, I noticed something, a majority of the games being played include some of the top pitchers this year. I wanted to give more in-depth analysis on the pitchers and exactly who they are facing. At the end of each analysis I will give the price and team of the player that I advise.
Dodgers @ Mets
You have the leader of the pack with Clayton Kershaw facing the Mets in what should be a duel between him and Bartolo Colon. Citi Field is exactly where any pitcher wants to be playing. The fact is that Kershaw has 174 strikeouts so far this season and 27 in the past two games. Sadly his ridiculous price seems way too high to even bother. Luckily for Kershaw, one of his biggest threats, Lucas Duda, has been just horrendous in the past week with a .148 BA. Even on the other side of the plate, Wilmer Flores has been struggling, contributing a .206 BA in the past week. Bartolo is pretty consistent regardless of which side the batter is on, sadly not in his favor. The only Dodger players worth contemplating are Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez. To help the Dodgers, a 4.18 ERA at home for Colon is enough for the pass on him, but snag Kershaw if financially possible.
Clayton Kershaw, SP, LAD - $14,500
Twins @ Angels
Ervin Santana has not pitched but 19 innings this year which makes analyzing him and the Angels hitters difficult. Angel Stadium is definitely a RHB ideal park, opening up the path to pick players like Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Johnny Giavotella. On the other side of the plate, Kole Calhoun has been holding his own against RHP and leads the team in wRC+ in that category. The lack of experience this season from Ervin, combined with his mediocre numbers should not worry anyone thinking of passing on the Angels. Garrett Richards has been fairly consistent with a few bumps here and there. In a park that favors RHB, he has no problem controlling right handers and is contributing a .281 wOBA and 3.26 ERA when facing them. The only bat on the Twins that is fearsome is Brian Dozier who has been decent the past week posting a .222 BA with four RBI and one home run. Passing on the Twins today would be smart, as Richards should have a solid outing at home.
Garrett Richards, SP, LAA - $9,500
Nationals @ Pirates
First off, nothing against Doug Fister, but I am going to break down why he is going to get picked apart today. He has the lowest K % against right (13.4%) and left (8.2%) handed batters today. Lucky for him, PNC Park is very pitcher friendly. Unluckily the Pirates have been slumping but can bounce back with a big game against a weak pitcher. Regardless of the location the Pirates can score runs by the bunches, and this should be one of those times. On the other side of the diamond, Francisco Liriano faceS the Nationals who struggle against LHP this season. Outside of Bryce Harper, the Nationals have trouble generating offense against LHP. This is an ideal matchup for Liriano. With a 2.70 ERA and 101 strikeouts against RHB, Liriano is going to be my primary man on the mound for today’s contests.
Francisco Liriano, SP, PIT - $10,300
