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Most of the action on our Independence Day here in the States is during the day, but we still have five cities giving us some fireworks involving a wooden bat and a rawhide ball.
This article contains my picks for the five-game late slate on July 4, 2023, for both DraftKings and FanDuel, which locks at 6:40 PM ET. It's rare of late to have a slate without weather concerns, but we finally have one! All five cities seem clear for tonight!
The lineup picks will range from some elite high-priced players to mid-priced options and value plays. I'll give you a few of my top pitching options and then some infielders, outfielders, and teams to stack. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Joe Musgrove, SD vs. LAA ($8,000 DK, $9,100 FD)
Musgrove didn't make his first start of 2023 until April 22 and four of his first five starts were very forgettable. Since then, Musgrove has righted the ship. He has only allowed 10 runs combined in his last seven starts while striking out at least five batters in five of those games. The Angels have struggled in July so far and likely will be without Mike Trout for a while after he hurt his wrist last night. A questionable lineup just became weaker against a pitcher who has found his stride. Sign me up!
Emmet Sheehan, LAD vs. PIT ($6,400 DK, $8,300 FD)
Sheehan is stupid cheap on DK, especially considering that he held the Rockies to three runs in five innings at Coors in his last start – his first career road start. Sheehan has been outstanding in his two starts at Dodger Stadium and had tougher opponents than the Pirates in those games. The Bucs have scored only eight runs in three July games so far. I think Sheehan provides plenty of upside at this price, even on FD.
Others to consider: Shohei Ohtani ($11,500 DK, $10,800 FD) vs. CLE; JP Sears ($5,600 DK, $8,200 FD) at DET
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Alejandro Kirk - C, TOR at CWS ($3,000 DK, $3,200 FD)
Kirk only has three home runs in 63 games this season. That's not what we expected after he hit 14 in 139 games last year. The average is starting to rise, which gives us hope that he is starting to find his stroke. A couple of IL stints have disrupted his rhythm at times this year. That said, Kirk is 4-for-9 with three homers in his career against Lucas Giolito. Using a catcher on FanDuel is also a good way to get some leverage on the field.
Max Muncy - 3B, LAD vs. PIT ($5,000 DK, $3,400 FD)
Muncy has five hits in his last 18 tries over the last five games and finally hit his first homer since coming off the IL on June 28 last night. He is still striking out a ton, but if the power is back, we absolutely do not care. Luis Ortiz struggled against a similarly powerful Padres lineup in his last start. He might be put through the wringer again tonight.
Amed Rosario - SS, CLE vs. ATL ($3,600 DK, $2,800 FD)
Rosario has no power to speak of and not a lot of speed, but he has driven in two runs in three consecutive games. Given his much better home batting average this year (.304, compared to .223 on the road), Rosario has at least a puncher's chance of extending that streak against lefty Kolby Allard.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Ronald Acuna Jr. - OF, ATL at CLE ($6,500 DK, $4,800 FD)
I could write up Acuna on every slate, and believe me, I've considered it. Now seems like a good time to stick with him since he has a 14-game hit streak in which he is batting .375 with six homers, nine RBI, and 10 stolen bases. Acuna became the first player in MLB history with at least 20 homers, 40 steals, and 50 RBI before the All-Star break. Just try to find that kind of production elsewhere at any price. I'm not going after Bieber...really, I'm not. However, Acuna and Rosario are in really good spots.
Eddie Rosario - OF, ATL at CLE ($3,800 DK, $3,300 FD)
Rosario has six of his 14 home runs on the season in the last 15 games. He is also hitting .333 in that span with 13 RBI. On top of that, Rosario is the only current Braves player to hit a homer off of Shane Bieber. He has three of them in 25 at-bats against the Biebs. I'm not really going after Bieber, but Rosario is a cheap way to get a piece of the Braves in case they stay hot. They have scored at least five runs in 21 games since the beginning of June.
Brent Rooker - OF, OAK at DET ($3,100 DK, $2,800 FD)
Tarik Skubal is making his first major league start since August 1 of last season, so I'm going after him with a few cheap Oakland righties. Rooker is the obvious choice since he homered last night and has a homer against Skubal in his only other game against him. Even if Rooker misses Skubal, he still gets the Detroit bullpen for dessert.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Luis Ortiz
There are some sneaky-good pitching options tonight outside of the expensive guys, which makes our stacking options fairly limited. Ortiz hasn't really pitched poorly this season, but he is facing the Dodgers in L.A. That's enough to put him on the hot seat.
This stack is still very affordable against right-handed pitching since Jason Heyward and David Peralta are still cheap ($3,000 and $3,400 on DK). That leaves us free to spend on Mookie, Muncy, and Freddie Freeman, and still have nearly half of our budget left.
Also consider: Oakland Athletics vs. Tarik Skubal
It has been a long road back for Skubal from flexor tendon surgery and he is likely to face some kind of pitch count in his return to the majors. I won't be going heavily after him, but Oakland has some cheap right-handed bats that fit nicely with Dodgers and still allow us to use any pitchers we want. Rooker and Esteury Ruiz are my targets, but I wouldn't consider a full stack here unless you think Skubal throws under 70 pitches.
Sneaky stack: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Lucas Giolito
Giolito had a decent June, but his numbers still aren't back where they should be. His expected ERA is still over a half-run higher than his actual mark his FIP paints an even duller picture. As with my secondary stack, this won't be a full one, but Giolito does have reverse splits. That makes the hot Blue Jays righties (Matt Chapman, Bo Bichette, and George Springer) worth stacking with Captain Kirk.
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