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We have an even split today with five early and five evening games. The two doubleheader games from the middle of the day are left off of both sites. I'll cover both slates for you, so come along for a full day of baseball here at RotoBaller! We had serious air quality issues take away the games in Philly and New York last evening. It shouldn't affect any of these games though since Toronto can shut the dome.
This article contains my picks for the five-game main slate on Thursday, June 8, 2023, for both DraftKings and FanDuel, which locks at 7:07 PM ET. UPDATE: DraftKings is keeping the Yankees/White Sox game off the slate as the second game of the doubleheader, so we are down to four games on DraftKings.The makeup game from yesterday in Philly is on the FD slate, making that five games. Yay! More confusion!
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.
DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Spencer Strider, ATL vs. NYM ($12,000 DK, $11,400 FD)
I want to highlight Strider here because we have a situation tonight where two aces are pitching against teams that have gotten the best of them over time. Framber has been and continues to be crushed by the Jays and the stats support it. His xBA is actually 37 points higher than the already lofty .298 actual number. On top of that, he has a paltry 13.5 K% in 52 plate appearances against Toronto. Now let's dive into Strider:
First off, the K% is much higher. The Mets have still hit him well, but take a look at the K% and Whiff% of keys Mets bats. On top of that, the xBA is a lot lower than the actual, meaning the Mets have gotten a bit lucky against Strider. More than a bit – 83 average points along with a .158 slugging drop to expected from actual is a big deal.
Strider gave up four runs to the Mets in New York back on May 1, but he still managed a decent 17.9 DraftKings points thanks to the strikeouts. Strider's 113 strikeouts in the season are tied with Kevin Gausman for the major league lead –17 ahead of Shohei Ohtani. Strider's strikeouts make him worth the price since it is virtually impossible for him to blow up your line.
Aaron Civale, CLE vs. BOS ($7,800 DK, $8,200 FD)
Civale's first start in nearly two months went well last week against Minnesota. He only went five innings, but he allowed only four hits while striking out four. He will likely be on a pitch count again, but as we saw last week, Civale can still put up good numbers with 80 pitches. This Boston offense doesn't scare me. Civale showed what he is made of in 2021 before injuries and ineffectiveness ruined 2022. Is he back to the 2021 form? I'm optimistic.
Others to consider: Justin Verlander ($8,600 DK, $9,400 FD) at ATL
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Jose Altuve - 2B, HOU at TOR ($4,900 DK, $3,600 FD)
Altuve has reached base in all 12 games this season, so he's going to get you points of some kind. Altuve's home/road splits are peculiar, but it's too small of a sample size to glean anything legit from it. Honestly, the infield is tough on this four-game slate. Between bad matchup and struggling players, I'm paying down to afford pitching. I'm not sure I will actually get to Altuve when a guy like Luis Rengifo is in a good spot near the minimum price. That said, you need a guy like Altuve in cash lineups.
Anthony Rendon - 3B, LAA vs. CHC ($3,300 DK, $2,900 FD)
Quietly, Rendon is starting to hit the ball well. He still only has one home run in 32 MLB games, but there is a silver lining here. Rendon is hitting .364 over his last ten games with that homer and six of his 20 RBI on the year. All of his metrics are trending upward. Now he just needs to achieve those metrics in actual stats.
Amed Rosario - SS, CLE vs. BOS ($3,700 DK, $2,500 FD)
In one of the more strange factoids in a sport full of them, somehow Rosario's batting average is 150 points higher at home. It's not like we're talking about small sample sizes either. Rosario has 114 at-bats on the road and 101 at home. He is hitting .317 with a homer and nine RBI at home and .167 on the road with just two extra-base hits and six RBI. Use Rosario at home, especially when he's playing against a lefty with an ERA near 5 at the AAA level this year.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Ronald Acuna Jr. - OF, ATL vs. NYM ($6,400 DK, $4,600 FD)
You can't even find a cold pocket in Acuna's 2023 season. He's like summer in Florida. Unrelenting heat. Acuna "only" has one homer in the last ten games, but he has six steals and is hitting .364. One way or another, Acuna is going to get some points. Justin Verlander is still trying to get going on the season. It's going to be tough with Acuna staring him down to open the game.
Bryce Harper - OF, PHI vs. DET ($3,600 FD)
Harper has five hits in the last four games. Even though none have left the yard, he is still seeing the ball well and drawing a few walks. Tyler Holton has been solid in relief, but this is his first major league start and it's in a great hitter's park. I definitely want some pieces of the Philadelphia lineup. Harper hits lefties well enough to pay this for him.
Jo Adell - OF, LAA vs. CHC($2,500 DK)
Adell isn't even in the player pool on FanDuel, which is rather disappointing. Yes, I'm still stuck on Adell's massive upside. He is one of the better-rated prospects in all of baseball and has been for years. That hasn't translated to major league success yet, but Adell has pockets of fantasy relevance. I'm willing to take a chance on him since Adell is destroying AAA pitching this year. He had 18 homers at Salt Lake before his promotion. Making his 2023 debut against Drew Smyly could be a good thing. Smyly has struggled a bit lately, allowing eight runs in his last two starts.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Cleveland Guardians vs. Matt Dermody
Dermody has 30 major league appearances, but this will be his first career start. He has a 4.50 ERA in eight starts for Pawtucket this year and none of the numbers really stand out. His numbers in the KBO in 2022 and in the NPL in 2020 and 21 don't show a breakout on the horizon either. What this looks like to me is a big day for Cleveland bats.
Rosario is my favorite Cleveland bat and I can see paying up for Jose Ramirez despite his recent struggles. Where do we go after that? Cleveland runs a lot of lefties, but guys like Josh Bell and Oscar Gonzalez are stackable and cheap enough to comfortably play without compromising at pitcher.
Also consider: Houston Astros vs. Jose Berrios
Sneaky Stack: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Framber Valdez
The Jays are a little expensive for my liking, but they are one of the only teams that can say they have thumped Framber in his major league career.
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