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Hello there, MLB DFS grinders! The focus of this article will be on the 6-game Early Only afternoon slate for both DraftKings and 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 DraftKings and FanDuel slates beginning at 4:05 PM on 7/10/2021. 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
Lucas Giolito vs. Batimore Orioles ($9,600 FD, $10,300 DK)
Giolito is the highest-price pitcher on both sites and while he has been very inconsistent throughout the entire season,. this is a matchup that carries plenty of upside for him. Giolito is 6-6 on the year with a 4.20 ERA but has already faced the Orioles once this season and dominated them by going seven innings, allowing one run on three hits while totaling 12 strikeouts. The Orioles are tied for 27th in the league with only a .221 batting average against right-handed pitchers this year and they have a lineup that features eight batters that have at least 21% strikeout percentage or greater.
James Kaprielian vs. Texas Rangers ($8,400 FD, $9,200 DK)
If you're wanting to save a few bucks and not spend up for Giolito, you could pivot down and consider Kaprielian against the Rangers. Kaprielian is 4-3 on the season with a 2.84 ERA and while he has only managed to win two of his last five starts, has only allowed nine total runs in that five-game span while managing to strikeout out 34 batters in that stretch. He has already faced the Rangers twice and in those games, he allowed five runs in 12 innings pitched while combining for 10 total strikeouts and two quality starts. There is upside in this matchup as the Rangers have six batters that all have a strikeout percentage that is greater than 21% and Kaprielian is striking out 26.1% of all batters faced this season.
Others to consider: Marcus Stroman vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, Max Fried vs. Miami Marlins
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MLB DFS "Bats Worth Paying For"
Matt Olson – 1B, OAK @ TEX ($3,700 FD, $5,700 DK)
Olson has been hot at the plate all season long and he comes into this matchup riding a six-game hit streak. He is hitting .280 against right-handed pitching this year and leads the A's with 12 home runs against this handedness. Foltynewicz has struggled against lefty batters this season as they are hitting .297 off of him while also combining for 12 home runs off of him as well so look to Olson to do some damage in this matchup on both sites in all formats.
Xander Bogaerts – SS, BOS vs. PHI ($3,600 FD, $5,600 DK)
Bogaerts is a top shortstop option on this slate and is one of the best hitters in baseball when it comes to facing off against a lefty on the mound. He is hitting .354 on the year and is tied for the second-most home runs on the team against left-handed pitchers while also having a .209 ISO against that handedness. Moore throws his fastball over 50% of the time to hit right-handed batters and Bogaerts sports a .391 ISO and .462 XwOBA against that specific pitch type.
J.D. Martinez – OF, BOS vs. PHI ($4,000 FD, $5,300 DK)
Martinez is one of the top spend-up options on this slate with Matt Moore on the mound for the Phillies. Right-handed batters are hitting .315 against him this season and have five home runs in 86 total plate appearances and Martinex is hitting .294 against lefties this year. He has a .188 ISO against this handedness but profiles well against all of Moore's pitch types.
Also Recommended: Ronald Acuna Jr. vs. Trevor Rogers, Rafael Devers vs. Matt Moore, Rhys Hoskins vs. Martin Perez
MLB DFS Values
Garrett Cooper – 1B/OF, MIA @ ATL ($2,300 FD, $3,700 DK)
One Marlins batter that could give Max Fried a tough time on this slate is Garrett Cooper. Cooper has been exceptional against lefty pitchers this year as he has a .322 average and is second on the Marlins with four home runs against the split. In addition. Cooper has a .317 ISO and a .491 XwOBA against lefties this year and fried has allowed 75% of his home runs allowed to come from the right side of the plate.
Wilmer Flores – 2B/3B, SFG vs. WSH ($2,300 FD, $4,500 DK)
FanDuel was not ready for this matchup while DK was ready for Flores against a lefty so it's best to make Flores a FD play only based on his pricepoint. He is hitting .277 against lefties this year while also having a .223 ISO as well. Lester has gotten pounded by righties as they have a collective ISO of .230 against him this year and Flores profiles really well against Lester's cutter as he has a .400 against that specific pitch type.
Andrew McCutchen– OF, PHI vs. BOS ($3,400 FD, $3,300 DK)
McCutchen cracks the value list as he is very under-priced over on DK and this is a spot to look at and consider him in all formats. The Phillies will be facing lefty Martin Perez and McCutchen has done well against lefties this year as he has a .295 average while having the second-most home runs against the handedness with seven.
Also Recommended: Gavin Sheets vs. Tom Eshelman, Miguel Rojas vs. Max Fried, Hunter Renfroe vs. Matt Moore
MLB DFS Hitter Stacks
Boston Red Sox vs. Matt Moore
The Red Sox as a team are top five in batting average when it comes to facing off against left-handed pitching and they rank as a top stacking option on this slate. They have a team ISO of .170 against this handedness and have five batters that have an ISO that is greater than .185. Matt Moore is giving uploads of hard contact to right-handed bats and the Red Sox have plenty of those in their lineup so start with guys like Martinez, Hernandez, Bogaerts, Renfroe and build out from there for your Boston builds.
Oakland Athletics vs. Mike Foltynewicz
Folty has had the A's number so far this season as he has gone 13 total innings pitched, picked up two wins while allowing four total runs and striking out 11 batters along the way. Now that the A's have seen Folty several times, they should be more familiar with his pitches and should be able to put a better offensive performance against him. The one thing that goes in their favor is that he has allowed a home run in each start against them while also managing to cough up eight home runs over his last five starts. Both sides of the plate have an ISO that is above .237 against Foltynewicz this year and lefties have gotten the best of him so considering guys like Olson, Lowrie, and Moreland would be preferred for A's stacks while also looking at Chapman, Laureano, and Murphy.
Other recommended stacks: San Francisco Giants vs. Jon Lester, Chicago White Sox vs. Tom Eshelman, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Martin Perez
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