DraftKings MLB: Saturday Picks

Adam Zdroik looks over Saturday's slate and recommends stocking up on Astros, including Jose Altuve, against Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman.
DraftKings MLB: Saturday Picks
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PITCHER

Rich Hill, LAD vs. ATL ($11,700): David Price ($12,300) will probably get more action as a high-end pitcher Saturday, but I think Hill is the safer bet (and bigger favorite), having reached 28.3 fantasy points in each of his last three starts. Hill only went five innings last outing, yet still had nine strikeouts. The Braves are middle-of-the-road against lefties with a .315 wOBA since the beginning of June.

Danny Salazar, CLE vs. TOR ($7,100): This is an extreme gamble since Salazar hasn't started in the majors since the end of May. But after a shoulder injury, he made four rehab appearances and most recently didn't allow a run in six innings of work in Triple-A. Plus, Salazar has always been a big strikeout guy as seen in his 30.9 percent K rate before getting hurt. The Blue Jays have been one of the worst teams against righties with a .311 wOBA.

CATCHER

Francisco Cervelli, PIT at COL ($3,300): Getting cheap catchers at Coors Field is one of my favorite strategies. It helps that Cervelli can hit both lefties and righties equally well, but his .391 wOBA against righties in his last 35 at-bats should help in this game. German Marquez is much worse against righties at home with a 4.63 xFIP.

FIRST BASE

Eric Hosmer, KC vs. CWS ($3,900): Hosmer is crushing righties this month with a .428 wOBA and .286 ISO (40 at-bats). After sitting Friday, he should be fresh with two homers and three multi-hit performances in his last four starts. Of course, check his status before the game as he missed Friday because of a family matter. Making this matchup even tastier is that Mike Pelfrey hasn't made it past five innings in any of his last five starts and has a miserable 6.22 xFIP against lefties.

SECOND BASE

Jose Altuve, HOU at BAL ($5,300): If you have the funds, banking on the Astros to knock around Chris Tillman isn't a bad idea. Altuve is one of the best and has been even better since the start of June with a .459 wOBA and .237 ISO against righties. Tillman is coming off one of his better starts of the season, but I expect trouble against Houston given his 4.79 xFIP against righties.

THIRD BASE

Marwin Gonzalez, HOU at BAL ($4,500): Speaking of Tillman, his numbers are even worse against lefties with a .417 wOBA allowed, 6.78 xFIP and small 11.0 percent K rate. Gonzalez has cooled down a bit since a great start, but his wOBA and ISO in July are back up to elite levels at .411 and .303, respectively (37 at-bats).

SHORTSTOP

Zack Cozart, CIN vs. MIA ($4,300): Cozart has cruised the last few games and should capitalize again with rookie Chris O'Grady on the mound. O'Grady has limited experience, allowing six runs and 10 hits in his first two starts. It might be best for him to avoid Cozart and his .462 wOBA and .281 ISO against lefties.

OUTFIELD

Billy Hamilton, CIN vs. MIA ($4,200): Might as well grab a couple of Reds against O'Grady, who is still looking for his first quality start. Hamilton doesn't have good numbers against lefties, but they have slightly improved in the last month as he's come out swinging with 11 hits in the seven games since the break. Though it's a small sample, O'Grady has a 6.77 xFIP against righties and is striking them out half as much as lefties (15.4 percent K rate to 31.6 percent).

Christian Yelich, MIA at CIN ($3,900): With Giancarlo Stanton ($5,400) the more popular Marlin, I'll roll with Yelich, who's consistent against righties with a .342 wOBA. More importantly, Robert Stephenson is on the mound and he hasn't started since last season. Stephenson was fine in Triple-A, but none of his numbers are good in the majors. He had a 6.00 xFIP against lefties last season and that's at 5.23 in limited work this year.

Alex Presley, DET at MIN ($2,800): Here's the pick everyone has been waiting for. Presley is in the lineup almost every day for the Tigers with J.D. Martinez gone and that'll be the case Saturday with a righty on the mound. Presley has been impressive with a .362 wOBA against righties. Kyle Gibson has given up 11 runs in his last two starts and has a 5.75 xFIP against lefties with just a 12.6 percent K rate.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Adam Zdroik plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: zdroik, DraftKings: rotozdroik, Yahoo: StreakMaster.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam, a multiple-time finalist for FSWA's Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's soccer editor. He runs RotoWire's Bracketology and partakes in various NFL content. He previously worked at ESPN and Sporting Kansas City, and he is a former Streak for the Cash winner and Michigan State graduate.
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