Time for another weekend of MLB action! Football season or not, Fridays can still be for checking out some baseball. There are 12 games on the slate for DFS purposes, with the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. ET. Let's kick off the weekend with some gusto! Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Dylan Cease, SDP vs. COL ($8,500): In Cease's last start I took a shot on him for DFS purposes even though the game was at Coors Field. The options weren't great, and the Rockies are just that bad offensively. It panned out, as Cease went five innings and picked up five strikeouts while giving up a single run. Now, he faces the same terrible offense that ranks 29th in runs scored, but at Petco instead of Coors.
Luis Gil, NYY at BOS ($6,800): Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, looked quite rusty in his first start back from a lengthy injury. However, in his sixth starts since then he's posted a 2.25 ERA. Now that looks more like an award-winning pitcher. Though the Red Sox are in the top five in runs scored, they are also pretty banged up right now, leaving the offense looking a bit less impressive.
Martin Perez, CWS at CLE ($6,400): My first thought was to go with Tanner Bibee against the White Sox, but then I switched sides. Not only do I save salary, but Cleveland's offense has actually been worse than Chicago's this season. The Guardians rank lowest in both runs scored and team OPS. While Perez's last start was rough, he still has a 3.15 ERA through nine appearances with the White Sox. He's worth a shot at this salary in this matchup.
Top Targets
We were introduced to a new elite power hitter here in 2025, and his name is Nick Kurtz ($5,900). He's 22, he's slugged .626, and he has 30 homers and 24 doubles in 102 games. While he isn't perfect, as his .650 OPS against his fellow lefties shows, he has an 1.191 OPS versus righties. Brady Singer is a righty, and he has a 5.18 ERA on the road.
Alright, I didn't get to go against Yusei Kikuchi on Thursday after his start was pushed a day, but I'm not missing the opportunity here on Friday. Randy Arozarena ($4,800) is having a career year and is three homers and three stolen bases away from a 30/30 campaign. He's already at 30 doubles for good measure. The righty will have a chance to tee off on the lefty Kikuchi, and teeing off is definitely in the cards. Kikuchi has a 5.45 ERA on the road, and righties have hit .273 against him.
Bargain Bats
Be it at home or on the road, against lefties or against righties, as an Oriole or as a Padre, Ramon Laureano ($4,300) has an OPS over .870. He also has an .842 OPS over the last three weeks for good measure. Tanner Gordon has a 9.80 ERA on the road in his career, which is remarkable given he's a Colorado pitcher. He also fights against expectations by having allowed his fellow righties to hit .369 against him.
It's been a tough season for Royce Lewis ($3,900), who is primed to never live up to expectations, but he's also managed to entice yet again as of late. Over the last three weeks he's slugged .513 with six homers and six stolen bases. Also, while he's been terrible at home, in each of the last two seasons he had an OPS over .800 at home, so that may just be fluky. Lewis' sample sizes tend to be limited in splits because he just can't stay on the field. Brandon Pfaadt has a 7.13 ERA and 2.4 HR/9 rate on the road, so I definitely think it's worth seeing if Lewis can stay hot.
Stacks to Consider
Reds at Athletics (J.T. Ginn): Elly De La Cruz ($5,300), TJ Friedl ($4,000), Gavin Lux ($3,300)
Bring on the lefty hitters from the Reds! Ginn has suffered as much as anybody from the Athletics' move from Oakland to Sacramento. He has a 6.64 ERA and 2.7 HR/9 rate at home. As to the desire for guys who hit left-handed, in his career lefties have hit .337 against Ginn.
In addition to his 34 stolen bases, De La Cruz is one homer short of 20, and one double shy of 30. He is a switch hitter, but he has an .846 OPS versus righties and decidedly prefers such matchups. Friedl likes to keep things symmetrical, as he has 12 homers to go with 12 stolen bases. He's been so-so at home, but he has a .377 OBP and .414 slugging percentage on the road. Lux doesn't deliver homers, but he has hit .265 with 24 doubles in 127 games. He's been terrible against lefties, but he's hit .276 against righties, so even a couple plate appearances could pay off given his salary.
Brewers vs. Cardinals (Andre Pallante): Jackson Chourio ($4,900), Brice Turang ($4,700), Sal Frelick ($4,100)
Pallante has a 5.28 ERA, and for the fourth time in four seasons as an MLB pitcher he is going to finish with a K/BB rate below 2.00. The problem for him this year, or the new problem rather, is that he's given up 1.20 homers per nine innings as well. Lefties have hit .264 against the right-handed hurler, but righties have hit .280 against him so I did want one such hitter in this stack.
The righty is Chourio, who has put some struggles early behind him to avoid concerns about a sophomore slump. His .278 average is right in line with his .275 average as a rookie, and he's two stolen bases away from another 20/20 season. Given that he's only played in 116 games owing to injury, that's quite impressive. Turang has been one of this season's pleasant surprises. He still runs the bases well, but out of nowhere he's popped 18 homers after having seven last year. Facing righties has been the driving force, as the second baseman has an .840 OPS in those matchups. Frelick's power has picked up a bit as well, though he's gone from two home runs to 10. He's stolen 19 bases, though, and his average has picked up to .294 in 2025.
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