Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Pitcher

Max Scherzer, WAS at ATL ($59): I tried not to take the top pitcher for the main slate but it's hard to imagine too many scenarios in which Scherzer doesn't do damage. The Braves remain a bottom three team in the league against right-handed pitching according to wOBA and also hold the lowest runs above average scored against sliders, a pitch Scherzer throws more than 20 percent of the time.

Robbie Ray, ARI at SD ($32): The Padres have been surprisingly good against left-handed pitching overall but have scored a total of four runs in their last three games when a lefty starter was on the bump. The name of the game here is strikeout upside and Ray holds a whiff rate of over 27 percent, while the Padres strike out a quarter of the time.


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Catcher

Dioner Navarro, CWS vs. OAK ($7): Our trip to Valuetown begins with a flawed but powerful option. Navarro has logged a .192 ISO over 78 at-bats against lefties this season and should get in some comfortable hacks against A's starter Ross Detwiler, who has notched a 13 percent strikeout rate and a 5.30 xFIP against righty hitters.

First Base

Hanley Ramirez, BOS at DET ($16): Ramirez's numbers lose a bit of luster when you cut the sample down for the road, but he boasts a mammoth .300 ISO against left-handed hurlers overall. Daniel Norris has surrendered a .493 slugging percentage against right-handers this season while also keeping an xFIP of 5.10.

Second Base

Robinson Cano, SEA vs. MIL ($14): Wily Peralta has thrown the ball better of late but has struck out just 12 percent of the left-handed batters he has faced, contributing to an xFIP approaching 5.00. Cano has been assaulting righties all season long and will head into the contest sporting a .272 ISO against his opposite hand over 293 at-bats.

Third Base

Nolan Arenado, COL vs. CHC ($23): Mike Montgomery has been a solid reliever this season and while he pitched well in his only two starts back when he was a Mariner, he will likely have his work cut out for him in Colorado. Arenado has a shot to be the biggest thorn in Montgomery's side as he holds a .278 ISO against left-handed pitching and will counter the 27-year-old's groundball profile with a flyball rate of better than 48 percent.

Shortstop

Marcus Semien, OAK at CWS ($9): Semien will likely be avoided by most in his matchup with Chris Sale but it's hard not to give him a look at this price, as he has hammered lefties to the tune of a .303 ISO. Not even Sale has been able to fade the long ball at U.S. Cellular Field, as evidenced by his 2.00 HR/9 rate over 59.1 innings at home.

Outfield

Rickie Weeks, ARI at SD ($12): Weeks is another guy whose power numbers take a tumble on the road but he has more than enough to go around against lefties, as his ISO against southpaws is .194 away from Chase Field. Clayton Richard is another reliever trying to play the part of a rotation arm. He gave up two home runs in his only start this year and owns a 5.17 xFIP over 20.1 combined innings.

Bryce Harper, WAS at ATL ($17): Harper didn't give us much production Friday but DFS players should line up as many bats as they can against Tyrell Jenkins, who has walked more batters than he has struck out in 46 innings this season while allowing eight home runs over that span. Harper has begun to climb out of his latest slide, notching a 1.012 OPS over his last 31 at-bats.

Michael Saunders, TOR at CLE ($11): Josh Tomlin has not had much success keeping the ball in the park this season. He has allowed at least one home run in each of his last 12 starts and has served up multiple dingers in six of those outings. Saunders has tallied a .205 ISO and a 41 percent hard contact rate against righty pitchers.

Other Options: Melky Cabrera, CWS vs. OAK ($15); Mark Trumbo, BAL vs. HOU ($10); Odubel Herrera, PHI vs. STL ($16)

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. Christopher Olson plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: Sommerset, FanDuel: Christop, Yahoo: Martins.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher Olson
Christopher Olson writes DFS articles and blogs for a variety of sports including MLB, NFL and MMA. Follow him on Twitter @RealChrisOlson
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