Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

PITCHER

Carlos Martinez, STL vs. SF ($42): I like Max Scherzer on this slate but not at $59. He's pitching very well this season, but at that price, he needs to be at his best, something he is not right now. Martinez he's been a bit erratic this season, but he usually manages to score points even when he gives up a lot of runs. He does so by picking up the slack with strikeouts, but with the lowly giants in town, Martinez has a chance to pitch deep into the game and pick up plenty of Ks. The Giants are last in the league in wOBA against righties this season, and while they don't strikeout a ton, Martinez has the stuff to make them miss.

Robbie Ray, AZ at SD ($36): Save for his most recent start, Ray has been a strikeout machine this season. His problem has been surrendering runs, as evidenced by his 4.57 ERA, but an 11.71 K/9 ratio has saved his season. Pitching in Arizona certainly hasn't helped his cause, but perhaps a trip to pitcher-friendly Petco Park will change that. The Padres are a bottom-five team in wOBA and have the second-highest K% against lefties this season.

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CATCHER

Welington Castillo, BAL vs. TOR ($13): I'll get into the Baltimore stack later on, but even if you decide not to stack the O's against Michael Bolsinger, you should find room for Castillo, who has 16 hits during his current eight-game hitting streak.

FIRST BASE

Chris Davis, BAL vs. TOR ($18):Michael Bolsinger surrendered seven runs, 11 hits and six walks in his first two starts of the season, and he looks like a prime stacking candidate Saturday. Davis is at the top of that stack, as he not only has the best wOBA against righties on the team (.395), but he also has five home runs and nine RBI in his past six games.

SECOND BASE

Devon Travis, TOR at BAL ($11): Travis got off to an awful start this season, but he's turning things around with 11 hits, including seven doubles, in his lat five games. Kevin Gausman takes the mound for the Orioles and it's unclear exactly what we'll see from him. Gausman got off to a rough start this season, but he seemed to get back on track two starts ago against a solid Nationals lineup, but he was routed by the Royals in his most recent one. Either way, Travis is rolling right now, so he makes for a high value pick.

THIRD BASE

Anthony Rendon, WAS at ATL ($21): Rendon has been a hit-or-miss player this season, but this looks like a spot for a another big game. Opposing starter Bartolo Colon surrendered two runs in five innings in his last start and it was his best outing in a month. Prior to his most recent start, Colon had a stretch of four games surrendering at least four runs. Additionally, Rendon is 8-for-21, including two home runs, in his career against Colon.

SHORTSTOP

Francisco Lindor, CLE at HOU ($17): Lindor has slowed a bit since his hot start, but just a bit. He's still getting on base, but he hasn't provided much power lately. That should change after he gets a crack at Mike Fiers, who has surrendered 16 home runs in 36 innings this year. His HR/9 against righties is even worse at 6.32/9. The question isn't will he give up multiple home runs, it's which Indians will hit them. Lindor has a team-high wOBA on fly balls against righties this season, so he would seem one of the more likely batters to go yard.

OUTFIELD

Ben Gamel, SEA vs. CHW ($15): With Robinson Cano and Mitch Haniger on the DL, Gamel is the de facto leader in wOBA against righties this season for the Mariners. I bring it up because the Mariners face one of the most reliably bad righties in the majors in Mike Pelfry, who has a 5.70 ERA and has pitched into the 6th inning just once in five starts. Gamel isn't lighting it up like Cano and Haniger, but he's sitting near the top of a lineup that should score runs.

Seth Smith, BAL vs. TOR ($15): If you are stacking the Orioles, which I am, then you are hoping that Smith will be available for this game. Smith took one off the eye Thursday and sat out Friday's game, but if he's ready to go then he's definitely part of the stack against Bolsinger. Smith has hit safely in 10 of his past 11 games, but his real value is where he hits in the order – at the top. With a lot of runs projected from the Orioles against Bolsinger, Smith is bound to put up a big number.

Giancarlo Stanton, MIA at LAD ($19): We are nearly two months into the season and Stanton's wOBA against lefties is still above .600. It won't stay there the entire season, but it gives you an idea of how well he has hit southpaws. He'll next face lefty Julio Urias, who is a good pitcher but far from elite at this stage of his career. Urias was cruising along this season until his most recent start when he surrendered six runs in four innings at Colorado.

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. Greg Vara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: lennykarl1, DraftKings: lennykarl1.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Vara
Vara is the lead golf writer at RotoWire. He was named the FSWA Golf Writer of the Year in 2005 and 2013. He also picks college football games against the spread in his "College Capper" article.
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