Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

PITCHER

Jose Berrios, MN at KC ($46): Now that the Royals' hot streak has come to an end, you can safely deploy quality starters against them again. Berrios has pitched well in seven of nine starts this season, with the Astros and Red Sox the only teams he's struggled against. Kansas City has been below average most of the season and enter with the fifth-lowest wOBA against righties this season.

Chris Sale, BOS at TOR ($64): I'm not a fan of the middle or lower-tier pitching on this slate, so this spot came down to Zack Greinke or Sale. I like Greinke's matchup better, as the Rockies have really struggled on the road lately, but he hasn't been striking out batters at a high rate over the past couple weeks, which means he has no room for error if he gives up a few runs. Sale, on the other hand, can surrender multiple runs and still put up a big fantasy score because he almost always records a high number of strikeouts. Sale also has great career numbers against the batters that will likely be in the Blue Jays' lineup.

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CATCHER

Alex Avila, DET vs. CLE ($17): I had Avila listed as my catcher option Friday, and though the Tigers were rained out, Avila gets two right-handed starters Saturday, so he is again a nice option. Carlos Carrasco starts Game 1 of the double-header, while Dan Otero starts the second. We can't be sure if Avila will start both games, so even if Otero looks like a better matchup on paper, I'd feel comfortable starting Avila against Carrasco if he's in the lineup, as Avila enters with the fifth-highest wOBA against righties this season.

FIRST BASE

Anthony Rizzo, CHC at CIN ($23): Reds starter Jackson Stephens has been pretty bad at Triple-A this season, so it would be wise to get a piece of the Cubs' lineup. The best prospect is Rizzo, who, with Kris Bryant out, must now do almost all the heavy lifting. More importantly, Rizzo leads all active Cubs with a .358 wOBA against righties this season.

SECOND BASE

Eric Sogard, MIL vs. MIA ($14): There are a lot of pitchers on this slate who look like good targets, but not a lot is known about them on the major-league level. That can't be said about the Marlins starter Tom Koehler, who enters with a 7.04 ERA and matches up poorly against Sogard, who holds a top-10 wOBA against righties this season.

THIRD BASE

Travis Shaw, MIL vs. MIA ($22): With only a few reliably bad pitchers on this slate, the Brewers make for one of the better stacks. After getting shut down Friday night, Koehler's pitches are bound to look like beach balls to the Brewers' batters. Shaw has been the most consistent bat in the lineup all season, and he comes in with a .404 wOBA against righties.

SHORTSTOP

Jean Segura, SEA at LAA ($17):Ricky Nolasco takes the mound for the Angels, and while he's coming off a strong outing, he enters with a 4.86 ERA, allowing at least five runs in two of his last three starts. There are several bats likely to get to Nolasco, and Segura comes in with a .371 wOBA against righties this season.

OUTFIELD

Andrew McCutchen, PIT vs. SF ($26): McCutchen got off to a poor start this season, but he's been on a tear for quite a while and has a great matchup against Matt Moore, who has a 6.04 ERA this season. He's been particularly bad of late, allowing at least four runs in four of his past five starts, while McCutchen has a .487 wOBA against lefties this season, the seventh-highest mark in the league.

Lonnie Chisenhall, CLE at DET (Game 2) ($20): Chisenhall was another guy I targeted Friday prior to the rainout, but with lefty Matthew Boyd taking the place of Anibal Sanchez in Game 2 on Saturday, Chisenhall remains a good option. He comes in with a .467 wOBA against lefties this season, which leads the Indians and ranks 13th in the majors.

Nelson Cruz, SEA at LAA ($17): As mentioned earlier, the Mariners look like one of the better stacks on this slate and Cruz might be the best pick on the board, coming in with a .374 wOBA against righties this season. Additionally, he's 7-for-21, including three home runs, lifetime against Nolasco.

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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