After a great reminder that nothing matters with a 1-0 game gifted from the baseball gods in Colorado yesterday afternoon, MLB DFS action returns with a split-slate day across the industry. This article, as always, is focused on the Main Slates, for both DraftKings and FanDuel. Those slates are different from one another today, with FanDuel starting at 6:40 ET in order to include the Athletics vs Rays game for a six-game slate. DraftKings is opting for the 7:10 ET start with the remaining five games. The slate includes another Coors Field game that is predictably leading the board by several runs, with an 11.5-run total on the board in Vegas. With that much potential for scoring, Coors games are always in play. Both teams are rolling out bad lineups against mediocre pitching, but they are likely to be very popular on this slate. The board features a number of viable options at the plate, with fewer quality pitchers from which to choose, making this look like another potentially high-scoring day of MLB DFS action.
Note: All analysis is written utilizing available projected lineups as of the early morning, pay close attention to confirmed lineups and adjust accordingly. This article is posted and updated as it is written, if a game has not been filled in simply check back in a few minutes. Lineup changes are not typically updated as lock approaches, so stay tuned to any news for changes.
MLB DFS: Game by Game Main Slate Breakdown – 4/7/23
Oakland Athletics (+235/3.07) @ Tampa Bay Rays (-262/5.03)
The early game lands on only the FanDuel slate and sees what should be a solid matchup for the Tampa Bay Rays in a home game with the weak Oakland Athletics coming to play. The Athletics’ largely inept roster will be facing a potentially underrated starter who warrants keeping an eye on in the Rays’ rotation. Righty Zach Eflin threw 75.2 innings over 13 starts in Philadelphia last season, pitching to a 3.81 xFIP with a 4.04 ERA and a 20.8% strikeout rate in the sample. He limited opposing hitters to a 2.56% home run rate on an aggressively low 31.1% hard-hit percentage. In a 105.2-inning sample the year before, Eflin allowed a bit more power, with a 3.39% home run rate and a 38.9% hard-hit percentage allowed, but his contact marks were essentially the same. The righty yielded a 6.1% barrel rate last year and a 6.8% mark in 2021, he induced an average exit velocity of just 85.3 mph last year and 87.9 mph the season before, and his 10.5-degree and 11.9-degree average launch angles helped to keep the ball in the yard. Against a lousy lineup like Oakland, Eflin could easily cruise to a quality start while finding a few extra strikeouts. In his first start of the season, Eflin went five innings and struck out five hitters while giving up a lone run on three hits against an equally bad Tigers lineup. For merely $8,800 on the FanDuel slate, there is potential in Eflin’s right arm tonight. The Athletics can be played to some degree, Eflin is by no means an ideal starter and there should be some contact available. The Oakland lineup simply leaves much to be desired, but Seth Brown has upside for power on most nights. The lefty had a 13% barrel rate and a 40.8% hard-hit percentage with 25 home runs in his 555 plate appearances last year. Brown should be in the cleanup spot, correlated options above him will likely include Jace Peterson, a lefty who offers a modicum of power and speed on his own, as well as Tony Kemp and Aledmys Diaz. Diaz hits from the right side of the plate and has been a quality bat in a utility role over his career, but he is probably miscast as a full-time player. Jesus Aguilar and Ramon Laureano could get involved from the middle of the lineup, they are cheap options who are unlikely to be popular. Esteury Ruiz is an interesting wraparound piece with his stolen base upside.
Rookie starter Ken Waldichuk is taking the mound for the Athletics. The lefty was one of the prizes in Oakland’s corrupt trade of already injured Frankie Montas to the Yankees last season, he had a massive year in the minor leagues but has so far struggled in the Show. Waldichuk threw 34.2 innings in seven starts after arriving in Oakland last year, pitching to a 4.26 xFIP and a 4.93 ERA while allowing a 3.42% home run rate. The southpaw put up a 1.21 WHIP and a 6.8% walk rate in that sample while striking out 22.6%. He had a solid 11.6% swinging-strike rate, but his command is a concern and he posted just a 25.1% CSW%. Waldichuk also allowed a whopping 12.1% barrel rate, letting Major Leaguers square him up far too often. He had a tough Spring and allowed three home runs and six earned runs over 5.2 innings in his first start of the season. Waldichuk struck out four in that start and walked just one, but he allowed far too much contact. Against a Rays team that specializes in patiently attacking pitchers, it could be a long short day for the starter. Tampa Bay’s bats profile well for both power and sequencing, there should be plenty of MLB DFS scoring available on this side of the contest. Yandy Diaz and Wander Franco cost a combined $7,100 atop the lineup, giving FanDuel gamers an excellent place to start. Franco is off to a red-hot start, slashing .417/.481/.792 with two home runs and two stolen bases while creating runs 160% better than average over his first 27 plate appearances and six games of 2023. The star is a fixture in Rays lineups and he is fully coming into his powers this season, this is one to watch. Isaac Paredes profiles for power with a team-leading 8.39 in our home run model while Randy Arozarena is an excellent option with his power and speed combination in the middle of the lineup. Harold Ramirez should see another start against a lefty, Ramirez costs just $2,200 and is likely to hit in the middle of the lineup. He is not a big-time home run hitter, with just 13 in 796 plate appearances the last two years, but he is very good at driving the ball and creating runs, making him a key part of the Rays’ lineup against lefties. Jose Siri is another player who has both pop and wheels for MLB DFS purposes, he is rarely popular and always cheap from the bottom of the Rays’ projected batting order.
Play: All things Tampa Bay, Eflin (particularly if he is trending for low ownership across the industry), and Rays stacks, minor Waldichuk stacks are not necessarily a mistake at just $6,400, but it is a very thin play on the one pitcher site with Wheeler going.
Update Notes: Ryan Noda is hitting second for Oakland in place of Jace Peterson, putting a $2,200 bat in play at the top of the lineup on FanDuel, the rest of the game is as-projected.
San Diego Padres (+109/4.64) @ Atlanta Braves (-118/4.97)
There were minor concerns about the weather in Atlanta earlier in the day, but the forecast has cleared somewhat and it seems like all expectations are that the game will play cleanly. The excellent San Diego lineup is back in play on a Main Slate in a good matchup against rookie hurler Jared Shuster, who has just one start under his belt in the Major Leagues. Shuster faced the Nationals last week and posted a clunker of a start at high ownership and a very cheap SP2 price on DraftKings. The rookie walked five hitters, struck out just one, and allowed four earned runs on six hits in his 4.2 innings. It is difficult to recommend the young lefty with much confidence against one of baseball’s best lineups when that was the outcome against one of the worst, even at a $6,200 price tag on the DraftKings slate and a $6,000 mark on FanDuel. Shuster had an advanced strikeout rate in lower levels of the minor leagues in 2021 and 2022, most notably a 30.0% mark in 90.2 innings in AA ball last year, but he struggled with allowing power even in A-ball, and his strikeouts dropped to just 19.4% over 48.2 innings in AAA last year. Shuster earned a look on the back of a strong Spring, but the lefty seems somewhat undercooked at age 24, Padres bats seem like the stronger option, but there is at least large field GPP upside if the lefty can find his form and a few strikeouts. Unfortunately, the Padres lineup very much works against Shuster in that regard, San Diego is difficult to strike out. Xander Bogaerts leads off in the projected lineup, the shortstop star slashed .307/.377/.456 last year and created runs 34% better than average while striking out just 18.7% of the time. He is followed by star third baseman Manny Machado who has both power and an excellent patient hit tool. That duo leads to Juan Soto, who even in a down season across the board last year had an otherworldly 14.5% strikeout rate with a 20.3% walk rate. Soto struggled to just .242 on the front-end of his triple-slash, but he posted a .401 on-base percentage and still created runs 45% better than average while hitting 27 home runs, few players in baseball have more upside. Nelson Cruz may return to being Nelson Cruz against this lefty, he is in play if he is in the lineup. Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim are not the flashiest names in the sport, but they struck out just 19.2% and 17.2% of the time while creating runs 10% and five percent better than average respectively last season. The infielders can be slotted into numerous combinations of San Diego bats. Catcher Austin Nola and Trent Grisham are both playable but not great options from later in the Padres batting order.
The Braves also carry scoring potential for MLB DFS this evening. The team is facing Nick Martinez, an average right-handed starter. Martinez had a 4.04 xFIP under his 3.47 ERA over 106.1 innings last year. He struck out 21.2% of opposing hitters while walking too many at 9.2%. Martinez throws an adequate number of strikes and falls right into average territory with a 3.35% home run rate and a 37% hard-hit mark last year. In his first outing of the season, Martinez covered seven innings and struck out five while yielding four runs with a home run allowed against the Rockies at home. Notably, the Braves in Atlanta are not the cakewalk matchup that the Rockies are in San Diego; Atlanta has an opportunity to feast. Ronald Acuna Jr. is determined to reclaim his status as one of baseball’s super-duper stars after a good but somewhat light season in his return from injury. Acuna hit 15 home runs and stole 29 bases in 533 plate appearances last year, but he is a player who carried 50/50 talk in a realistic sense after his 41 home run and 37 stolen base campaign in his age-21 season in 2019. One pandemic and a devastating injury later, Acuna is slashing .355/.429/.613 with two home runs and two stolen bases over his first 35 plate appearances and seven games of 2023. The stud outfielder costs $6,200 on DraftKings and $4,400 on FanDuel, he is worth it. First baseman Matt Olson brings massive left-handed power to bear in this matchup, he has a team-leading 10.94 in our home run model. Olson is followed by excellent third baseman Austin Riley, on DraftKings the pairing costs $10,600 combined, but they are a $7,900 investment on the blue site, with Riley too cheap at just $3,800. Catchers Travis d’Arnaud is in the heart of the projected batting order, as are Ozzie Albies and Marcell Ozuna, both fixtures in this lineup. Sophomore Michael Harris II hit 19 home runs and stole 20 bags as a rookie last season, he costs just $4,100 on DraftKings and $3,300 on FanDuel, and the field may look elsewhere with the outfielder off to a .217/.280/.261 start with no home runs and two stolen bases. Harris should not be skipped simply because of a slow week, he is an excellent option at his price in this lineup, but he also may not play with an injury. The Braves are fully playable from 1-9.
Play: Padres stacks. Braves stacks.
Update Notes: Michael Harris II was added to the IL, and the Braves lineup includes Murphy catching instead of d’Arnaud – he looks just as good as a power-hitting right-handed catcher option – with Orlando Arcia bumping into the seven spot and Ozuna dropping to eighth. Left-handed slugger Sam Hilliard is getting a look in the nine spot in the lineup. Hilliard made 200 plate appearances with Colorado last year, hitting just two home runs and slashing .184/.280/.264, but he managed to knock 14 home runs in just 238 opportunities the year before, he is an interesting minimum-price bat on the DraftKings slate and comes at $2,300 on FanDuel.
St. Louis Cardinals (+141/3.85) @ Milwaukee Brewers (-154/4.75)
An interesting pitching matchup in Milwaukee sees Brandon Woodruff and Jack Flaherty at opposite ends of the salary and expectations spectrum. Woodruff takes the hill from the hometown Brewers, coming off a 2022 season in which he threw 153.1 innings and put up a strong 30.6% strikeout rate with a 1.07 WHIP. Woodruff is very good at keeping opposing lineups off of the basepaths and limiting scoring opportunities, he had just a 6.8% walk rate and put up a 3.05 ERA with a 3.14 xFIP. The righty induced a 14.1% swinging-strike rate and he allowed just a 36.8% hard-hit percentage with a 7.0% barrel rate in 2022, he was even better at limiting premium contact with a 5.8% barrel rate and just 32.4% hard hits in 2021. Woodruff costs $10,000 on DraftKings and $10,500 on FanDuel and he is facing an elite Cardinals lineup, but he projects as one of the top options across both sites in our MLB DFS points model. The righty should see medium-range ownership on a slate that is somewhat short on quality pitching options, but this seems like a good spot to play both sides. Cardinals hitters including lefties Brendan Donovan and Alec Burelson are in play at the top of the lineup, pending the final version. Star corner infielders Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are always in play, the duo costs a combined $10,700 on DraftKings and $7,700 on FanDuel, making them a direct pivot from the Woodruff individual play. The duo hit 65 combined home runs last season while creating runs 77% and 51% better than average respectively. Catcher Willson Contreras is in play, he is one of the better backstops in the league at the plate, and second base masher Nolan Gorman is too cheap at just $3,400 and $3,200 from site to site. Gorman and Tyler O’Neill bring pop to the bottom of the batting order for St. Louis, while rookie Jordan Walker and Tommy Edman fill out the final two spots on another squad that is typically stackable from top to bottom. The Cardinals are best played with tempered expectations to counter the Woodruff play, fewer stacks and stacks that do not chase the bottom of the lineup are probably the more advisable options, but everyone in the stellar lineup remains in play in a baseball sense.
After a litany of injuries, righty Jack Flaherty simply does not seem like the same pitcher who was once playable for MLB DFS. The righty made just eight starts and threw 36 innings last year, pitching to a 19.8% strikeout rate. He had a 26.4% mark over 78.1 innings in 15 starts in 2021 before losing a full season of time. Flaherty struck out four over five innings in his first start of the season, managing to yield no hits to 22 batters, but he walked a whopping seven hitters and had a 4.33 expected ERA and an 8.07 xFIP for the game. Until Flaherty shows us something, it seems safer to play bats against him, particularly when he comes as a $9,000 option on FanDuel. At just $7,500 on DraftKings, a few SP2 shares are not the craziest idea in the world. Stacking Brewers bats and expecting opportunities and contact seems more realistic though, the team has more than enough talent and a lot of power on the left side of the plate. Leadoff man Christian Yelich is a former MVP who slashed .252/.355/.383 and created runs 11% better than average last year. Yelich has one steal and no home runs over six games in 2023, MLB DFS gamers may not be excited to play him, if he is under-owned there is an opportunity available. The same could be said for Jesse Winker, another left-handed outfielder who should be near the top of the lineup when it is confirmed. Winker hit 24 home runs with a .251 ISO in 2021 for Cincinnati but his power dried up in Seattle last season. He has made 22 plate appearances for the Brewers so far this year, posting a .333/.409/.444 triple-slash but just a .111 ISO and no home runs so far, that could change in this game. Winker has a 7.01 home run mark in our model today, though only Rowdy Tellez lands above the “magic number” at 10.47. Shortstop Willy Adames brings an affordable quality infield bat from the right side of the plate in between the two left-handed sluggers, all four hitters can be stacked on both sites tonight but they are notably inexpensive on FanDuel. Following those options, playable bats including William “don’t call me the other one” Contreras brings a bat almost as good as his brother’s in the other lineup, while Garrett Mitchell has excellent power and speed potential, and has already hit three home runs while slashing .300/.364/.850 with a .550 ISO to start the year. Brian Anderson is inexpensive and fills multiple positions, as are Brice Turang and Joey Wiemer, young ballplayers getting an opportunity to break out for a Brewers team that is midway through an on-the-fly rebuild.
Play: Brandon Woodruff, Cardinals bats, Brewers bats, minor Jack Flaherty SP2 interest on DraftKings
Update Notes:
Washington Nationals (+110/5.60) @ Colorado Rockies (-119/6.03)
After looking like one of the amazing spots of the early season, Coors Field disappointed with a very low-scoring affair yesterday. Today’s contest is right back at the top of the board, however, with an 11.5-run total and two non-threatening pitchers taking the mound. The hometown Rockies are starting right-hander Jose Urena, who has been shockingly consistent…ly bad with just a 14.6% strikeout rate in 2022 and a 14.7% mark in 2021. The righty walks far too many for a pitcher who never strikes anyone out, he had an unsightly 10% mark last year and was at 9.2% the season before. Urena posted a 5.01 ERA with a 4.61 xFIP last year and a 5.81 ERA with a 4.87 xFIP in 2021. The righty has been somewhat good at limiting home runs, as the ball tends to take a downward trajectory, with just a 7.3-degree average launch angle last year and an 8.2-degree mark the season before, but there is plenty of hard contact available and even a bad lineup like Washington can get to a pitcher like this. The Nationals are, unfortunately, in play for MLB DFS scoring potential, but they are arguably an undercut given what should be extremely high ownership in this spot. Joey Meneses tops the board at 11.99, the only mark over the “magic number” in our model today. Meneses slashed .324/.367/.563 with 13 home runs in 240 plate appearances over which he posted a .239 ISO last season. He is joined by options including lefty Dominic Smith, who hit no home runs in 152 tries last season but managed 11 in 493 the year before; and Jeimer Candelario, who hits from both sides of the plate and has managed 29 home runs in 1,093 plate appearances over the past two seasons combined. Lane Thomas hit 17 home runs with a .163 ISO last season, his 6.5% barrel rate and 34% hard-hit percentage suggest that the ISO is more accurate than the home run total when it comes to Thomas’ true power. Luis “not that one” Garcia is projected to leadoff for the Nationals, he is mostly a correlation piece who slashed .275/.295/.408 and created runs seven percent worse than average last year. Catcher Keibert Ruiz has a reasonably good bat for the position, he costs just $3,200 where catchers are required and he seems likely to be popular at that price. The bottom of the Nationals’ projected lineup centers around speed with C.J. Abrams and Victor Robles, neither of whom offer tremendous upside, but both of whom can be included in a Coors Field game.
MacKenzie Gore allowed a 45.4% hard-hit rate and a 9.7% barrel rate on a 13.7-degree average launch angle last season, but he kept home runs to just a 2.27% rate, somewhat confounding the numbers today for Colorado’s home run upside. Regardless, the flawed lefty’s 12% walk rate and only a 23.3% strikeout rate over those 70 innings from last season seem targetable on this slate for sequencing and runs at a minimum. Gore had a 4.42 xFIP and 4.50 ERA last year, the Rockies could string together some hitting against him and they have a few players capable of knocking the ball over the fence. C.J. Cron leads the way in the home run model on the Colorado side once again. The slugger is off to a strong start and he should be cleaning up following a quality top-end that starts with Jurickson Profar, and includes veterans Kris Bryant and Charlie Blackmon. Bryant is a particularly good play in that trio for just $5,300 on DraftKings and $3,900 on FanDuel, which is not a high enough price for the hitter in this park and matchup. Elehuris Montero and Ryan McMahon are in the fifth and sixth spots in the lineup, hitting ahead of Elias Diaz, who fills another “cheap but popular catcher at Coors” slot. Montero has a premium right-handed bat and he is third on the team behind Cron and Bryant in today’s home run model. The righty hit six home runs in 185 opportunities last year. Yonathan Daza is lurking at the bottom of the lineup, he could be an underappreciated play for run creation and generation, Daza does not have much power, but he slashed .301/.349/.384 last year, he is good at putting the ball in play which works at Coors Field. Ezequiel Tovar swiped 17 bases and hit 13 home runs in 295 plate appearances at AA last year, the rookie should produce if he gets on base.
Play: Bats, but they’ll be popular as usual with this ballpark for MLB DFS
Update Notes:
Toronto Blue Jays (+111/4.37) @ Los Angeles Angels (-120/4.73)
Another quality pitching matchup that is somewhat hampered by two very good lineups comes in a later game in Los Angeles. The Blue Jays are in town to face the Angels, who will have lefty Patrick Sandoval starting. The southpaw costs just $8,500 on DraftKings and $8,600 on FanDuel, which is an interesting price point for a starter with a 23.7% strikeout rate and a 3.67 xFIP last year. Sandoval was similarly good with a 25.9% strikeout mark and a 3.79 xFIP in 2021, his primary flaw in both years was his walk rate, 9.4% last year and 9.9% the season before. Otherwise, Sandoval has been very good, he yielded just a 3.03% home run rate with a 35.4% hard-hit percentage in 2021 and was even better with a sparkling 1.25% home run rate and a 33.9% hard-hit rate allowed last year. The lefty is very good at inducing weak contact and keeping the ball in the yard, and he has the talent to find a few strikeouts along the way. Sandoval is inexpensive and he could be a sneaky-strong option, but he is facing a loaded lineup. Toronto features star power with George Springer, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first three spots in the lineup. The trio combined for 81 home runs and an average WRC+ of 131, meaning as a group they were 31% better than average in creating runs. Springer and Bichette added double-digit steals, with 14 and 13 respectively, Bichette stole 25 in 2021 and has potential for that type of number this year. Lefty Daulton Varsho has a 6.87 mark in our home run model in the middle of the lineup, Matt Chapman checks in at 6.39 on the other side of the plate, both are quality marks against a pitcher who limits the long ball like Sandoval. The bottom of the projected Blue Jays batting order includes Alejandro Kirk, a quality option behind the plate, as well as Whit Merrifield, Danny Jansen, and Santiago Espinal. Espinal costs just $2,300 and fits in at either middle infield spot on DraftKings, he is a $2,000 second baseman on FanDuel. Espinal hit seven home runs and stole six bases last season and has talked in great detail about focusing on a more aggressive approach at the plate this season, he could make for a sneaky wraparound option as a minor investment.
The hometown Angels are facing righty Chris Bassitt an early poster boy for the “struggles with the pitch clock” narrative. Bassitt lasted just 3.1 innings in his first start of the year, allowing a whopping nine earned runs and four home runs while striking out no one. The righty is better than that on talent, but if he is off-balance and struggling to find his form it could be a long day. Bassitt is also cheap at just $8,100 and $7,600 from site to site, and there are plenty of strikeouts in the Angels lineup for a pitcher who had a 22.4% rate last year and a 25% mark the season before, but there is deadly talent in Los Angeles’ batting order as well. This game is lining up as a four corners opportunity, with Bassitt somewhat in play and Angels stacks looking appealing. Taylor Ward, Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Hunter Renfroe are the obvious focus at the top of the projected lineup. The two superstars combined for 74 home runs last year, while Ward and Renfroe add 52 more to the 2022 tally, there is tremendous power in the top half of this lineup. The Angels continue with Brandon Drury who had a breakout season last year hitting 28 home runs of his own over 568 plate appearances. Drury made specific changes to his swing plane coming into last season and immediately reaped dividends. The slugger costs just $3,900 with first and second base eligibility on DraftKings and he is a $2,800 second or third baseman on the blue site. Lefty Jake Lamb comes in at $2,500 and $2,600 with multi-position eligibility and a touch of power, while the bottom third of the lineup is somewhat weaker, but features positional flexibility and a lack of popularity that could be moderately useful in GPPs.
Play: Patrick Sandoval, particularly if trending for low ownership around the industry, Blue Jays stacks, Angels stacks. Bassitt at a cheap price for the risk-embracing crowd in large field GPPs.
Update Notes:
Los Angeles Dodgers (-223/5.48) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (+202/3.64)
The Dodgers are the leading team in today’s Power Index, they look like an excellent option for home run upside in a game against washed-up lefty Madison Bumgarner, formerly a column favorite and a starter we were the very last to give up on across the MLB DFS industry. The contact-oriented soft-tossing southpaw allowed a 3.58% home run rate last year and a 3.92% mark the season before, Bumgarner yields far too much premium contact as well. Last season opponents barreled the ball at a 9.8% rate with a 42.8% hard-hit percentage on an average launch angle of 16.8 degrees, which is a nice average shape for allowing home runs. The pitcher also saw a major dip in his strikeout rate which was already poor at 20.2% then plummeted to 16%. His swinging strikes dipped from a weak 9.6% to a bad 7.7%. The Dodgers lineup should feast, the top four hitters in the projected lineup are all over the 10-mark in our home run model. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman cost $5,900 and $5,600 on DraftKings, they are $3,900 and $3,700 players on FanDuel. The star duo at the top of the lineup can be played across the industry, but they are likely to be popular in this matchup, even at these prices. There is cheap pitching available on this slate, which should allow for aggressive lineup construction. The Dodgers have J.D. Martinez and lefty slugger Max Muncy next in the projected lineup, Muncy is a career .243/.358/.486 hitter with a .243 ISO and a 129 WRC+ against fellow lefties with 40 of his 145 career home runs (27.5%) have come against same-handed pitching, and Bumgarner represents a very minor challenge, do not skip Muncy simply for lefty-lefty reasons. Chris Taylor has moderate power if he is in the lineup, he hit 10 home runs in 454 opportunities last year but 20 in 582 chances the season before. Trayce Thompson already had a big day this season, he has premium power upside if he is hitting late in the lineup. At just $2,800 on DraftKings and $2,900 on FanDuel, Thompson has a strong projection in our fantasy points model and he is pulling a 10.41 in the home run model. In just 255 plate appearances last season, Thompson hit 13 home runs with a .251 ISO and created runs 42% better than average. He had a massive 16.4% barrel rate and a good-not-great 46.9% hard-hit percentage. Given the opportunity, the slugger could be primed for another big fantasy score. Dodgers bats are stackable from top to bottom, pending the final form of the lineup.
A quality Diamondbacks lineup will be facing veteran southpaw Clayton Kershaw, who still holds up his end of this formerly classic pitching matchup. Kershaw sported a 27.8% strikeout rate over 22 starts and 126.1 innings last year, he struck out nine over six innings in his first start this season. When healthy, the lefty can still bring it as well as anyone in baseball, he had a 2.83 xFIP and an outstanding 0.94 WHIP last year, walking just 4.7% of opposing hitters. The Diamondbacks can throw decent young bats at a starter, but the projections and stars seem to align with Kershaw in this spot. When stacking Arizona bats, the focus should be on premium options at the top of the lineup, namely Kyle Lewis, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Christian Walker, a trio that is capable of homering against Kershaw with the amount of power and premium contact they bring to the dish. Ketel Marte is slated to hit ahead of that trio and makes for a fine correlation piece in stacks. The second baseman slashed .240/.321/.407 last year but still created runs two percent better than average, he was 39% better than average for run creation in 2021, slashing .318/.377/.532 with 14 home runs and a .215 ISO in 374 plate appearances that year. Veteran Evan Longoria is extremely familiar with Kershaw from his years in San Francisco, he should be hitting in the heart of the lineup and is a fair option for a low $3,500 and $2,400 from DraftKings to FanDuel. Corbin Carroll may be overmatched in a same-handed duel with a pitcher of Kershaw’s caliber, and the bottom of the projected lineup is a tough ask; just like with the real-life creatures, if you are stacking snakes tonight you want to focus on the top, where the bite is.
Play: a lot of Dodgers bats, Clatyon Kershaw, minor shares of Diamondbacks
Update Notes:
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