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Slate Details
OwnersBox- Main slate (10 games) – starts 4:04 PM EDT (including all night games)
DK/FD – Main slate (12 games) – starts 1:05 PM EDT (excludes TEX-HOU/CHC-LAD/COL-SEA)
Weather Impact
Wind blowing out for PHI@CIN. There may be rain for PIT@STL. CLE@WAS may have a delayed start due to rain. ATL@KC has the greatest chance of a delay. Updates to be posted in our Discord channel #dfs-and-bets.
Pitching
*Josh Fleming will be the bulk reliever behind starter Calvin Faucher
It’s Jackie Robinson day, and we’ve got a full 15-game slate spread across 3 sites. Note in the table above that certain games and pitchers are only on certain sites for their main slate. Let’s dig in.
George Kirby appears to be the PLV darling du jour, and he also happens to get the Rockies in Seattle. This makes him the pitcher to roster on OwnersBox- however, since the game isn’t on the other two sites for main, we need to keep going.
Freddy Peralta is one pitcher on all 3 main slates – the PLV numbers above may not be overly dominant, but the Padres have been really bad lately vs R pitchers who have their stuff mostly under control. The park is fairly safe too, so he should be safe in all formats.
If you want a little risk/reward for your SP2, I think Nick Pivetta has a chance at a really good game at home vs the Angels. Trout seems like he hasn’t hit mid-season form yet, and Pivetta has been fairly solid vs lefties thus far. As long as he doesn’t pitch meatballs across the plate for Hunter Renfroe, this should be a decent start. He’s available on all 3 main slates, so I think he’s in play.
Anthony DeSclafani aka “Tony Disco” gets the Tigers at Comerica Park (with the wind likely blowing in) – he’s had a strong spring and 2 solid starts with minimal runs given up and decent K rates. The Tigers have had a bit of bite in them lately, so he may give up one or two runs, but this doesn’t seem like an overly dangerous spot. Since this is one of the early games, this is not an option for OwnersBox.
Steven Matz had some problems in Coors last time out, but many pitchers do. The Pirates – like the Tigers – have their moments, but likely won’t be a blow up spot. Again, another early game, so this is DK/FD only if you’re targeting Main slates.
Lastly, PLV supports Ryne Nelson as another potentially low-rostered sleeper play. Jorge Soler left Friday’s game so there’s a chance he’s not in the lineup for this game. This game is on all 3 sites, so if you want to pay down a bit for SP2 and pay up for bats, he’s an option.
Batting
(All sites) PHI-CIN is the mini-Coors matchup of the slate, so it should be your primary target. Matt Strahm has been surprisingly good so far, but it sounds like he might still be limited – and it’s still not the safest of parks. Vs lefties, you can still roll with the top 2 CIN bats of Jonathan India and Spencer Steer. On the other side, Graham Ashcraft has been good so far as well, with decent K rates to go along with a couple ER. His batted ball profile has him as a mostly GB rate pitcher – so we’re interested in hitters that mainly hit LD/FB with power. Up top, you can start with the duo of Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber. Brandon Marsh is a 3rd option who rarely strikes out and has a balanced hitting profile.
(All sites) Tyler Anderson looks to be one of the pitchers to exploit on this slate in hit-friendly Fenway Park. His PLV numbers suggest he gives up hits on both sides of the plate, so Rafael Devers is still in play even in a left-on-left matchup. Justin Turner is starting to heat up vs lefties, and watch the lineup to see if Bobby Dalbec makes an appearance. Rob Refsnyder also will likely be a higher rostered, lower priced bat either leading off or at cleanup.
(DK/FD) The Rays can go back to fancy free hitting now that the pressure of the win streak is over. Yusei Kikuchi had a solid spring training, but that hasn’t carried over fully into the new season. He’s giving up a ton of hard contact, and there are a number of Rays bats that are more than happy to take their shots. Randy Arozarena is the first name that most will plug into their lineups, but there are others behind him that are priced down but hit just as hard. Harold Ramírez and Manuel Margot are both hard hitters that also offer salary relief, and Margot is also capable of SB upside. Taylor Walls is an extreme punt who also excels at hitting lefties. For Toronto, this is a bullpen game of sorts for the Rays – but most of the duties will belong to lefty Josh Fleming. Matt Chapman is always a solid play vs lefty pitching.
(All sites) Carlos Carrasco has had a rough start to the season and although he gets the lowly As, they’ve shown some signs of improvement lately (on offense, not on defense). Ryan Noda and Brent Rooker have displayed impressive power and provide decent upside for their value. Speaking of that poor As defense, you’ll want to work in 1-2 Mets bats as they face Shintaro Fujinami. The question is who will be in the lineup, as they put up 17 runs in yesterday’s game. Tommy Pham was one of those who came in to pinch hit late, so he’ll likely be one of the more rested arms and legs in the lineup tomorrow. Mark Canha is another fresh option who had the day off on Friday. Francisco Lindor & Jeff McNeil are regular starters to consider if they play again on Saturday.
One-offs worth mentioning:
- (DK/FD) Edouard Julien had a nice debut on Thursday and likely leads off again. His price hasn’t increased yet to match his role.
- (DK/FD) Adley Rutschman is looking like an MVP candidate for the feisty Orioles this season. He’s expensive, but one of the highest floors for a bat that you find. Terrin Vavra is a punt option you can pair with him.
- (All sites) As mentioned above, if Nick Pivetta has a no good, really bad day, it’s likely because of Hunter Renfroe.
- (All sites) Bobby Witt Jr. has quietly had 3 multi-hit games in a row.
- (OwnersBox) Jarred Kelenic has hit a HR in 4 straight games.
- (All sites) Chad Kuhl has given up 10 hits & 9 runs in his 2 starts so far. Will Brennan has 4 hits in his last 3 games, including 2 doubles and 1 SB.
- (All sites) Evan Longoria is having a great start to the season vs left-handed pitching.
- (All sites) Austin Riley vs a lefty. ‘Nuff said.