The featured slate at DraftKings consists of 13 of the 15 games on tap for the day. So, the main focus of this article will be on those games. Unfortunately, that means no Cole Ragans or Gavin Williams talk. Best of luck however you construct your lineup today!
Starting Pitchers
Spencer Strider ($12,700) is far and away the most expensive starter on the board tonight facing the Giants. It’s a fantastic matchup, and I wouldn’t fault anyone for paying up for him, although it will obviously hamper your lineup elsewhere. Brandon Woodruff ($10,900), Pablo López ($10,600), and Sandy Alcantara ($9,600) round out the top tier of the pitching options. Out of those three, I’d skew to Lopez considering the matchups Alcantara (Dodgers) and Woodruff (Rangers) are in. Pablo faces the Pirates who have the 4th highest K% (26.8%) against righties over the last month, and should rack up plenty facing them.
Below that bunch lies Michael Lorenzen ($9,200) and Brayan Bello ($8,500), the latter of which consistently works deep into games and draws a weak Yankees lineup. He faced them back in mid-June and cruised to 7 innings while allowing just one earned run in each start. They have an 86 wRC+ (25th) against righties over the last month. Lorenzen is also one to work deeper into games and is in a cushy matchup facing Washington once again. He threw a no-no against them last start and has had plenty of rest in between that 124-pitch outing. Lorenzen should shut them down once again.
There aren’t many other starters worthy of recommending here. Kyle Gibson ($8,200) could be a worthy flier in his matchup against Oakland, but other than that the options are pretty limited this Friday. Slim-pickings.
Bats
Picking what bats to target is always a struggle in my opinion. There’s so much variance around batters. They can hit one on the screws and it will lead to nothing, and that’s why I tend to stay away from wagering on batters props. That being said, the lack of viable starters today creates plenty of offense options.
Starting with the most obvious stack, the Braves continue to roll and should chase Alex Cobb out of the game early enough. He’s been hit hard in back-to-back starts against the Rangers and Athletics allowing 11 earned runs and 16 hits over his last 9.2 innings. Eddie Rosario ($3,800) has hit Cobb well in the past and is 5-12 with two homers against him. Of the other cheaper options in their lineup, Marcell Ozuna ($4,400), Orlando Arcia ($4,000), and Nicky Lopez ($3,000) stand out as somewhat lower-priced bats worth plugging in.
Either side in the Coors Field contest is viable, because y’know…it’s Coors. Unfortunately, neither offense is particularly inspiring, but the altitude should help them out. Michael Kopech starts for the White Sox and Peter Lambert goes for Colorado. Elvis Andrus ($3,400) and Luis Robert Jr. ($5,700) are the hottest hitters in the White Sox lineup these days. Ezequiel Tovar ($4,800) and Nolan Jones ($4,600) are the Rockies hottest bats lately. A stack of either team could work out.
The Cardinals offense is intriguing facing Joey Lucchesi making his first start in the Majors in three months. They have teed off on lefties over the last month with a 127 wRC+. Lucchesi likely won’t work further than 4-5 innings, and once he departs, St. Louis will be greeted by the 4th worst bullpen according to xFIP over the last month. The hottest hitters in their lineup over the last 15 days are Tommy Edman ($4,100), Nolan Arenado ($5,500), Lars Nootbaar ($4,500), and Willson Contreras ($3,900).