This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There are no day games Friday, so get ready for a packed night of baseball. Two storied franchises will face each other when the Yankees host the Cubs in the first game of a three-game series. Two divisional rivals will face off in another exciting series between the Dodgers and Giants. On the injury front, Tylor Megill, who has been out for nearly a month with a biceps injury, will make his return for the Mets when they take on the slumping Angels. With so many options to consider, let's get to the task at hand and highlight some players to consider for your Yahoo lineups.
Pitchers
Triston McKenzie ($51) was done in by the home run in his last start, allowing three of them over seven innings against the Orioles. After allowing just one home run over his first six starts, he's been taken deep nine times over his last five outings. That was a problem for him last season, as well, with him allowing 21 home runs across 120 innings. However, a matchup versus an Athletics team that has hit the second-fewest home runs in baseball could help him get back on track.
After pitching out of the bullpen, the Braves have moved Spencer Strider ($33) into their starting rotation. It's an intriguing move for DFS purposes because he has a 36.8 percent strikeout rate. He almost reached 90 pitches in his last outing, giving up one run and recording five strikeouts over four innings at Coors Field. This will be a much more favorable matchup against the Pirates, who have the third-worst OPS in baseball.
The schedule has not been kind to Bruce Zimmermann ($28). His last four starts have come against the Red Sox, Guardians and the Yankees (twice). The result was him allowing 20 runs across 21 innings. Prior to that, he had allowed three earned runs or fewer in seven straight outings. Now that he'll be facing a Royals team that has scored the fifth-fewest runs, a bounce-back outing could be in the cards. The last time he faced them, he gave up just two runs over six innings, while registering five strikeouts.
Top Targets
Aaron Judge ($27) loves hitting at Yankee Stadium, which is where he will take on Wade Miley ($27) and the Cubs. For his career, Judge has a 174 wRC+ at home. Add in Miley's career 1.38 WHIP and 18.4 percent strikeout rate and Judge is someone to consider building your entry around.
Rich Hill ($30) is scheduled to start for the Red Sox, taking his 4.40 ERA and 4.23 FIP to the mound with him against the Mariners. He doesn't miss many bats anymore, recording only an 18.3 percent strikeout rate. This could be a great opportunity to add Ty France ($18) to your entry, given his .370 wOBA versus left-handed pitchers since the start of last season.
Bargain Bats
The Yankees have had plenty of success, but not all of their hitters are having great seasons. One of them who has struggled is Aaron Hicks ($9), but he's showing signs of breaking out of his early slumber. He's had three straight multi-hit performances, and he is 11-for-27 (.407) with four walks and just two strikeouts over the last eight games.
Paul Blackburn ($37) has been excellent for the Athletics, recording a 2.62 ERA and a 3.18 FIP. With that being said, he doesn't miss a ton of bats, considering his 18.9 percent strikeout rate. This could still be an ideal spot to deploy Oscar Gonzalez ($10), who had four more hits Thursday to help increase his wOBA to .408, while decreasing his strikeout rate to 11.3 percent.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Elvin Rodriguez ($25), Tigers: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($18), Bo Bichette ($22), Alejandro Kirk ($23)
The Yankees lit up Rodriguez in his last start, scoring 10 runs over 4.1 innings. They took him deep four times, and registered 11 total hits. Rodriguez has a 1.69 WHIP through four appearances, and things won't get much easier for him against the Blue Jays. Kirk has proven to be an especially tough out, using a 12.2 percent walk rate and a 9.3 percent strikeout rate to produce a .383 wOBA.
Rangers vs. Davis Martin ($26), White Sox: Marcus Semien ($20), Corey Seager ($16), Kole Calhoun ($18)
It's been a season full of changes for Martin, who began things by making five starts at Double-A. He was then moved to Triple-A, which was the first time he's reached that level in his career. His four starts there weren't great, leaving him with a 4.71 ERA and 5.75 FIP. With injuries hitting their starting rotation, Martin was then moved up to the majors, where he has allowed five runs across 10.1 innings. This could be a great spot to roll with a Rangers stack, especially one that includes Semien. He's finally shaken off his slow start, hitting 28-for-87 (.322) with six home runs over his last 21 games.
Orioles vs. Jonathan Heasley ($27), Royals: Austin Hays ($19), Trey Mancini ($21), Cedric Mullins ($15)
Heasley is another young starting pitcher who has been rushed to the majors. He had a 3.33 ERA over 22 appearances at Double-A in 2021, but his FIP was 4.59. He ended up making three starts in the majors, completely skipping Triple-A. He then made six starts at Triple-A this season, posting a 4.44 ERA and a 3.84 FIP. Since being called back up, he's been bad with a 6.39 FIP and a 1.70 WHIP. If ever there was a time to roll with an Orioles stack, this might be it.
