We have a 13-game slate to get us through hump day and plenty of options across the board. Tonight's slate features Coors Field, which always brings an added wrinkle to MLB DFS.
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Let's check out the top options on today's main slate.
Pitching Breakdown
Blake Snell ($11,100): Snell comes in as the highest-salaried pitching option on tonight's slate and has a favorable matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have one of the lowest (3.87) implied run totals on the slate. There's no denying that Snell got off to a bit of a rocky start this season, but that has turned around quickly.
Over his last six starts, he has allowed a total of two earned runs while racking up double-digit strikeouts three times. This has boosted his strikeout rate to 30.7% -- along with a 3.58 xFIP, and 3.85 SIERA. Walks are still a slight issue for him (11.8% walk rate) but he's minimized the damage due to a solid 40.4% ground-ball rate and 50.8% medium-contact rate.
The Pirates got off to a great start this season but their offense has cooled down over the last few weeks and are now just a league-average team. Against left-handed pitchers this season, they come in with a 22.3% strikeout rate (16th), 101 wRC+ (15th), .148 ISO (21st), 32.5% fly-ball rate (29th), and 29.9% hard-contact rate (25th).
numberFire's projections have Snell going for 35.5 FanDuel, putting him atop the pitching pool tonight. Given his recent form and the matchup, Snell should be a popular option in all formats tonight, starting with cash games.
Aaron Nola ($9,600): Nola is relatively affordable tonight compared to some other pitchers and he has a solid matchup versus the Chicago Cubs. It's clear that Nola hasn't been the same version we've seen from him in years past, but his salary tonight is interesting considering we have some high-salaried hitters at Coors Field tonight.
Nola comes in with a 24.3% strikeout rate, 3.92 SIERA, 3.93 xFIP, 6.5% walk rate, and 55.8% medium-contact rate. Those are good but not elite numbers; that's the truth. However, the matchup against the Cubs and Nola's salary keep pulling me in tonight.
The Cubs have a 23.6% strikeout rate (8th), 96 wRC+ (18th), .144 ISO (25th), 34.3% fly-ball rate (28th), and 29.0% hard-contact rate (27th) versus right-handed pitchers. Nola has topped 37 FanDuel points in three of his last four outings, and tonight, he is projected for 32.9 FanDuel points. That projection puts him as the third-highest pitcher on the slate despite being the eighth-highest-salaried pitcher.
Kodai Senga ($10,300): Senga is also a viable option tonight given how lackluster the Milwaukee Brewers' offense has been this season. The Brew Crew comes in with an 87 wRC+ (25th), .149 ISO (22nd), 25.0% strikeout rate (4th), and 32.2% hard-contact rate (18th) versus right-handed pitchers.
Citi Field continues to be one of the best pitcher's parks in the league, which is always a nice bonus to have. Senga has a solid 28.0% strikeout rate, 4.04 xFIP, 49.0% medium-contact rate, and 45.5% ground-ball rate, but a questionable 13.3% walk rate. The matchup is great, and Senga shouldn't be as popular as some of the other options.
If you want a true salary-saver tonight, Domingo German ($7,700) could be an interesting option. He's struggled in recent outings, but there aren't many slates that go by where we aren't interested in a pitcher going up against the Oakland Athletics. They have the third-highest (25.4%) strikeout rate versus right-handed pitchers while being in the bottom four of the league in ISO (.128) and wRC+ (86). His salary would allow you to pay up for some stacks at Coors Field.
Hitting Breakdown
As noted above, we have Coors Field on tonight's slate where the Los Angeles Dodgers should once again be a popular option. The offensive expectation at Coors Field is always high and thus not a spot I will dive into. I want to focus on other teams in good matchups to potentially get away from some of the chalk or use as a secondary stack alongside a team from Coors Field.
TheBaltimore Orioles are rocking a 5.26 implied run total tonight, set to take on Luke Weaver, which is an awesome matchup for their bats. Weaver gets hit hard by both lefties and righties, putting the Orioles in a spot for multiple home runs tonight. This season, Weaver comes in with a 4.68 xFIP, 4.55 SIERA, 2.09 HR/9, .342 BABIP, 19.9% strikeout rate, 41.3% fly-ball rate, and 38.3% hard-contact rate.
Those are some rough numbers to be sporting against a lineup that has plenty of power, which makes the Orioles very interesting tonight. Surprisingly, Gunnar Henderson ($3,200), has a team-high .286 ISO versus right-handed pitchers this season along with a 144 wRC+.
Anthony Santander ($3,300) and Cedric Mullins ($3,400) are both great options with ISOs over .200 and wRC+ at 118 and 132, respectively. Austin Hays ($2.900), Adley Rutschman ($2,900), and even Aaron Hicks ($2,400) could all be viable options who don't break the bank. The game has a high 9.5-run over/under, giving us a high offensive expectation to try and grab.
Next, let's take a look at the Tampa Bay Rays, who are always capable of putting up runs in a hurry. They have a 5.16 implied run total and will be up against Zach Davies, who is not a pitcher you need to fear. He has a low 17.6% strikeout rate and a high 10.6% walk rate while allowing a .370 BABIP. He isn't punching hitters out at the plate, is letting them on base for free, and gets hit around a ton.
Considering the Rays have one of the best offenses in the league, this is looking like a great matchup to target. Jose Siri ($3,500) leads the Rays with a .314 ISO versus right-handed pitchers, making him an obvious target in this matchup. However, it doesn't stop there for the Rays, as they have three other hitters with ISOs over .200 in this split: Luke Raley ($3,000) with a .288 ISO, Isaac Paredes ($3,300) with a .249 ISO, and Josh Lowe ($3,400) with a .223 ISO.
Of course, we can't forget about Randy Arozarena ($4,000), Yandy Diaz ($3,800), or Wander Franco ($3,700), who do have ISOs lower than .200 wRC+ marks of at least 123.
The Texas Rangerspopped off for eight runs last night, and that's certainly in the cards tonight. They are taking on Joey Wentz, who comes in with a 20.1% strikeout rate, 9.6% walk rate, 4.82 xFIP, 1.88 HR/9, .317 BABIP, and 41.5% fly-ball rate. None of that is great considering some of the power in the Rangers' lineup, so they have my eye tonight.
Josh Jung ($3,300) has all the power you could possibly want versus left-handed pitchers with a .307 ISO and 177 wRC+. Next up would be, Ezequiel Duran ($2,800) with a .254 ISO, Adolis Garcia ($3,900) with a .239 ISO, and even Corey Seager ($4,400) with a .203 ISO. Marcus Semien ($3,700) doesn't have as much power with a .134 ISO in this split but is always a viable option at the top of their lineup.