This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We are faced with our usual short day of games Thursday, as DraftKings' featured slate includes just four games, beginning at 8:05 EDT. The first thing to note is that there aren't any fantastic matchups for the pitchers on this slate, which should allow us to get creative with our starters as we fill rosters with elite hitters.
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Pitcher
David Price, BOS at TEX ($9,700) - The wind is expected to be pushing inward at Globe Life Park at a rate of 11 MPH by the start of the contest, which should help mitigate the effects of the hitter-friendly environment. We should also note that the Rangers are a bottom-5 team against the fastball according to RAA and Price has thrown his heater more than half the time to begin the year.
GPP Fade: Sean Manaea, OAK at SEA ($11,200) - Manaea has been on a strikeout tear of late but had fanned just 20 batters over 27.2 innings in his first four outings of the season and has kept a hard contact rate approaching 37 percent through 43.2 frames (six starts). The Mariners have logged the sixth highest wOBA against left-handed pitching this season, which could become an issue if Manaea sees a correction in his BABIP (.148) or strand rate (98.2 percent). While I wouldn't exactly call Manaea a hard fade on a four-game slate, we may have an opportunity to pivot away from him in order to differentiate ourselves from the field.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Jaime Barria, LAA vs. BAL ($4,000) - Barria's peripherals from his two Major League outings this season won't leave many excited to try him as a DFS option but the 21-year-old has posted a 2.92 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 12.1 innings over three starts with Triple-A Salt Lake. The Orioles have notched the third highest strikeout rate (25.5 percent) against right-handers this season and are a bottom-10 team against the changeup, a pitch Barria has thrown 22 percent of the time while with the big club.
Catcher
Welington Castillo, CWS vs. MIN ($3,000) - Castillo has had a rough start to the 2018 season so it will probably surprise some to learn that he holds a .209 ISO and a 41.4 percent hard contact rate against right-handed pitching in 43 at-bats. Opposing starter Jake Odorizzi has performed well against same-handed hitters this year but has still posted a 12 percent walk rate to go along with a 35.4 percent hard contact rate over 17.1 innings.
First Base
Ryon Healy, SEA vs. OAK ($3,400) - Healy doesn't have much of a body of work this season due to missing two weeks with an ankle injury, but the 26-year-old posted a .212 ISO and a .369 wOBA in 137 at-bats against left-handed pitching in 2017. Manaea has struck out just 23 righties in 31.2 innings in 2018 while surrendering a hard contact rate of 43.5 percent over that span.
Second Base
Jed Lowrie, OAK at SEA ($4,500) - Lowrie has performed significantly better against righties this season but has logged a .365 wOBA and a 47.4 percent hard contact rate against left-handed pitching over 48 at-bats. Wade LeBlanc should be seen as a potential stack target when he takes the mound for the Mariners, as he hasn't tallied an ERA below 4.50 in his last 81.2 innings out of the bullpen dating back to last season. The southpaw will be making his first start since 2016 in the contest.
Third Base
Eduardo Escobar, MIN at CWS ($3,900) - Reynaldo Lopez has struggled against lefties in his young career, posting just a 44:26 K/BB ratio over 58 innings while allowing 12 home runs over that span. This would appear to be good news for Escobar, who has tallied a .282 ISO and a nine percent walk rate against righty pitchers through 71 at-bats.
Shortstop
Manny Machado, BAL at LAA ($5,100) - Machado has logged a .287 ISO to go along with a .461 wOBA in 87 at-bats against right-handed pitching this year, which could pay dividends if Barria is unable to shake the three runs and three walks he has allowed in two innings (13 batters) against righty hitters.
Outfield
Shohei Ohtani, LAA vs. BAL ($4,800) - Opposing starter Chris Tillman stifled the Tigers' bats in his last start but has been pummeled by left-handed hitters overall this season, allowing a .711 slugging percentage and walking more batters than he has struck out over 10.1 innings. Ohtani doesn't appear to be suffering any ill effects after rolling his ankle in a game against the Yankees last week, which should allow us to take full advantage of the gaudy .410 ISO he has tallied against righties over 39 at-bats.
Mookie Betts, BOS at TEX ($5,700) - Betts has tallied an absurd .630 ISO against lefties this season after posting a .210 ISO in 124 at-bats last year. He has also notched the sixth highest RAA in the league against the slider (4.2), a pitch opposing starter Mike Minor has thrown 29 percent of the time this year.
Chad Pinder, OAK at SEA ($3,600) - Pinder's .296 ISO against lefties in 27 at-bats this year may seem like nothing more than small sample noise but the 26-year-old has performed well against southpaws in his career, tallying a .200 ISO and a 44 percent hard contact rate over 140 at-bats.
