Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

There are a few places to go on Saturday's slate and I chose to back a couple value pitchers than go with expensive arms that may or may not produce. That left me with the money to form a balanced lineup at every position.

PITCHER

Vince Velasquez, PHI vs. SD ($37): There are a few pitchers to spend up on, but I'm not sure any of them are worth it. Velasquez will do fine at a smaller price with a 27.9 K% and at least 19 fantasy points in 10 of his last 11 starts – although this doesn't include when he left with injury two starts ago. That's a steal against the Padres, who have posted poor numbers across the board with a 25.4 K%, .124 ISO and .289 wOBA against righties since the beginning of June.

Sonny Gray, NYY vs. NYM ($35): This is more of a gamble, but Gray was at least competent in his last outing with a 3 H, 0 ER, 8 K line and comes into this matchup as a huge favorite. The Mets haven't had much success against righties this year and sport a subpar .304 wOBA against them in the last month.

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CATCHER

Yadier Molina, STL at CHC ($17): I'm down to use Molina in both games on Saturday, but he makes the most sense against a righty due to his 11 homers and .362 wOBA. That means he's a better play against Tyler Chatwood in the first game of the doubleheader. This may be Chatwood's last start, having given up 17 runs, 21 hits and 10 walks in his last three outings.

FIRST BASE

C.J. Cron, TB vs. MIA ($17): Cron displays a little more power against righties, with 14 homers this year and a career .197 ISO. Pablo Lopez hasn't shown much in his debut season, allowing 10 runs in his last two outings and three home runs given up to 39 righties he's faced.

SECOND BASE

Kolten Wong, STL at CIN ($11): If you use Wong, make sure it's for the first game against Chatwood. Wong will be much more useful against righty arms thanks to his 17 extra-base hits – including six HR – this year following last season's .343 wOBA. Chatwood's been in a hole most of the season and has slumped to a brutal .391 wOBA allowed to lefties.

THIRD BASE

Maikel Franco, PHI vs. SD ($18): Franco has looked solid against righties this season, with 20 XBH – including nine HR – and a .338 wOBA. He's in a great spot to build upon those numbers, as Luis Perdomo has been rocked with 31 hits allowed and 20 earned runs in his last four starts. There's little reason to trust the third-year righty hurler, who enters with a career .344 wOBA allowed to righty bats.

SHORTSTOP

Jorge Polanco, MIN at KC ($15): Polanco is crushing July and there's no reason to fade him against Jakob Junis. In addition to this year's .542 BABIP, Polanco boasts a career .327 wOBA against righties. That should work against Junis, who returns from a back injury after allowing at least three runs in his seven starts prior to going on the DL.

OUTFIELD

Denard Span, SEA vs. CWS ($17): Span may not supply the pop as some of the big-name outfielders, but he'll get on base and still has a decent .177 ISO and .345 wOBA against righties. Dylan Covey is in a world of hurt, allowing at least four runs in his last five starts to go with his career .369 wOBA allowed to lefties.

Jake Cave, MIN at KC ($15): Cave is another Minnesota bat that's been roping in the past month, with nine XBH and a .413 BABIP against righties. He's worth a try against Junis, who hasn't had any success since May. The righty sports a 4.90 xFIP and .338 wOBA allowed to lefties over his first two years in the league.

Curtis Granderson, TOR vs. BAL ($11): After two hits with a double on Friday, my stance on Granderson remains the same. Whenever he faces a struggling righty, he's an easy play due to price. Granderson has also posted a solid .346 wOBA against righties, with 24 extra-base hits – including nine HR. And Alex Cobb is another struggling pitcher that's trying to get out of a funk, with a 6.41 ERA and .381 wOBA allowed to lefty bats.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Adam Zdroik plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: zdroik, DraftKings: rotozdroik, Yahoo: StreakMaster.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Zdroik
Adam, a 2019, 2018 and 2017 Finalist for FSWA's Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's soccer editor. He also runs RotoWire's Bracketology, as well as writes on other various college basketball content. He has previously worked at ESPN and Sporting Kansas City, and he is a former Streak for the Cash winner and Michigan State graduate.
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