For a Thursday, it's a reasonable night of MLB action, though with a 6:40 p.m. ET starting time. That's workable if 7:05 p.m. ET is workable for most, and that gives us five games worth of players to consider. To that end, here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Edward Cabrera, MIA at CLE ($8,700): In each of his last four starts, Cabrera has allowed a single earned run. His ERA on the season is now down to 3.08, and his 3.26 K/BB rate is also a personal best. If the Guardians end up winning the AL Central, it won't be because of their offense. It will be because the Tigers have completely collapsed, at which they are doing a great job. However, the Guardians are 26th in runs scored, so they have not done a great job offensively.
Jesus Luzardo, PHI at WAS ($8,400): Though Luzardo has a 4.20 ERA, he has a 3.04 FIP. He also has a 10.22 K/9 rate and has been one of the top strikeout pitchers in MLB. Luzardo is also a southpaw, which means he can likely handle James Wood and CJ Abrams. That would be less than ideal for the Nationals, who are one of the teams with a sub-.700 OPS.
Top Target
The Mets' all-time home run leader Pete Alonso ($5,500) has an 1.178 OPS over the last two weeks, a time in which he has hit six homers. He has a .550 slugging percentage at home but also a .555 slugging percentage against his fellow righties. There's a good chance Bryce Elder finishes with an ERA over 6.00 for the second season in a row, and right-handed hitters have batted .306 against him this year.
Bargain Bat
It's been a tricky, injury-marred season for Ezequiel Tovar ($3,700), but since returning to the lineup, he has an .872 OPS over 22 games. The shortstop has really struggled on the road this year but has managed an 1.070 OPS at home. Hey, it's the power of Coors Field. Eduardo Rodriguez has a 5.68 ERA and 1.66 HR/9 rate, and righties have hit .291 against the southpaw pitcher.
Stack to Consider
Diamondbacks at Rockies (Bradley Blalock): Corbin Carroll ($6,600), Ketel Marte ($6,400), Geraldo Perdomo ($5,600)
Well, I mentioned Coors Field, so why not go back there? The Diamondbacks have remained strong offensively even after the trade deadline. So far in his career, Blalock has pitched 30.1 innings at home. In that time he has a 10.09 ERA. On top of that, in his career lefties have hit .324 against him. Thus, I have three Diamondbacks who can hit left-handed for this stack.
Carroll has run less this year – though he still has 14 stolen bases – but is having his best season from a power perspective. He's slugged .550 and has 26 homers, 14 triples and 21 doubles in only 104 games. Plus, he's slugged a remarkable .599 against right-handed pitchers this season. Carroll is basically Aaron Judge against righties! Marte is a second baseman who has a .398 OBP and has hit 23 home runs in only 88 games. That's incredible. While he is a switch-hitter, Marte has a .999 OPS versus righties in 2025. Perdomo is also a switch-hitter and, in addition to swiping 19 bags, he's hit 26 doubles in 120 games. Additionally, only the last three weeks he has a .961 OPS.
Try our DraftKings MLB Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
