It's a very light day for MLB on Thursday. Hey, at least I don't have to watch the Tigers lose again as they continue their quest to fall out of the playoffs. There are three games on the DFS docket, but to make that happen, the first pitch is at 4:10 p.m. ET. Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Brady Singer, CIN at PIT ($6,800): Though Paul Skenes is the opposing pitcher, I highly prefer Singer from a DFS perspective. Not only is his salary almost $4,000 lower, he has by far the better matchup. The Pirates are both last in runs scored and team OPS. There's a reason why Skenes, as talented as any pitcher in MLB, has a 6-8 record. Singer isn't Skenes, but he has only allowed one run over his last two starts.
Top Target
Don't call Kyle Stowers ($5,500) a fluke. He's done everything he's needed to prove he wasn't simply riding some hot start to his impressive numbers. In fact, the lefty has an 1.072 OPS over the last three weeks. Plus, on the season he has an OPS over .980 against righties and on the road. Atlanta has had to turn to Carlos Carrasco to fill out the rotation, but he has a 5.35 ERA over the last five seasons.
Bargain Bat
Only six teams are playing, and three teams have high-quality starters taking the mound. As such, my bargain bat is facing the starting pitcher I recommended. That would be Spencer Horwitz ($2,900). The lefty only really plays against righties, but he has a .758 OPS against righties and a .750 OPS at home. Those are both solid numbers, but he also has a .993 OPS over the last three weeks. Lefties have hit .259 against Singer, so while he may handle the lowly Pirates offense, Horwitz could get a hit or two.
Stack to Consider
Mariners vs. White Sox (Shane Smith): Randy Arozarena ($5,100), Josh Naylor ($4,600), Cole Young ($2,200)
Smith has a 4.25 ERA both at home and on the road. That's just a fun quirk. What really matters is that the rookie has a mediocre 4.25 ERA. On top of that, though, he has a 9.93 ERA over his last six outings. Smith has also allowed essentially the same batting average to righties and lefties, but lefties have hit eight of the 10 home runs he's allowed. Thus, two southpaws in this stack.
Arozarena may be a righty, but he has more than 20 homers, doubles and stolen bases, so I like his production. Additionally, while many Mariners have issues hitting at home, Arozarena has slugged .472 in Seattle. Naylor could hit better for the Mariners, but he's been running a ton. Now, on the campaign, he has 21 stolen bases to go with 14 home runs. Since 2023, Naylor has posted an .823 OPS against righties as well. Young, who is all of 22, hit well enough in Triple-A to get the call from Seattle, and now he's the regular second baseman. In 50 games he's hit .252 with nine extra-base hits. Young has a .370 OPS over the last three weeks, and he's done almost all his power damage against righties. That includes all three home runs he's hit.
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