Yesterday was one of the most chaotic days of the season. There were 19 games played, the most since 1978, excluding the COVID season. Most of us are happy to forget about the COVID year, but watching so many games yesterday was fascinating. That might lead to some bizarre lineups and pitching changes because it's not easy for these teams to play so much in a 48-hour span. With that said, we have eight games making up this Thursday card, so let's get started by looking at the arms!
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Pitching
Dustin May, LAD vs. CWS ($8,800)
May has struggled over his last four starts, but this is an opportunity for the righty to bounce back. We say that because he has a matchup with the White Sox, who rank bottom three in runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA since the start of last year. That should allow May to return to his early-season form, allowing four runs or fewer in 10 of his first 11 starts. The only dud was against the highest-scoring team in the league, with May maintaining a 4.09 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 9.2 K/9 rate in that span. He also had a 2.97 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 rate at home, entering this matchup as a -300 favorite!
Top Targets
Kyle Tucker, CHC (vs. Joey Cantillo) $3,900
Fantasy people comprehend how special Tucker has been, but it's hard to understand why he's not one of the faces of baseball. This outfielder has played at a superstar level for years, sporting a .281 AVG, .366 OBP, .528 SLG and .894 OPS since 2021. That's paired with an elite power-speed combo, averaging over 30 homers and 25 steals per 150 games played. He's actually flirting with a 40-40 pace this season and is one of the few lefties who doesn't struggle against southpaw pitchers.
Riley Greene. DET (vs. Jake Irvin) $3,600
The Tigers have been the biggest surprise in baseball, and Greene is a major reason why. This All-Star has developed into their best bat, tallying a .296 AVG, .552 SLG and .898 OPS in a breakout campaign. He's been even better recently, registering a .366 AVG, .744 SLG and 1.155 OPS across his last 21 games. The sensational splits are the icing on the cake, with Greene generating a .322 AVG, .648 SLG and 1.011 OPS against righties this year. It's not like Irvin is a righty we're worried about either, posting a 5.63 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across his last 11 starts.
Bargain Bats
Nolan Schanuel, LAA (vs. Bryce Elder) $3,100
The Angels have been better over the last month, with Mike Trout and Zach Neto changing the outlook of this lineup. Those two are around Schanuel in the two-hole, leading to a career year for this keen eye. This first baseman lacks in the power department, but his .273 AVG and .364 OBP show how special his plate vision can be. Those averages were even higher in the minors, but we love that Schanuel has a .295 AVG, .394 OBP and .832 OPS across his last 48 fixtures. He also has a .376 OBP and .801 OPS against righties this year and faces one of the worst ones on this slate. Elder has allowed 19 runs over his last three starts, tallying a 15.19 ERA and 3.09 WHIP in that span. It's never good when your WHIP looks like an ERA and your ERA looks like an NBA player's shoe size. We wouldn't be afraid to stack Trout ($3,400) and Neto ($3,200) with Schanuel.
Jasson Dominguez, NYY (vs. Chris Bassitt) $2,800
Finding cheap players on the Yankees can be challenging, but Dominguez is one of those guys. This former top prospect has been a platoon player recently but has stepped up against right-handers. In fact, Jasson has a .348 OBP and .809 OPS against them since his call-up. That's encouraging when examining Dominguez's recent form, amassing a .385 AVG and .846 OPS across his last seven outings. That should bode well with how Bassitt has been blasted recently, registering a 6.57 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across his last seven starts. If you want to stack the Yanks, Aaron Judge ($4,800), Jazz Chisholm ($3,800) and Cody Bellinger ($3,300) have all been incredible this season.
Stacks to Consider
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago White Sox (Aaron Civale): Shohei Ohtani ($4,700), Freddie Freeman ($3,500), Mookie Betts ($3,200), Muncy ($3,200)
Stacking the Dodgers is always one of the safest options on every slate. It's simply the best lineup in baseball, with LA ranked first in BA, OBP, SLG and runs scored. It's nearly impossible to lead in all of those, and it's really scary for a struggling pitcher like Civale. The former Brewers righty was shipped off to the White Sox, no thanks to his 4.74 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.
We have to kickstart our LA stack with the best player in DFS. That's Ohtani, who's leading all players in fantasy points over the last three years. He's also got a .417 OBP and 1.118 OPS against righties over the last three years. Freeman also has the platoon advantage against Civale, producing a .408 OBP and .935 OPS against righties in that same span. Betts has been struggling a bit, but this is still a Top 10 player in DFS over the last decade, and this is one of the cheapest prices you'll see from him all season.
Chicago Cubs vs. Cleveland Guardians (Joey Cantillo): Tucker ($3,900), Pete Crow-Armstrong ($3,700), Seiya Suzuki ($3,400)
It feels like cheating to recommend these two offenses as stacks, but that's simply how these slates work sometimes. The highest-scoring teams in baseball are the highest-scoring teams because they score the most runs! I know that sounds like a silly statement, but we sometimes get lost in the sauce by finding cheap stacks as opposed to the ones that perform every night. That's just what Chicago has done, sitting sixth in OBP and second in runs scored. A home matchup with a fill-in like Cantillo only adds to their intrigue, with the lefty compiling a 4.89 ERA as a starter last year.
Tucker is an easy option up top, but PCA is right there with him. This defensive stud has become a force with the bat this year, collecting 21 homers and 25 steals en route to an .838 OPS. Suzuki has always been an on-base machine behind his .348 career OBP, but he's taken his power to another level. He has a .550 SLG and .869 OPS this year while providing a .380 OBP and 1.001 OPS against lefties.
