This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
DFS players who try their hand at the nine-game main slate Monday will need to sift through back-of-the-rotation starters. While this may make finding two quality hurlers difficult, it leaves no shortage of excellent matchups for hitters, which could favor the owner who puts a premium on offense.
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PITCHER
Charlie Morton: HOU vs. BAL ($11,100): While it may be odd to see Morton as the top salary, there is a lot to like about the 34-year-old in his opening matchup. The Orioles struck out nearly 23 percent of the time against right-handed pitching last season and were a bottom-10 team away from Camden Yards according to wOBA. Morton has turned velocity gains into high strikeout totals over the past two seasons and should be able to use his big arm and ground-ball tendencies to stifle the Baltimore bats.
GPP Fade: Taijuan Walker, ARI vs. LAD ($9,400): Walker had trouble keeping the ball in the yard at Chase Field last season, allowing 11 home runs in 71 innings. Throw in a 36.6 percent hard contact rate, and his chances begin to look bleak against the Dodgers, who were a top-10 team against right-handed pitching according to ISO last season. It's possible that the newly installed humidor could help keep the homers to a minimum in 2018, but we need a bit more evidence before factoring that into our picks.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Andrew Triggs, OAK vs. TEX ($8,000): Season-ending surgery prevented Triggs from building on his breakout campaign in 2017, but he will have a chance to get off on the right foot against the Rangers, who finished last year with the second lowest wOBA in the league on the road. We should also note that the Texas offense sported the worst RAA in the league against the cutter, a pitch Triggs threw 32.5 percent of the time.
CATCHER
Welington Castillo, CWS at TOR ($3,400): Beef hit for power against both sides of the platoon last season but showed more of a well-rounded offensive game against lefties, as evidenced by his .393 wOBA over 93 at-bats. Jaime Garcia has always been good about keeping the ball in the park but carried a 91:58 K/BB rate against righties last season, which could spell trouble as he enters a less forgiving offensive environment.
FIRST BASE
Matt Olson, OAK vs. TEX ($4,100):Bartolo Colon had the worst season of his storied career by a wide margin in 2017, allowing slugging percentages above .550 to both sides of the platoon en route to a 6.48 ERA over 143 innings. Olson hammered right-handed pitching to the tune of a .434 ISO(!) in 143 at-bats in 2017 and should be able to produce against one of Colon's patented 87 MPH fastballs.
SECOND BASE
Howie Kendrick, WAS at ATL ($3,800): Kendrick may be thought of as a player who is long past his DFS usefulness, but the veteran put together a strong resume against lefties last season, as evidenced by his .189 ISO and .385 wOBA over 90 at-bats. Sean Newcomb is a pitcher who will hand out strikeouts and walks in abundance, which should be good news for Kendrick, who kept an 18:10 K/BB rate against his opposite hand in 2017.
THIRD BASE
Jose Ramirez, CLE at LAA ($4,600): Opposing starter JC Ramirez struggled mightily against left-handed hitters last season, allowing a .536 slugging percentage as well as a hard contact rate approaching 45 percent. Jose kept a .272 ISO against righties in 2017, striking out less than 11 percent of the time while notching a .397 wOBA over 372 at-bats.
SHORTSTOP
Nick Ahmed, ARI vs. LAD ($3,100): Limited playing time has made Ahmed a tough commodity to trust, but he's likely worth a poke as a value play against Hyun-Jin Ryu due to the .229 ISO he posted against lefties in 48 at-bats last year. Ryu kept a 1.3 HR/9 rate against righties in 2017 to go along with a hard contact rate of 37.3 percent.
OUTFIELD
Odubel Herrera, PHI at NYM ($3,600): Herrera hit his stride in the second half of 2017, posting a .227 ISO and .390 wOBA in 198 at-bats. Meanwhile, Matt Harvey had trouble dealing with lefties for most of the season, surrendering a .599 slugging percentage and 27 walks in 40.1 innings. There has been some question about Herrera's place in the starting lineup to begin the campaign, but the Phillies are short on left-handed power, which should allow for prospective owners to feel comfortable locking him into lineups.
Carlos Gonzalez, COL at SD ($3,700): Gonzalez's numbers were down across the board last season, but he still managed a respectable .180 ISO and .356 wOBA against right-handed pitching over 339 at-bats. Opposing starter Bryan Mitchell has seen his share of success in the minors but wasn't able to find his footing at the highest level in 2017, finishing with a 5.79 ERA and just an 11.1 percent strikeout rate over 20 games (one start) with the Yankees.
Jay Bruce, NYM vs. PHI ($4,100):Ben Lively struck out just 19 left-handed batters over 43.1 innings last season, contributing to an xFIP of 6.13. Potential owners who are looking for more direct stats will note that Lively allowed a .512 slugging percentage to his opposite hand over that span. No matter how you slice it, the matchup looks pretty solid for Bruce, who posted a .273 ISO against right-handed pitching in 2017.
