Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

PITCHER

Chris Sale, BOS vs. TB ($64): I'll start by saying that Sale is nowhere near the pitcher that Corey Kluber is right now, because unlike Kluber, Sale has been terribly inconsistent lately. To put it more harshly, Sale has been terrible at times over his past few starts, and normally I would avoid a pitcher who's been so shaky lately, but his track record against the Rays can't be ignored. Sale has faced the Rays four times this season and he's never struck out fewer than 12. Since the Rays have had essentially the same roster all season, there's no reason to think that they'll have figured out how to make contact against Sale.

Zack Godley, AZ vs. SD ($43): Those of us that used Patrick Corbin on Friday are well aware that even the lowly Padres can hit from time to time, but the odds of such a bad lineup hitting well in consecutive games are slim. Factor in that they are facing another solid pitcher in Godley and the odds get even longer. Godley enters with a 3.21 ERA, and while his upside isn't very high because he rarely goes deep into games, he is a pretty safe pick, as the Padres enter with the second-lowest wOBA and second-highest K% against righties this season.

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CATCHER

James McCann, DET at TOR ($13): It's not often that I find a catcher, especially in the middle-tier, that I really like, but McCann certainly looks like a great pick. Brett Anderson takes the hill for the Blue Jays with a 6.42 ERA and that number is the result of more than a few disastrous outings. While the Tigers just don't have enough fire power to stack, they certainly have a couple good matchups and McCann is one because of his .427 wOBA against lefties this season.

FIRST BASE

Joey Votto, CIN at NYM ($27): This game will be a good barometer to see where the Reds' minds are as they've been punchless in the first two games of this series. Rafael Montero gets the start for the Mets, the same guy who shut down the Reds last week, going 8.1 innings and not allowing a single run. This pick would seem contrary to my selection of Sale, as one of the reason I like Sale is his track record against the Rays, but in this case, Montero is anything but established and still has a 5.21 ERA this season. The Reds will be a good tournament stack, as they have a lot of upside but aren't likely to be highly owned.

SECOND BASE

Jose Altuve, HOU at OAK ($21):Daniel Mengden and his 10.21 ERA take the hill for the A's in the nightcap, which means the Astros will be the top stack on the board. Leading the way, as always, against a righty is Jose Altuve, who enters with a .413 wOBA against righties this season, which is top-5 in the majors. The biggest problem with stacking the Astros is that they are mostly expensive.

THIRD BASE

Josh Donaldson, TOR vs. DET ($24): Prior to coming down with an illness earlier this week, Donaldson was on quite the roll, and if he's back in the lineup, he should pick up where he left off because of his matchup against Chad Bell and his 5.98 ERA. Toronto has plenty of bats that can get to Bell, but a full stack may be tough because of their inconsistency.

SHORTSTOP

Jose Reyes, NYM vs. CIN ($18): Reyes is one of the hottest hitters in the majors, but he's still priced on the second-tier, which is great for us as he has a lot of value against Homer Bailey. Bailey looked pretty good in his last start through six innings, and then, like the rest of his season, it all fell apart. I expect the same thing to happen Saturday against the Mets.

OUTFIELD

Josh Reddick, HOU at OAK ($15): Reddick comes in with a .358 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season and helps provide a cheap option for the Astros stack described above. It doesn't hurt 3-for-3 with a home run on Friday while playing in his old ballpark.

Denard Span, SF at CHW ($16): It's easy to overlook a guy like Span, as he's playing for a team that isn't flashy and hasn't been in the playoff race since May. With that said, Span has been on fire lately and he had a nice matchup against James Shields and his 5.72 ERA. Meanwhile, Span enters with a .341 wOBA against righties this season.

Nelson Cruz, SEA vs. LAA ($21):Andrew Heaney had a long wait to get his first start in the books and judging by his results after his first four, he may have been better off waiting until next season. Heaney did have one good outing against the A's, but he's been absolutely hammered in his other three starts. The Mariners have plenty of power from the left side of the plate, but not as much from the right side and that's where Cruz comes into play, as he has a team-high .369 wOBA against lefties this year.

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. Greg Vara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: lennykarl1, DraftKings: lennykarl1.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Vara
Vara is the lead golf writer at RotoWire. He was named the FSWA Golf Writer of the Year in 2005 and 2013. He also picks college football games against the spread in his "College Capper" article.
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