I've said it before and I'll say it again. There's nothing better than having Major League Baseball all day long! Today's MLB DFS Playbook will highlight the featured early slate on DraftKings, which kicks off at 1:05pm EST, and the main slate on FanDuel, which begins at 7:05pm EST. We'll essentially cover all of the games on the board today, giving you ample options for your MLB DFS lineups on both sites. There is no shortage of aces on the board today, as Shane McClanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays, Zac Gallen of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins all toe the rubber today. With a game at Coors Field, I expect that to be one of the more popular game stacks of the day, but teams like the Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves figure to be popular MLB DFS stacks today as well. Of course, we do have some weather in play, namely in Washington, so be sure to check out MLB DFS weather center leading up to lineup lock. Beyond the weather center, we have plenty of other MLB DFS tools at your disposal, including our daily MLB projections, MLB DFS ownership projections,  MLB DFS lineup generator, and more! Today's MLB DFS Playbook will provide the must know items for today's baseball action, and you'll find some of my favorite pitchers, hitters and MLB DFS picks for the day to help build your daily fantasy baseball lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

 

MLB DFS Playbook May 13

MLB Weather Updates

Minnesota Twins vs. Chicago Cubs: Rain appears to be nearby, but should hold. However, the big thing here is strong winds that should be blowing in at Wrigley today.

Washington Nationals vs. New York Mets: This one could be a bit dicey. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05, but rain is clear by evening. If they want to get this game in today, a late start makes the most sense. I'd be cautiously optimistic about this one, but I wouldn't take a PPD off the table.

Baltimore Orioles vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: Similarly to above, a late start seems like the most probable route in Baltimore, and barring any shift in the weather forecast, I'm not all that worried about a PPD in this one.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres: Don't worry, no rain here! However, strong winds blowing out tonight.

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

The featured slate on DraftKings beings at 1:05 with eight games on the docket with no shortage of aces. Shane McClanahan is the highest-priced pitcher on the board, followed by Joe Ryan and Bryce Elder. McClanahan is always in play, but those next two options just don't do it for me today. Sandy Alcantara for just $9,000 at home seems like a lock to me, with Bryce Miller and Jon Gray holding down the middle tier, and Hayden Wesneski being my top value option of the day. The Red Sox and Blue Jays have the highest implied run totals on the slate, and Bryce Elder's run of dominance has to end at some point, as the underlying metrics just aren't telling the same story as the surface level metrics. I also like Atlanta's left-handed bats against Jose Berrios, namely Matt Olson. The Nationals-Mets game has the most risk on the board today.

The main slate over on FanDuel starts at 7:05pm EST, and right away, the things that jump off the page are the pitching options, and Coors Field. We have four pitchers that are priced at $9,000 or above, but Zac Gallen is the only one that really stands above the rest. Julio Urias and Joe Musgrove have to deal with the winds blowing out, on top of the other teams being set up for success against them, Anthony DeSclafani's chances at a win are diminished with Gallen pitching for Arizona, and can you really feel confident playing Dylan Cease right now? There should be a lot of high-scoring games on the slate, making paying down a bit for pitcher an intriguing option. On the offensive side of the ball, both teams in Coors find themselves in really good spots, and there's a lot to like in that Kansas City-Milwaukee game, highlighted by Willy Adames and Vinnie Pasquantino. With the slate being only six games, ownership figures to be highest on Gallen, and the teams in Coors, with the Dodgers offense likely coming in just behind them.

Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options for Strikeouts

Zac Gallen vs. San Francisco Giants

Bryce Miller vs. Detroit Tigers

Sandy Alcantara vs. Cincinnati Reds

Shane McClanahan vs. New York Yankees

Hayden Wesneski vs. Minnesota Twins

Best Odds for a Win

Sandy Alcantara vs. Cincinnati Reds

Bryce Miller vs. Detroit Tigers

Joe Ryan vs. Chicago Cubs

Adrian Houser vs. Kansas City Royals

Zac Gallen vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Jon Gray vs. Oakland Athletics

See More

Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups

Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins

There’s a lot to like here with Alcantara tonight. Let’s start by looking at his opponent, the Cincinnati Reds. Away from Great American Ball Park this year, they aren’t very good, posting a measly 81 wRC+ and the seventh-highest strikeout rate on the road this season. The Reds have the fourth-highest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season and whenever Alcantara is pitching at home, we have to consider him. He has six or more strikeouts in three of his last four starts, and at home this year, he has a 3.16 ERA, 20.4 K%, and 1.01 WHIP. Over the last two seasons, he has a 1.90 ERA and 23.2 K% when pitching at home, and take a look at his recent matchups against Cincy:

  • 08/22/2021 (@CIN) - 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 K
  • 08/28/2021 (vs. CIN) - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 K
  • 08/03/2022 (vs. CIN) - 9 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners

At just $8,100 on DraftKings today, how can you not consider Miller? All the kid has done is rattle off back-to-back quality starts to begin his big league career, posting a 15:1 K/BB ratio in the process. Over the last two weeks, the Tigers are about league average offensively speaking, but there is so much swing-and-miss in this lineup that you have to like Miller’s upside today. He should get plenty of run support in this one, and feast on a Detroit lineup that is striking out 24 percent of the time with the second-lowest walk rate in baseball over the last two weeks against right-handed pitching.

Tyler Wells, Baltimore Orioles

As mentioned in the lineup construction thoughts above, pitching is tricky on FanDuel, making Wells a viable option at just $8,700. He may not be the most exciting dude to ever toe the rubber, but it’s hard to ignore that he’s put up 24+ FanDuel points in four straight starts, and in all but two outings this season and he’s been a dog at home this season. His 2.89 ERA at home is better than his 3.38 mark on the road, but what really caught my eye is that his strikeout rate at home (26.9%) is over 10 percentage points higher than his strikeout rate on the road (15.7%)! We all know I love my Pirates, but they have gone cold of late. Over the last two weeks, they have a 25.2 percent strikeout rate and a .670 OPS, and it doesn’t get any better specifically against righties, as they have a 27.4 percent strikeout rate and .647 OPS during the aforementioned timeframe.

Recommended DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals 

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Ryan Feltner

Colorado Rockies vs. Ranger Suarez

Boston Red Sox vs. Steven Matz

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Bryce Elder

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Zack Greinke

See More

Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups

Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves

Jose Berrios has been far better at home this year, I'll admit it. However, he's only had two home starts this year and he faced the Rays and White Sox. This Atlanta offense is an absolute powerhouse, and Olson should lead the way, seeing as left-handed hitters have put up a .313/.345/.563 SLG against Berrios this season. Olson has a .997 OPS against righties this season, a .929 OPS on the road, and while he has been held hitless over his last two contests, he had hit safely in seven games prior, putting up a .615 SLG and 177 wRC+ during that stretch.

UPDATE: Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis Garcia, Texas Rangers

With JP Sears no longer starting for Oakland, the team has brought up James Kaprielian, who has been a punching bag this season. Lefties and righties have crushed him this year, to the tune of a .481 and .451 wOBA respectively. With no lefty on the mound, rather than Jung and Duran as the complementary pieces, Lowe and Garcia take center stage, as they have posted a .363 wOBA and .349 wOBA respectively against RHP.

Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies

For those playing on FanDuel with the luxury of dealing with Coors Field, here’s the primary bat you want to target. He’s 2-for-4 in his career against Ryan Feltner, so you BvP folks will love that, but here’s where it gets good. Since joining the big league club in 2021, Feltner has a 6.34 ERA at home, not to mention a .265 BAA and .457 SLG allowed. Bryce Harper crushes right-handed pitching, and he’s 9-for-19 against righties this year, good for a .474 average and .551 wOBA. Harper may have struggled in a few games at Coors last year, but he went 2-for-4 last night, and has a career .353/.440/.607 slash line in 31 games at Coors Field.

Willy Adames, Milwaukee Brewers

Adames at $3,000 on FanDuel with six other shortstops priced higher than him seems like a gift from FanDuel, especially considering that Adames is on the best side of his splits, a la at home and versus a right-hander. Adames has a .470 SLG against right-handed pitching this year, and the same .470 SLG mark at home. At home against a right-hander, he’s hitting .273 with a .523 SLG and 121 wRC+. Zack Greinke is far from intimidating at this point, and he’s served up a 9.22 ERA and 3.95 HR/9 through three road starts this season. Adames is a very affordable part of any Milwaukee stack this evening.

Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals

There’s going to be a lot of runs put up in this one. The Royals offense struggled last night, but over the last two weeks, the Royals have the fifth-highest OPS in the MLB against right-handed pitching. They now get to face Adrian Houser who served up seven hits in 4.2 IP in his first start of the season, but more importantly for Pasquantino, Houser has served up a .432 SLG to left-handed hitters dating back to 2021. Milwaukee is a good park for left-handed power, and Pasquantino has been excellent this year both against right-handed pitching (.526 SLG) and on the road (1.028 OPS).

Player Pool

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Stacks

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