We’ve now officially entered the stretch run with the final Thursday of the 2022 MLB season commencing today. Before I get to today’s picks, I want to send a quick shoutout to Kieffer for picking up my normal Sunday DFS slot while I was traveling. We take care of each other here at Razzball so you get me today making up for Kieffer’s favor.
Back to today’s slate. 20 of the 30 teams are in action, including potential playoff previews with the Rays @ Guardians & Dodgers @ Padres. A couple other teams, Mariners and Phillies look to solidify their playoff positioning while the Orioles and Brewers are just hanging on. It should be a great day of baseball. Let’s jump right in.
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Shohei Ohtani, SP: DK: $10,500 / FD: $11,100 – This one is pretty easy for me, despite the cost. Ohtani is the top SP targets, and he faces the A’s at home. He hasn’t been consistently dominant like last year but is currently on a streak of 5 straight starts without giving up a HR. In those games, he’s struck out 35 as well. Neither team may be playing for anything this year but that doesn’t scare me off this one. Give me Shohei and his salary. I’ll budget elsewhere.
Eduardo Rodriguez, SP: DK: $7,300 / FD: $8,300 – Recently, I included Jeffrey Springs in a DFS article as a low-budget SP2 target and he provided a nice return on investment. I’ll try my hand at it again today with a recommendation for Eduardo Rodriguez. He hasn’t taken the major steps forward that most expected this season, but he does show flashes of his former self on occasion. He faces the Royals today who sit mid pack or worse in Hits, Strikeouts and Home Runs per game. With all the expensive pitching out there today, Eduardo may provide a big boost to those who take a shot.
Willson Contreras, C: DK: $5,200 / FD: $3,300 – Willson Contreras just returned from the IL on Tuesday after missing all of September with an ankle injury. The Cubs are easing him back into the lineup, having him DH last night versus Aaron Nola. With the Phillies scheduled to run out a leftie and Contreras’ SLG a full 100 points higher versus LHP, I’m betting on him being in the lineup once again. If he doesn’t play for some reason, my backup is Nick Fortes.
Ryan Mountcastle, 1B: DK: $4,000 / FD: $2,800 – Ryan Mountcastle is putting the finishing touches on a very nice season for the O’s. His 2022 numbers look remarkably similar to most of his 2021 numbers. The one glaring difference is the HR total, definitely a byproduct of the Camden Yards tinkering during the offseason. Still, he’s come into his own and is a useful bat for our squad today versus Nathan Eovaldi. He’s still searching for a long ball versus Eovaldi but the .444 OBP plays nicely.
Marcus Semien, 2B: DK: $4,500 / FD: $3,900 – Marcus Semien knows Marco Gonzales very well. Over 42 ABs, Semien has 10 hits, 3 of the extra base variety, with 5 RBIs and 7 BBs. Add all this up and you find there are many ways for him to score today. It doesn’t hurt my confidence that he also has 3 double-digit scoring games over the last week. You have to pay up a bit but the return looks promising. If your budget doesn’t allow for such a luxury, look to Jonathan Aranda or Thairo Estrada.
Luis Rengifo, 3B: DK: $4,300 / FD: $2,600 – Here’s a name I haven’t used all season. Luis Rengifo is on quite a run lately with hits in 11 of his last 13 games. His splits show the switch hitter favors LHP and already has a .455/.500/.727 slash against Cole Irvin. As a bonus, I suspect he’ll be low-owned as many of the typical higher-priced 3B are also in action today.
Gunnar Henderson SS: DK: $3,800 / FD: $3,000 – The minor league player of the year (Baseball America) comes into this contest with a .906 OPS versus RHP like Nathan Eovaldi. Overall, he’s cooled off a bit as he settles into the MLB routine but that’s not scaring me away today. The matchup looks to favor the youngster.
Kyle Schwarber, OF: DK: $5,000 / FD: $3,900 – If you can afford the salary, Kyle Schwarber stands out as a great play today versus RHP Javier Assad at Wrigley Field. Of his 42 HRs on the season, 32 have come against RHP and he’s sporting an OPS a full 200 points higher (.861) on this side. Start with confidence.
Kerry Carpenter, OF: DK: $3,000 / FD: $2,900 – For my low-cost reach today, I offer Kerry Carpenter. The young OF is primarily a platoon player, typically facing off against RHP where he has a .851 OPS and 5 HRs over 89 plate appearances. That’s not a lot of data to bank on I agree. However, the mountain of salaries to navigate through today makes him a nice DFS play.
I’m Only Happy When It Rains
Lucky for us, the Marlins, Rays, and Braves are all on the road today, so Ian won’t have a direct impact on MLB. That’ll likely change as the weekend approaches, but everything looks pretty good for all scheduled games. That said, our thoughts and well-wishes to all our friends in Florida. Stay safe!
Doing Lines In Vegas
I’ll be all over the +138 moneyline for an O’s win in Boston. For a longer shot, I also like the Marlins (+158) in Milwaukee.
On the props side, I’ll be hanging out West. I will be looking for heavy action on the Dodgers bats (versus Sean Manaea) with a few Angels sprinkled in (versus Cole Irvin).
