Jared Contestabile 
Thursday is here and we are ready to crush the day! I’ll be focusing on the night slate that begins at 7:05 ET. We have seven games on tap for the evening, and plenty of opportunities to cash in big! Let’s get right to it.
MLB DFS Aces
Nathan Eovaldi vs Boston Red Sox
Eovaldi isn’t cheap on the night slate, but you simply cannot argue with how productive he has been all season long. Now facing his former team on the road, he may have a bit of a tougher path to success, but his floor is unmatched on this slate.
He has been very solid over his last two starts especially, allowing just 6 H and 2 ER over 12.2 IP against the Yankees and Astros. He does have just a 10/6 K/BB over that stretch, but I’m not overly concerned with that. He has a WHIP under 1 on the season, has been limiting opportunities, and is backed by one of the best lineups in MLB.
One of the dark horse candidates for Cy Young, he looks like a solid play for Thursday evening. At his price, I’m not certain there is a lot of upside here, but the high floor is awfully tempting.
Kyle Bradish vs New York Yankees
Not only are the Yankees an embarrassingly bad offense without Aaron Judge, Bradish has quietly been damn good this season.
He has allowed just 4 ER over his last four starts (25 IP) with a 23/5 K/BB. One of the best things he has done is limit baserunners, and if he can keep the ball in the park (no easy task in Yankee Stadium), he could be one of the high scorers of the day at a middling salary. Across 78 innings of work this season, he owns a solid 74/21 K/BB.
Nobody is afraid of this Yankee lineup right now, although there have been some bright spots of late. Anthony Volpe has been crushing the ball recently, but I have zero qualms about this matchup for Bradish. I expect another stellar performance. Baltimore is a small -125 favorite in this one with Bradish being opposed by Luis Severino.
George Kirby vs Houston Astros
For those of you who have read my articles this season, you likely know that I love Kirby. His command is absolutely elite, and that’s exactly what we are looking for in a DFS pitcher. In 101 innings this season, he has an 86/9 K/BB, and stunningly enough, he walked more than one batter last game…for the FIRST time all season.
Houston has a solid lineup as we know well, but are still missing their best hitter in Yordan Alvarez (sorry, Kyle Tucker). Kirby’s main issue this season has been HR, but even that stat is misleading overall. He has given up 11 longballs, but four of them came in one start against the Pirates back in May.
Kirby isn’t the type to rack up a huge number of strikeouts, but given the layout of this slate, I’m taking the safety. There are too many gas cans at the bottom of the barrel tonight who are just waiting to get crushed. That said, let’s get to a few of them.
MLB DFS Stacks
Cleveland Guardians vs Jordan Lyles
I actually hate stacking the Guardians, but when Mr. Lyles is on the mound, I feel just fine making some concessions. He actually had a serviceable start last time out against the Rays (6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), but that’s about as good as it gets. In 91.2 innings this season, he has allowed 89 hits, 19 HR, 68 ER, and has just a 64/30 K/BB.
Cleveland is one of the most patient teams in MLB and they do not waste AB nor strike out a lot (no thanks to Josh Bell). I’m sure they are more than happy to be finished with the Braves and move straight to Lyles.
Jose Ramirez is the obvious top choice here, Amed Rosario had one of those random huge games recently, and his speed combo gives him a nice ceiling. Bo Naylor has plenty of upside, and Will Brennan has quietly been a solid hitter recently. I don’t mind Steven Kwan, just know that you get what you get. Singles, doubles, a bit of speed, but no HR upside. Guardians should make life very difficult for Lyles tonight.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Carlos Carrasco
Carrasco is one of those MLB guys that everyone just loves as a person. That’s a beautiful thought, but we are here to make some money. He has a 1.57 WHIP, 5.94 ERA, and just a 39/26 K/BB over 53 innings this season.
I still love this lineup, and am fine playing just about anyone from it tonight. Corbin Carroll, Christian Walker, Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Ketel Marte, even Jake McCarthy for his upside on the bases. Arizona has lost 3 straight, but is listed as a -135 favorite here despite Ryne Nelson being on the mound. This one might sail over the 10.5 run total.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Johan Oviedo
For the good and the bad in his game, I don’t trust Oviedo at all. Milwaukee just had their turn beating up on him to the tune of 8 ER in five innings, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of the same here. His 81/38 K/BB over 93.2 innings is nothing to be proud of, and he had a stretch of very easy matchups prior to the beating he took at the hands of the Brewers.
Mookie Betts is hitting balls to the moon right now, JD Martinez has found his fountain of youth, David Peralta is a fun guy to roster as you chase a HR, and both Will Smith and James Outman stand out here as well. I don’t hate Max Muncy, but you better hope he can make contact. He and Kyle Scwarber must be long-lost brothers with these sub-.200 BA and tons of homers they hit.
MLB DFS Summary
Good luck Thursday! I’ll be locking in some safety with some top-tier arms and I love Bradish as my value. I’ll be stacking as many bats against some poor pitching to make it happen. Happy Jordan Lyles day!
Find the team in the Win Daily Discord channel and let’s chat about some plays!
Good luck and hope to see you in the green.
Check me out on Twitter @BigItaly42 and let me know who you are playing tonight! Always around to talk some MLB!
