Jared Contestabile 
Thursday’s MLB slate is a strange and wet one. Most games are during the day, with a few sprinkled in at night. The main slate starts at 1:10 PM Eastern, with a few official rainouts already. Let’s cook up some winners here!
MLB DFS Aces – Main
Kevin Gausman vs Royals
This one seems like a no-brainer on this slate. The Royals have been absolutely lost at the plate, and are coming off their THIRD shutout loss in just six games this season. The have scored just one run in the last two games…I could go on forever. This lineup has plenty of youth and talent, but this isn’t the spot to overthink your SP1.
Gausman was solid in his 2023 debut, firing six scoreless innings, scattering eight hits and striking out seven with just a single walk. He did that to a Cardinals offense that is loaded. If I’m the Royals, I would have wished for a rainout here to save some face. Gausman is a lock for me on this small slate. I’ll differentiate elsewhere.
Lance Lynn vs Giants
I went after Lynn with a low-owned stack in his first start…and it did not go particularly well. Considering our other options on this slate, Lynn is another easy choice. His command was poor in his first start, walking four batters across 5.2 innings, but with limited options, he is a fine choice.
I’m not a believer in this Giants lineup, and they have been inconsistent to say the least. They are right behind the Royals with two shutout losses themselves. The main concern for me here is that Lynn has always had pronounced splits against LHB. This Giants lineup will likely have 5-6 lefties in it, which could spell trouble for Lynn. I expect a left-heavy lineup this afternoon, and conversely will be playing a stack or two against him for some leverage.
Spencer Turnbull vs Red Sox
I have zero interest in rostering the home run machine that is Josiah Gray (more on him soon), and I’m not a fan of Chris Sale at this stage. Jordan Lyles gets the powerful Blue Jays lineup…so I’m shooting my shot here with Turnbull.
He was awful in his first start this season, going just 2.1 innings and allowing seven ER on eight hits and three free passes. That said, if you’re a believer in this Red Sox lineup, that makes one of us. They just got finished embarrassing themselves against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a home sweep. They scored a total of three runs in the final 26 innings of the series.
Aside from Devers and, this is a lineup that is going to be inconsistent this season. I love Triston Casas, I think Yoshida will have an impact as well…but the rest? It’s like an old folks’ home in Boston’s lineup, and with a 1:10 first pitch, they will be rushing to hit the Country Kitchen buffet by 4:30. Fortunately, the new pitch clock should save them a few minutes.
Back to Turnbull. He isn’t a pitcher who will dominate you, but he does a fantastic job of keeping the ball in the park. He has allowed just four home runs since the beginning of 2021 (109 IP). Comerica Park is a pitcher’s best friend, and if this Boston team isn’t finding the outfield seats, it may be a long day. I’ll be pairing him with Gausman today and hoping he can rack up 5-6 Ks against a lineup of guys who may be grandfathers soon.
MLB DFS Stacks – Main
Colorado Rockies vs Josiah Gray
On to the exciting news. My favorite pitcher to pick on is BACKKKKKKK! Josiah Gray is the KING…at giving up home runs at an unprecedented rate. He made us proud last time out, serving up three bombs to the Braves. Now he gets the pleasure of facing the Rockies in the first Coors Field game of the 2023 season.
CJ Cron needs to be one of the first batters you click into your lineup today. He has been on fire in the early part of 2023, and is the best bet to go yard early. Kris Bryant is a guy that seems to be overlooked in this weak Rockies lineup. Let’s be honest here, these may be two of the worst teams in baseball, which makes this Coors series even more exciting. I like Charlie Blackmon here as well, and I’ll be filling in from both sides once lineups are released.
Let’s hope the Rockies don’t wait until after 1:10 to release their lineup card, but I’m betting they will.
Washington Nationals vs Kyle Freeland
We are back to the well on targeting Kyle Freeland, and I’m excited about it. His home/road splits are atrocious, but that is generally how it goes for Rockies pitchers. In the (un)friendly confines of Coors Field in 2022, Freeland allowed the following:
.303 BAA, .375 wOBA, 59/25 K/BB, 31 2B, 7 3B, 11 HR…in just 87 innings. I know how bad this Washington lineup is, but today I don’t care. They are far too cheap for this situation. A game total of 11 runs, two bad pitchers on the mound in Coors? You can’t script it much better than this.
Keibert Ruiz, Joey Meneses, Lane Thomas, Victor Robles, Dom Smith, you name it. I’ll be loading up on cheap bats from the Nationals to fill out my lineups.
Detroit Tigers vs Chris Sale
Are the Detroit Tigers bad? Yes. Do I also believe that Chris Sale is no longer Chris Sale? Also yes. On a short slate like this one, a pivot stack against Sale with a bad lineup should provide a lot of leverage. I won’t be playing Sale, and I’m not sure what spot I would be playing him.
Miguel Cabrera is basically minimum salary. Javier Baez is awful right now, but he has the upside for cheap in this matchup. Spencer Torkelson is coming off a few big games early. Riley Greene is off to a great start to the season. You’re going to want Gausman and Coors bats. The Tigers cheap bats (Torkelson is $2100 on DraftKings and $2400 on FanDuel) are the key to unlocking that upside for me today. Let’s roll!
MLB DFS Summary
This is an ugly slate, but one I’m a big fan of at first glance. Give me all the Coors and the Tigers!
Find the team in the Discord 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!
