Jared Contestabile 
With two slates on tap, the day slate beginning at 12:20 boasts seven games, so we will be focusing there. Offense has been wild the last few days, let’s find ourselves some upside on both sides of the diamond for the day slate!
MLB DFS Aces
Pablo Lopez vs Seattle Mariners
There are some very good pitchers in tough spots today, and when we factor in matchups, Lopez is one of the top arms for me. He inexplicably struggled last time out against Oakland, but facing a struggling Mariners lineup should help him right the ship.
On the season, Lopez owns a 4.24 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with a whopping 145 strikeouts in 116.2 innings of work and just 32 free passes. The Mariners have score more than three runs just twice in their last 8 games and are sputtering like the old Honda in your driveway.
Lopez was done in by two longballs in his last outing, but had previously allowed only two total homers over his last seven starts. The Mariners have some firepower, but he looks like a safe bet to reach a QS, despite being a small underdog against George Kirby. (By the way, Kirby is a fantastic play in his own right)
Blake Snell vs Toronto Blue Jays
How can you not love both watching and rostering Snell?The guy is absolutely electric, and now has 139 strikeouts in 103 innings of work. The Padres suck, but that hasn’t been because of Snell. He has allowed zero earned runs in five of his last six and eight of his last 10 starts overall.
During that span, he has double-digit strikeouts in five of seven games. I don’t care who he is facing, I’m all aboard the Snell train for now. It’s hard to argue that he hasn’t been the best pitcher in baseball since late May.
Load him up and don’t look back.
Corbin Burnes vs Philadelphia Phillies
Bryce Harper seems incapable of hitting home runs anymore. All Kyle Schwarber does is hit homers. All Bryson Stott seems to do is hit singles. Trea Turner and JT Realmuto have been inconsistent.
Enter Corbin Burnes. He looked like a former CY Young Winner in his dominant outing against the Reds last time out, striking out 13 over 6 innings of 2-hit ball with just two walks. The Phillies can make him pay if he isn’t finding the strike zone, as they have some patient hitters on their side. That said, I’ll side with Burnes here. I have a feeling that this is the part of the season where he puts it all together again.
MLB DFS Stacks
Chicago White Sox vs Jose Quintana
The White Sox have been a frustrating team to roster, and Eloy Jimenez is hurt AGAIN. That said, Luis Robert should be a staple in any lineups today, as the White Sox take on an aging fly-ball pitcher. His numbers last season were fluky, but he posted plenty of quality outings.
It seems unlikely he will go deep in this one, but regardless, he doesn’t miss many bats, so I’ll be looking for power bats here. In addition to Robert, Jake Burger, Yasmani Grandal, Tim Anderson, and the stuggling Oscar Colas are my top targets. Beware that this team loves to let you down, but the potential is there.
Detroit Tigers vs Zack Greinke
This might not be a sexy pick, but I’m a fan of the young Tigers here against another aging pitcher who pitchers to contact. Spencer Torkelson has been as hot as the sun, Kerry Carpenter is finally seeing some positive regression, and Riley Greene is poised and ready for a big second half. Javy Baez can be a throw-in, or Miggy works fine as well.
I’m not a believer in Greinke at this stage in his career, and I think the Tigers knock him around a bit.
Cincinnati Reds vs Alex Cobb
There aren’t a ton of pitchers we can target easily on this slate, but Cobb fits the bill. His overall numbers are decent, but he allows too many baserunners, and the Reds can make a guy like him pay. Will Benson is scorching, and should be batting higher in the order. Joey Votto and Elly De La Cruz both have crushed the ball (especially Elly last night with possibly the worst batted-ball luck ever), and Christian Encarnacion-Strand is finally up.
Be aware that we could see Votto sit this one out as David Bell rotates through 10 guys for 9 spots. We could see some craziness here, but I’m riding with the Reds today.
MLB DFS Summary
Enjoy some Thursday baseball and let’s cash in!
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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!
