Justin Elick 
Thursday has no day slate, but we have a solid six-game slate for the evening starting at 6:40 ET. Let’s find some ways to grab some cash as we head into the weekend.
MLB DFS Aces
Luis Castillo vs Tampa Bay Rays
Castillo is the most talented pitcher on the slate, and it isn’t particularly close. He owns a 3.19 ERA and 1.03 WHIP on the season with a 183/40 K/BB over 169.1 innings of work this season. He takes on a Rays team that started the season on fire, but hasn’t exactly been tearing the cover off the ball of late.
Over the last 30 days, they are bottom 10 in K rate (23.6%), bottom 10 in BB rate (7.6%), but still have an elite power/speed combo.
That said, I’m siding with Castillo on this short slate. He has allowed 2 ER or less in five of his last eight starts, although he didn’t fare too well against the Rays last time they faced off. He served up 6 R (4 ER) over six innings of work, but did have a 6/0 K/BB.
I’m siding with the talent here.
Javier Assad vs Arizona Diamondbacks
On a short slate, we have to differentiate, and Assad actually feels like a worthwhile risk in this spot. He has been nothing short of tremendous over his last two outings. He held the Reds and Pirates to just 1 ER over 15 innings of work with a 14/3 K/BB.
Granted, even as a Reds fan I can admit that this D-Backs lineup is more of a problem. This is also a a lineup that has been devoid of power over the last month, with only the Giants and Guardians hitting less home runs over that span.
Assad has had command issues at times, with just a 67/33 K/BB on the season in 87 innings on the mound. I usually steer clear of command issues, but when we factor in price, it is hard not to justify taking the shot here, even against a fairly patient D-Backs lineup.
Max Fried vs St. Louis Cardinals
Fried looks like he is back to his old ways, and that is bad news for the train wreck that is the Cardinals lineup. He will have to navigate lefty-mashers Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, but outside of those two, nobody scares me in this lineup.
Fried has been electric over his last two outings against the Dodgers and Giants, allowing a total of 2 ER with an 18/4 K/BB over 13 innings of work.
Let’s sit back and enjoy while Fried dominates the Cardinals during the next step of their embarrassment of a season.
MLB DFS Stacks
Atlanta Braves vs Adam Wainwright
The only thing better than the worst pitcher in baseball being on the slate is the fact that he is facing the best lineup in baseball (Get over it, Dodgers, the Braves are the clear top lineup). Wainwright has totaled the following DraftKings points over his last 10 starts:
6.9
-0.3
7.3
-19.2
-3.9
5.5
9.7 (WOW)
-0.5
-11.7
-14.5
We talk about this all the time. Any other name would have been forced into an early retirement. Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Marcelo Ozuna, Michael Harris, I want them all. Whoever I can fit from the Braves side will be a priority for me. Fireworks incoming.
Chicago Cubs vs Ryne Nelson
The Cubs have been one of the best lineups in baseball since the All-Star Break, and Ryne Nelson, quite simply put, is not very good. He has allowed 12 ER over his last two starts against the Twins and Padres over just six innings of work.
Cody Bellinger is the clear top priority here for me, but Ian Happ, Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki, and Christopher Morel aren’t far behind. Let’s take advantage of a hot lineup against a struggling pitcher. If the wind is blowing out at Wrigley again, watch out. Nelson has served up 22 gopher balls already in 2023.
Los Angeles Angels vs Cal Quantrill
The Angels are in a great spot against Quantrill. We talked above about how bad Adam Wainwright was, but Cal hasn’t been much better. He has negative DK points in four of his last five outings. Not good.
The Angels are ready to tee off here, despite the fact that their lineup has been struggling of late without Ohtani and Trout.
They look like a solid cheap stack and filler team on this short slate.
Brandon Drury, Logan O’Hoppe, Mickey Monica, Noah Schaunel, and Mike Moustakas are my main targets here. Get yourself some value with the Halos.
MLB DFS Summary
Thursday features the Braves against Adam Wainwright. What a great night for fireworks. Let’s make some cash!
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!
