Jared Levitt 
Happy Saturday y’all! I for one can’t believe it’s already June 1. It seems like just yesterday it was opening day. We’re now 2 months into the season and things are very clear. There are teams that have are clear favorites to win their divisions and unless something changes drastically for others, we’re more than likely looking at a Yanks/Phils WS. They are the clear top teams. I’ll be focused on today’s 9-game slate of MLB DFS starting at 4pm. This slate brings us one very clear ace and it also brings us some very solid pitching.
Let’s Dig in and make some money!
MLB DFS Aces – Main
Chris Sale ($11k on DK) vs. Oakland Athletics
Chris Sale is going to be chalk this afternoon and I just don’t think there’s a way around it. He is by far the best and most talented pitcher on this slate and he has one of the best matchups on the board. The A’s have been terrible vs. lefties this season. They have a 25% K rate, a .654 OPS, and a .284 wOBA vs. lefties. This screams ceiling-type game for a pitcher who has returned to his glory years.
After a myriad of injuries cost him essentially 3 seasons, Sale is back to being the pitcher he was when he broke into the league with the White Sox. His ERA is the lowest it’s been in a decade and his strikeouts are over 11 per 9 innings. His walks are also down to a level we haven’t seen in years. While the price is high, he has 30 point upside this afternoon. He’s a lock for my SP1 today.
Kyle Bradish ($8.8k on DK) vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Whenever I recommend a pitcher against the Rays, I feel a little dirty. Over the years, they’ve won us a bunch of money stacking them. This year’s team doesn’t have the same fire as years past. Guys like Randy Arozarena and Brandon Lowe are really struggling. They’ve been the heart and soul of this team and where they go, the Rays go. Right now, they aren’t going anywhere and they are really struggling vs. righties. Against righties this year, the Rays offense is nearly non-existent.
Today they’ll face a righty that the Orioles are counting on to give them innings as two of their top pitchers in John Means and Tyler Wells will be out the rest of the year. He’s only made 5 starts so far this season, but man have they been good. Across 5 starts, he’s allowed just 5 ER and has a 32% K rate. For a pitcher under $9k, we really can’t ask for much more than what he’s been providing. Similar to Sale, Bradish has a ceiling upside today in this matchup.
Other pitchers I like this afternoon will be Reese Olson (strong value) vs. Boston, Garrett Crochet vs. Milwaukee, and Ryan Weathers vs. Texas.
MLB DFS Stacks – Main
New York Mets vs. Slade Cecconi
It feels weird to write that, the Mets as a top stack. To say they’ve been a huge disappointment this season would be an understatement. They currently sit 9 games under .500 and have been a complete and utter disaster this season. That said, they held a player-only meeting after getting swept by the Dodgers and have won 2 straight for what feels like the first time this season. They’ll get a great matchup today vs. Slade Cecconi, a pitcher being recalled from the minors to make this start. In 3 of his last 4 starts in the bigs, he’s allowed 6 ER.
In the month of May, he allowed a nearly 38% hard-hit rate and a nearly 62% flyball rate. In just 20 innings of work, he’s managed to give up 7 homers and 7 barrels. I’m not going to be concerned with splits here. Cecconi has been terrible vs. everyone.
Core Bats: Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, JD Martinez, Starling Marte
Secondary Bats: Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil
Value Bats: Mark Vientos, Thomas Nido, Harrison Bader
Atlanta Braves vs. Aaron Brooks
The two guys I’m building my MLB DFS lineups today are going to be Francisco Lindor of the Mets I already mentioned and Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves get a superb matchup today vs. Aaron Brooks of the Athletics. The sample size on Brooks this season is small in that he’s only pitched in 3 games. Through the 3 games though, he’s given up at least 3 runs in all, with his last start being his worst with giving up 5 against Houston in Oakland.
He’s going to have his hands full today with the second-place Atlanta Braves. As it stands, the Braves have the highest implied run total on the board at 5.5. They should get every bit of this in a cake matchup. My primary focus here is going to be the lefties. Brooks is giving up a ton of power to lefties this season as they have a .615 slugging % and a .436 wOBA.
Core Bats: Matt Olson, Michael Harris, Ozzie Albies
Secondary Bats: Austin Riley, Marcel Ozuna, Orlando Arcia
Value Bats: Jarred Kelenic (great value today even though he’s in the 9-hole)
Other stacks I like tonight will be the Tigers vs. Cooper Criswell, Guardians vs. Mitchell Parker, and Twins vs. Framber Valdez
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