Major League Baseball has another jam-packed Saturday of action this weekend with a pair of great slates on DraftKings. The six-game afternoon slate starts at 1:00 p.m. ET followed by a seven-game evening slate that includes the action that starts at 7:10 p.m. ET or later. That evening slate is the focus of this post, as we break down the best plays from the 14-team player pool. Of the seven games under the lights, just one is a divisional matchup, featuring the Angels and Rangers, but there are several other very interesting matchups including the Reds in L.A. to face the Dodgers and the Padres visiting the Braves in Atlanta.
With plenty of great options to consider, let’s dive into my top plays for Saturday’s evening slate:
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PITCHER
Stud
Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Detroit Tigers ($9,400) – Gallen is the most expensive pitcher on Saturday’s slate, but he’s worth paying up to build around given his recent form and his matchup. In his last two starts, Gallen earned 27.1 DKFP and 17.9 DKFP against the Reds and Orioles, respectively. He won both those outings to improve to 5-2 on the season with a 2.86 ERA, 3.57 FIP and 9.2 K/9. With 45 strikeouts in 44 innings, he brings a good ceiling and has also shown a high floor with over 15 DKFP in six of his eight starts this year. Gallen has been especially effective at home, where he has given up just one run in 17 innings and held opponents to a .172 batting average. He should be in a good spot to thrive on Saturday night against the Tigers, who enter the game in the bottom five in the MLB in team wOBA and have just an 89-team wRC+. Gallen should be able to get his strikeouts too, since the Tigers rank in the top 10 in K%. The way this slate lays out, pitching will be a little more pricey but don’t worry, there are plenty of good value bats in play.
Value
Justin Verlander, Houston Astros vs. Milwaukee Brewers at ($8,400) – The cheap options on the mound are rough on Saturday night, so it makes sense to build around to stronger pitchers even though they cost a little more, and find your bargains at the plate. Normally, I highlight a much cheaper pitcher here, but the bargain plays all come with major risk factors this Saturday. Instead, Verlander is a solid play at just over $8,000 that deserves a look even though he’s facing a good Brewers lineup. In his last start, the 41-year-old turned back the clock and spun a gem, holding his former team the Tigers to just two hits in seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts for a season-high 32.8 DKFP. He has actually looked good in four of his five outings, allowing two runs or fewer, but his ERA is inflated by a pounding he took against the Yankees in the Bronx. He has double-digit DKFP in each of his other outings and actually represents pretty good value on this slate compared to the other options around his salary.
INFIELD
Stud
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers ($5,900) – De La Cruz has been a fantasy beast this season, racking up a league-leading 30 stolen bases and also smashing nine home runs with a .383 wOBA. Be sure to check out the new market available on the DraftKings Sportsbook for Elly 100+ which my colleague, Garion Thorne broke down yesterday. De La Cruz started this series with one of the best games of the season, stealing four bases and totaling 44 DKFP but then went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts on Friday. He should be in a better spot on Saturday against Walker Buehler ($8,300), who has looked very shaky since returning from his second Tommy John surgery. De La Cruz has 11 stolen bases, a home run and an average of 12.9 DKFP per game over his last 10 games, so if the Reds get to Buehler, expect him to be right in the middle of the action as usual.
Stud
Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox at St. Louis Cardinals ($4,900) – Devers homered for the third straight game on Friday night and has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, going 13-for-46 (.283) with seven extra-base hits and a .395 wOBA. His hard-hit rate for the season is up to 53.2%, and in May, he has a 66.7% hard-hit rate and a 10.3% barrel rate. He’s locked in at the plate and mashing, so this matchup with Miles Mikolas ($5,900) makes him a great power bat to build around. The Red Sox as a whole should bring great value since Mikolas has a 6.19 ERA, 4.58 FIP and 1.48 WHIP in his nine starts this season.
Value
Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox at St. Louis Cardinals ($3,700) – Wong has been excellent for the Red Sox this year and is hitting an impressive .362 in his 30 games with five homers and a .408 wOBA. Getting that kind of production at any price point and position is great, getting it at under $4,000 at catcher is too good to pass up. Wong has moved to the middle of the order due to his recent surge and is hitting .405 (17-for-42) over his last 11 games with four doubles and five RBI. He had four hits on Friday night and finished with 16 DKFP while posting his 11th multi-hit game of the season.
Value
Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers at Arizona Diamondbacks ($2,100) – Keith entered the year as one of the top prospects in baseball and got a massive contract extension this offseason before making his MLB debut. Things didn’t start well for the 22-year-old, though, as he went just 15-for-99 (.152) over his first 30 games this season. Keith has started to come around, though, and he’s worth a look as a cheap flier with a good upside at his salary barely over the minimum. In his last seven games, Keith has gone 9-for-23 (.391) with a double, six runs scored, four RBI and an average of 7.7 DKFP per game. He had four hits in the series opener on Friday and will look to continue his adjustments to the majors on Saturday. It’s a tough matchup against Gallen, but at this salary, he doesn’t have to do much to be a great return on investment.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds ($6,500) – The Los Angeles City Council named May 17 Shohei Ohtani Day, but we may just have to rename this whole season if he keeps crushing. He celebrated in style, going 1-for-4 with his 13th homer of the season on Friday night to reclaim a share of the MLB lead. Over his last 15 games, Ohtani is hitting .404 with six homers, six stolen bases, and a wOBA over .500. He has averaged 12.3 DKFP this season and 14.0 DKFP over his last 15 games. Ohtani gets a great matchup against Graham Ashcraft ($6,800), and he even brings added roster flexibility since he is eligible at 1B as well. Ohtani is a great spot to pay up and get a great ceiling with consistent production.
Stud
Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers ($4,700) – Ward has gone 2-for-5 with a home run in each of his last two games, producing 17 DKFP in each matchup. Ward is up to nine homers on the season and is hitting .273 with a .345 wOBA on the season. He is 8-for-25 (.320) over his last seven games and has averaged 9.7 DKFP per contest during that stretch. He and the Angels are in a good matchup against Jose Urena ($6,000) and are another lineup to target for value. Ward brings a nice ceiling for a mid-range play under $5,000.
Value
Willie Calhoun, Los Angeles Angels at Texas Ragners ($3,300) – Ward and Calhoun can make a nice mini-stack in the middle of the Angels order, and you could expand it out further and add Nolan Schanuel ($3,400) and Luis Rengifo ($4,000) as other values. Calhoun is a good bargain at under $3,500 and comes with a high ceiling. The former Ranger has hit .365 in his 13 games since being called up by the Angels and picked up four hits in his return to Texas on Friday. Calhoun brings plenty of power potential and has a .411 wOBA and 46.8% hard-hit rate in his 13 games this season.
Value
Conner Capel, Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers ($2,100) – Capel was called up just over a week ago and has been working into the Reds outfield mix, especially against right-handed starting pitchers. If he starts against Buehler, he’ll be a great way to save salary and still get upside. The 26-year-old hit .268 in Triple-A for the Louisville Bats this season with seven home runs and six stolen bases. In his five games since being called up, he has gone 2-for-8 (.250) with a run scored and a stolen base in his only attempt. He has both power and speed upside against Buehler, and he’s definitely worth a look if he gets another start.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
