Major League Baseball has a massive slate of action this Monday night, and the last game of the night is also one of the biggest showdown matchups on the board. The Athletics and Mariners clash at Sutter Health Park in a matchup of the top two teams in the AL West. As their series gets underway, let’s look at some overall DFS strategy for the Mariners vs. Athletics MLB DFS contests.
The pitching matchup on Monday night will be Bryce Miller ($11,200) on the mound for the Mariners against Luis Severino ($11,000) of the Athletics. Both pitchers have been inconsistent this season, with a few strong performances and a few rough outings. Miller is 2-3 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.44 WHIP, while Severino is 1-3 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.
Let’s take a look at what to expect and how to attack this Mariners vs. Athletics MLB DFS matchup from a DraftKings Showdown perspective.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $10K Hidden Ball Trick [$2K to 1st] (SEA at ATH)
Mariners vs. Athletics DFS Showdown Strategy
Captain’s Pick
Cal Raleigh ($14,100): Raleigh leads the majors with 12 homers and is batting .246 on the season with a .402 wOBA. He has added four stolen bases as well and averaged over 10 fantasy points per contest.
Raleigh is not only a slugging catcher, which is rare enough, but he is also a switch-hitter. He has done most of his damage this year against righties, who he has a .259 average and .442 wOBA against this season. Against Severino specifically, he is 2-for-4 with a home run and two walks.
In a single-game Showdown format, there’s no positional boost for Raleigh playing catcher, but even without that edge, his bat has been loud enough this season that he is worth a look as a Captain’s Pick in a homer-friendly ballpark like this.
Jorge Polanco ($12,000): Polanco is a more affordable option to build around as your Captain’s Pick if you want to have more salary left for your UTIL spots. Polanco has aslo boosted his per-game production over 10 fantasy points per game on the season thanks to a recent power surge.
He is 30-for-79 (.380) on the season and 12-for-27 (.444) over his last 10 games, with six home runs over that span and a .704 wOBA. Like his teammate Raleigh, Polanco is a switch-hitter. All nine o fhis home runs have come against right-handed pitching, though, and he should be in a great spot against Severino, who he is 5-for-11 against in the past with a home run.
Either of these two bats can work as Captain’s Picks for Mariners vs. Athletics DFS strategy, with the other one sliding into a spot as a UTIL option with big-time power upside.
UTIL Plays
Brent Rooker ($9,200): Both starting pitchers have potential, but I like the bats to play up at Sutter Health Park instead. Rooker is on the strong side of the splits against Miller, who has been especially effective against left-handed hitters this season. Rooker has three multi-hit games in his last six contests and has six fantasy points in four of his last six games. He should be able to pick up his power production now that he’s back at home in Sacramento. He hasn’t been quite as good this year as his last two seasons, but he still comes stacked with power potential and hits in a premium lineup position.
Jacob Wilson ($7,700): Wilson is a great value at under $8,000 in a UTIL spot. He is hitting .333 with three homers on the year and is another good way to stay on the strong side of the splits against Miller. He only has one stolen base on the year since the A’s don’t run very much, but his power and average are enough to make him worth a look in this showdown matchup.
J.P. Crawford ($6,400): I mentioned Crawford and the Mariners as my top option in MLB DFS Stacks for Monday. Crawford has brought plenty of power to the leadoff spot lately, with three home runs in his last 10 games and an average of 11.4 fantasy points per contest over that 10-game span. He went 15-for-40 (.444) over that span and has locked down the leadoff spot at the top of a lineup I think will put up runs on Monday night.
Fades
Luis Severino ($11,000): I’m not confident in either pitcher, but of the two, the one I’m fading harder is Severino. He just doesn’t have the strikeout upside even when he’s on his game to be an elite option. He has also posted most of his good starts on the road and comes into Monday’s start with a 5.11 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 3.71 FIP in his four home starts. The White Sox got to him for three runs in six innings in his last start, and I think the Mariners will crush him on Monday night, which is why I also have him in my starting pitcher prop bets for the evening.
THE OUTCOME
Both teams took two of three road games over the weekend, with the Athletics taking two wins in Miami and the Mariners walking out of Texas with a pair of victories. They’re both playing well and offer plenty of DFS options that I regularly use from each squad. While I don’t have confidence in either pitcher, Miller has been slightly better than Severino, especially since he has struggled at home at Sutter Health Park.
For Mariners vs. Athletics DFS contests, I think this is a spot you can fade both starting pitchers and bulk up on bats with a slight lean towards the slugging Seattle Mariners.
Final Score: Mariners 6, Athletics 5
