Fantasy Baseball Picks: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Lineup Strategy for Padres vs. Diamondbacks Showdown on April 2

A smaller MLB slate winds down in San Diego on Friday night where the San Diego Padres play host to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second of their four-game set. Game one went to San Diego in a close, high-scoring affair and the Padres will look to carry over that offensive success and back up Blake Snell in his team debut.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $10K Hidden Ball Trick [$2K to 1st] (ARI vs SD)

San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Captain’s Picks

Blake Snell ($16,200 CP) - The price is exorbitant, but I definitely have to recommend Snell here against one of the worst lineups in baseball. The Diamondbacks, despite getting six runs across and racking up 12 hits, were just 1-9 with runners in scoring position on Thursday, which was probably because six of their hits came from Ketel Marte ($8,200) and Asdrubal Cabrera ($7,400). Aside from those two, and some solo pops, the Diamondbacks’ offense was largely inefficient and should crash back to Earth against Snell in his Padres debut. I actually like Snell to continue regressing this year, but I don’t think a matchup with the DBacks should trouble him one bit. He should rack up strikeouts here.

Eric Hosmer ($14,700 CP) - If you want to differentiate your build, I think Hosmer is your guy. He was the second-best Padres hitter last year against righties, judging by wRC+, and looked absolutely fantastic on Thursday with three hits in four at-bats, including a home run. Merrill Kelly ($13,800 CP) is a dead man walking in this one, and Hosmer should have another great chance to break out hitting right in the middle of a lineup that should get 10+ hits.

Value Plays

Jake Cronenworth ($8,600) - I recognize that Cronenworth isn’t exactly cheap here, but this is probably the cheapest way to capitalize on what I think should be a monster offensive night for the Padres. I love the matchup for Cronenworth, who’s a high-contact guy, and a high-quality contact guy who emerged as a Statcast darling last season in his breakout campaign. He carried over his success from 2020 and made an immediate impact with two hits and two walks on Thursday, and I like him to stay hot against a pitch-to-contact guy in Kelly.

Josh Rojas ($5,600) - Rojas is coming off an incredible spring, one that’s vaulted him to the very top of the Diamondbacks’ order. He’s also been a reverse-splits guy over his short time in the big leagues, so I absolutely love him at this price. The kid can hit, which is more than you can see about pretty much everyone else available on Arizona.

Fades

Tommy Pham ($8,000) - Yeah, look, I get it. Pham hits in a premium lineup spot and he made plenty of solid contact last year to make him a solid DFS play night in and night out. However, we’re going to have to fade one Padres player here, and to me Pham is the candidate both due to his inconsistency and the fact that he had just a 45 wRC+ in 90 plate appearances against righties last year. It was a small-ish sample, but it was representative of his greater struggles last year, and he didn’t exactly kill it in the leadoff spot for San Diego on Thursday, going 1-4 with a strikeout. Kelly’s going to pump them in the strike zone, and I don’t like that matchup for Pham.

The Outcome

Kelly’s strategy to throw a lot of strikes and hope for soft contact shouldn’t work here against the Padres, who outside of the Dodgers made the best contact in baseball last year. Their lineup of mashers should torment Kelly and what’s left of the Arizona bullpen after Thursday’s nail-biter and take this one fairly convincingly.

Final Score: Padres 6, Diamondbacks 2

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $10K Hidden Ball Trick [$2K to 1st] (ARI vs SD)

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