Fantasy Baseball Picks: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Lineup Strategy for Cardinals vs. Diamondbacks Showdown on May 29

The Saturday night Showdown this week on DraftKings is a nice National League contest between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cardinals won the first two games of this four-game set at Chase Field, 5-4 on Thursday and 8-6 on Friday. Arizona has now dropped 12 straight games against the Cardinals, Giants, Rockies, Dodgers and Nationals, and they’ll have a lot to overcome if they are going to snap their skid on Saturday.

The D-backs hang their hopes on Seth Frankoff ($9,200) on the mound, while the Cards will give the ball to a resurgent Adam Wainwright ($11,000). Wainwright has been strong in his nine starts and has a 3.46 ERA and 4.43 FIP in his 54 ²⁄₃ innings. His 2-4 record isn’t an indication of how well he has been dealing lately. In his most recent start, Wainwright allowed just one hit over eight innings against the Cubs and posted 30.8 DKFP. He has over 29 DKFP in four of his past six starts and definitely makes sense to target in your lineup against the struggling Arizona lineup. On the other side, Frankoff has allowed seven earned runs and two home runs in his 8 ²⁄₃ innings, giving him a 7.27 ERA and 6.46 FIP in his two starts.

DraftKings Sportsbook has the over/under for this game at 9.5 runs, and the Cardinals are the favorites with a -140 moneyline. Given the Snakes’ struggles and the Cards’ obvious starting pitching advantage, it’s a little surprising that the odds aren’t tilted even more in St. Louis’ favor, but there are some interesting fantasy plays to consider on both sides. Let’s take a look at to construct your DraftKings lineups for Saturday night’s Showdown contest.

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Captain’s Picks

Tommy Edman ($15,300 CP) - Edman is a switch-hitting middle infielder who has settled in nicely as the leadoff man in St. Louis. The 26-year-old has already stolen 10 bases in his 51 games this season while going 58-for-212 (.274). He doesn’t bring the normal power you want in a priced-up bat since he has just a .118 ISO and .317 wOBA, but he does have four home runs and a solid 34.2% hard-hit rate. His stats have been pretty steady all season, but he has been picking things up a little bit lately with two home runs, nine RBI, three stolen bases and an average of 11.2 DKFP over his past 10 games.

Edman has multiple ways he can provide solid returns in your Captain’s spot, and he is on the right side of the splits against Frankoff. In his limited time in the majors, Frankoff has allowed lefties to go 6-for-16 with two homers and a .565 wOBA. The Cardinals don’t have a ton of top left-handed hitters, but Edman will hit from that side in the leadoff spot and makes sense to start your lineup with as well.

Tyler O’Neill ($10,800 CP) - O’Neill missed just over a week with a fractured left middle finger, but he has gone 3-for-9 with a double and two home runs in his two games since returning, so his swing definitely seems to be just fine. O’Neill now has 10 homers in his 32 games to post a .321 ISO and .368 wOBA. If you’re looking for an affordable bat that brings serious power upside, take advantage of O’Neill’s reduced salary even though he is on the slightly less favorable side of the splits against the starter

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $5K Extra Inning [$1K to 1st] (STL vs ARI)

Value Plays

Dylan Carlson ($7,800) - Carlson usually hits second in the lineup behind Edman and is also a switch-hitter who will be on the more favorable side of the splits against Frankoff. Carlson’s average is right around Edman’s, but he doesn’t bring the speed element. Still, he is in a prime lineup spot and has a .297 wOBA this month. If you go with him and Edman, the Cardinals’ big bats should have a chance to drive in your runners all game long in this favorable matchup.

Pavin Smith ($7,400) - For showdown style lineups, you need to have a player from each team, so we’ll have to find someone on the Diamondbacks to roster. Smith is my favorite option since he comes in on a nice role with multiple hits in four straight games and an eight-game hitting streak that has netted him 10.1 DKFP per game. The lefty has a .300 average, .164 ISO and .352 wOBA against right-handed pitchers and has a strong 44.5% hard-hit rate overall, according to Statcast. The 25-year-old was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 draft and has gotten to the majors quickly and without much fanfare, but he’s producing solid numbers in the middle of an underwhelming lineup.

Fades

Carson Kelly ($9,400) - Kelly is really here to represent the rest of the Diamondbacks’ lineup which has been a mess lately. After a pretty strong start, Kelly has gone just 5-for-24 over his past seven games. The former St. Louis prospect joined Arizona in the Paul Goldschmidt ($8,400) trade but has gone 0-for-6 in this series against his former team. There is some upside in David Peralta ($8,600), Ketel Marte ($10,000) and Eduardo Escobar ($9,800), but I don’t think they’re worth paying up for against Wainwright when the Cardinals’ bats have a much more favorable matchup. None of those players have been especially hot lately, which is why the injuries to Arizona’s pitching staff have resulted in so many losses in a row.

The Outcome

I really hope the Diamondbacks stop this slide soon since they do have some players I like to use for DFS. However, this matchup is such a good one for the Cardinals, and the Arizona bullpen is already strung out by so many poor stats in a row. This could get one-sided in a hurry, and the ageless Wainwright should eat up the innings and pick up another win here.

Final Score: Cardinals 10, Diamondbacks 4

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $5K Extra Inning [$1K to 1st] (STL vs ARI)

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