MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Hitters & Stacks for Tuesday, May 4th

Tuesday, May 4, provides a nice tournament mix of aces, lower-level arms and several weather spots to monitor. Games are spread across five slates, so there will be no shortage of tournaments to enter. Today, stacks like the Phillies and Athletics stand out among the MLB DFS picks. Let’s break down the hitters to roster in our DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups.

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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Hitters and Stacks, Tuesday, May 4th

Yahoo Stack of the Day: Philadelphia Phillies vs. LHP Eric Lauer — 4.1 implied runs

This will be the second start of the season for Eric Lauer, who managed to hold the Dodgers scoreless across five innings on Thursday. He is getting another turn or two in the rotation with Brett Anderson (hamstring) and Corbin Burnes (undisclosed) on the shelf. Last year, Lauer made only four appearances — two starts and two relief outings — lasting only 11 innings. For most of the abbreviated season, he was at the alternate training site for the Brewers.

Going back to his San Diego, Lauer did a solid job of limiting power and had league-average strikeout ability and above-average control. While he does have flyball tendencies approaching 40%, the lack of baserunners generally keeps the damage to a minimum.

Philadelphia is going to be a team we want to target when a lefty is on the mound. Rhys Hoskins (.322 ISO) and J.T. Realmuto (.231 ISO) have demonstrated tremendous power over the last two-plus seasons against opposite-handed hurlers and are clear-cut MLB DFS picks. Veteran Andrew McCutchen (.200 ISO) is a noted lefty masher, and youngster Alec Bohm (.279 ISO) is on his way to earning that moniker as well. Didi Gregorius always fares well in same-handed matchups, and at just $11 on Yahoo, he is a steal. Bryce Harper is dealing with a wrist injury and is likely to miss a few more games, so Roman Quinn should make the starting lineup at the $7 Yahoo minimum salary. Keep tabs on the weather, but it looks like this game should be played tonight.

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Evening Slate

Kansas City Royals vs. LHP Sam Hentges — 4.6 implied runs

While there are no precipitation issues to worry about tonight in Kansas City, there is a strong 10 to 12 mph breeze coming in from left field. Cleveland will be turning to Sam Hentges to replace Logan Allen with a spot start. Though he has made three relief appearances, Hentges was in the mix for the final spot in the rotation this spring. He should be good for 60 to 65 pitches, having last worked on Wednesday in a three-inning outing against the Twins. With the shortened season last year and no minor league action, Hentges has skipped Triple-A on his way to The Show as a 6-foot-8, hard-throwing lefty. Essentially he is going to be getting on-the-job training this year, which could lead to some rocky outings as he hones his craft against polished hitters.

The Royals are likely to be sitting on Hentges fastball, which is in the 95 to 96 mph range, and make him earn outs via his secondary offerings, which are mediocre at best. Focusing on the power trio of Carlos Santana, Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler is a savvy strategy. Journeyman Michael A. Taylor should be in the bottom third of the lineup, but he is accompanied by a discounted salary across the DFS sites and offers a little pop and some speed on the base paths. Salvador Perez is a nice way to knock out the catcher requirement on DraftKings and Yahoo, plus he is a nice differentiation play on FanDuel where most gamers avoid catchers. Saving the best for last, leadoff man Whit Merrifield costs a premium, but he should get at least five plate appearances. He has a .198 ISO in his last 302 righty/lefty matchups as well as a league-leading eight stolen bases.

Late Slate

Oakland Athletics vs. LHP Anthony Kay — 4.5 implied runs

Anthony Kay was unlucky against the Royals in his first start of the year, allowing six hits, no walks and five runs. Though he did not allow a longball, he did cede three doubles and a triple with only three strikeouts across his 3.1 innings. Long-term, Kay profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter or a multi-inning reliever.

The Athletics will be running out a nearly full right-handed squad tonight, with Matt Olson likely the lone lefty. He is the first player to target, as others tend to shy away from batters in lefty/lefty matchups. In his last 279 plate appearances against same-handed hurlers, Olson has a lofty .244 ISO. Gamers can build around him with Matt Chapman (.269 ISO) and Mark Canha (.194 ISO), who both have solid extra-base hit potential. Ramon Laureano is in the midst of a breakout campaign, and he also is tied for the league lead with eight stolen bases. Finally, Sean Murphy is a solid choice for the backstop on DraftKings and Yahoo. The A’s are solid MLB DFS picks on all slates tonight.

Final Thoughts for the Tuesday, May 4th MLB DFS Slate

There are quite a few weather spots to watch closely including the games in Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, Philadelphia, Washington and New York. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a home run play on Yahoo may be a below-average MLB DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.

Eric "EMac" MacPherson won the 2007 Fantasy Baseball grand prize (trip for two to the MLB All-Star game) in the Roto format on ESPN. He won again in 2008, this time in the H2H format. As one of the early adopters of daily fantasy sports, EMac has been providing content for baseball and basketball as well as both professional and college football since 2012 for a variety of websites including DraftKings Playbook, FanVice, RotoWorld, Daily Fantasy Bootcamp, and RotoGrinders. He is well into his third decade of fantasy sports and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Follow him on Twitter @EMacDFS or contact EMac by emailing [email protected].

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