Saturday, June 5, brings a variety of slates and lock times culminating in a six-game featured slate with a 7:15 p.m. ET first pitch. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for pitchers and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel.
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks, Saturday, June 5th
Yahoo Stack of the Day: New York Yankees vs. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez — 5.0 implied runs
It is going to be a warm one in the Bronx with game-time temperatures sliding just below 90 degrees. There is also an 8 to 10 mph breeze out to centerfield, which should give a little nudge to warning track fly balls. Southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez has not cleared the fifth inning in either of his last two starts, and the walks are ticking up while the strikeouts are pulling a vanishing act. While this is likely just a hiccup, we know the Yankees’ lineup is loaded with power. Over his last 180 lefty/righty matchups, Rodriguez has ceded a .193 ISO, and while that is not ghastly, it is among the highest stretch for his career.
Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, of course, are the must-have MLB DFS picks for any New York stack. D.J. LeMahieu is making good contact with hits in six of his last eight games, though none have gone for extra bases. Gio Urshela is a nice salary saver on Yahoo at $13 and he will likely be in the cleanup slot. Finally, for a little differentiation, look to Rougned Odor, who has a .200 ISO in his last 90 lefty/lefty matchups. Same-handed hitters have historically been able to contribute power against Rodriguez, who has allowed nearly a .200 ISO over his last 200-plus lefty/lefty matchups.
Afternoon Slate
Philadelphia Phillies vs. RHP Joe Ross Jr — 4.8 implied runs
The theme of today is going to be warm weather across most of the country, particularly in the Midwest and East Coast. Much like Forest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolate, we never know what we are going to get with Joe Ross. Generally, he flirts with the fine line of warning-track shots as a flyball pitcher, and on a warm afternoon in Citizens Bank Ballpark, that is the potential recipe for disaster. Ross has allowed a home run in seven of his last eight games, with the particularly bad outings coming when he issues more than two walks.
Bryce Harper is still dealing with a forearm injury, and though he is eligible to return from the injured list, it likely will not be today. When going against Ross looking for the combination of patient hitters with power is the key to success. While lefties have been historically excellent against Ross, same-handed hitters have found sustained production as well. Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto, Brad Miller and Andrew McCutchen are the core MLB DFS picks of any Philly stack. Odubal Herrera is intriguing if he is batting leadoff since he will have the opportunity to score runs if he is on base with that quartet behind him.
Late Slate
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. RHP Yusei Kikuchi — 4.5 implied runs
In a uniquely odd twist, only three active Angels have ever faced Mariners Yusei Kikuchi. That trio would be David Fletcher, Justin Upton and Shohei Ohtani. Clearly, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols have as well, though they are not going to be taking the field for the Halos today. In a fun twist, both Ohtani and Kikuchi attended the same high school in Japan, however, Kikuchi graduated just before Ohtani began attending. They only faced each other twice in the Japanese league, with Ohtani going 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts his rookie season with the Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Considering that the Mets at Padres game has a 5.5 implied run total with Jacob deGrom and Joe Musgrove squaring off, it makes sense that most gamers look to the Angels on the two-game late slate. We will want to focus on Anthony Rendon, Justin Upton and, of course, Ohtani. This is where the field will land as well, so I am comfortable going with David Fletcher, who went from leadoff man to the bottom of the order, though he fits in nicely as part of a “wrap-around” stack.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top Target: RHP Joe Mugrove vs. New York Metropolitans — 2.7 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $50 | FanDuel $8,300 | DraftKings $8,700
Tonight we have a Coors Field Extravaganza with an 11 implied run total, which means we need to find savings wherever we can. While Jacob deGrom is arguably the best pitcher on the main slate with his league-leading 0.71 ERA and 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings rate, he also is 20 to 30% more expensive than his opponent, Joe Musgrove, depending on your DFS site of choice.
Musgrove is having an impressive debut season with the Padres and he is eighth in the league with a 2.08 ERA and his 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings ranks seventh overall. The Mets will be without Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis and Jonathan Villar is dinged up. Considering the bottom of the order will likely be Billy McKinney, Jose Peraza and Mason Williams along with the pitcher, this is shaping up to be a terrific spot for Musgrove.
Secondary Option: RHP Kevin Gausman vs. Chicago Cubs — 3.3 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $56 | FanDuel $11,200 | DraftKings $8,900
On Yahoo and FanDuel, it makes sense to go with deGrom, who is only $4 and $300 more expensive, respectively. However, on DraftKings, Kevin Gausman is in the running for SP2 if you are looking to go against The Masses and forgo a couple of Coors Field bats. On the other two sties, Gausman is still in play since he will be wildly contrarian because of the way the salaries are shaking out.
Over 11 starts this season, Gausman has allowed one or fewer runs in 10 of them. Heading into this matchup he is fourth in the league with a 1.40 ERA and his 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings is just outside of the top 10. Even though this will be a local 4 p.m. start, it is still going to only be around 60 degrees during this game. The Cubs are a fun team to stack more often than not, but that is because they have a very top-heavy lineup. If Gausman is able to navigate the gauntlet of Joc Pederson, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and Willson Contreras he should find success. Additionally, the win is in play since Chicago is going to roll with Kohl Stewart and then a handful of relievers.
Wildcard: RHP Kohl Stewart at San Francisco Giants — 4.4 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $28 | FanDuel $6,400 | DraftKings $4,800
On the two-pitcher sites, we can give serious consideration to Kohl Stewart. This is partly a function of needing some savings with the many top-shelf pitching options on our six-game main slate along with wanting access to the Coors Field Extravaganza. Stewart opted out of the pandemic-shortened season, so he began this year in Triple-A getting back into shape to handle a starting role. In four May appearances with the Iowa Cubs, he averaged just over 85 pitches. In his 2021 debut on Monday, he held the Padres in check, allowing one unearned run with three hits, a walk, a hit batter and a pair of strikeouts over 64 pitches. Do not let the lower pitch total dissuade you, he is stretched out enough to see 80 to 85 against the Giants. Brandon Belt and Mike Yastrzemski are both on the injured list, which makes facing San Fran a less daunting task.
Final Thoughts for the Saturday, June 5th MLB DFS Slate
We have wall-to-wall baseball with half a dozen different slates among the main DFS sites. Other than a chance of pop-up showers in Atlanta, the weather is favorable which is one less variable to worry about. As always, be mindful 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.
