MLB DFS Picks & Underdog Player Props: Saturday (6/13)

While everyone is focusing on soccer and the World Cup, we’re still bringing you the MLB DFS picks you need to know. Today’s DraftKings main slate begins at 4:05 p.m. ET. That slate includes eight games. FanDuel’s main slate is the same.

Saturday’s Top MLB DFS Picks & Player Props

Saturday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings (6/13)

• There are some interesting aces on today’s slate, including a returning Tarik Skubal, but the most appealing is Jacob deGrom. His matchup is against a Boston Red Sox team ranked dead last in wRC+ against right-handed pitchers. The Rangers’ ace’s 29.8% strikeout rate is third among qualified starting pitchers.
• Luis Castillo wasn’t happy when he was moved to a reliever role, but it seemed to get him back on track. He is now back as a traditional starting pitcher with the Mariners choosing to return to a six-man rotation. In his last four appearances, Castillo has a 3.16 FIP with 18 strikeouts in 17 innings. His matchup today is against a surprising Nationals lineup.
• If you’re going to go cheap, you might as well go for upside. I’m unsure whether Bubba Chandler is operating as a traditional starting pitcher in this game or will follow an opener again. He’s had success recently with an 11- and seven-strikeout game in his last four starts.

Suggested Lineup Stacks

Baltimore Orioles Projected Lineup (6/13)

While everyone is focusing on soccer and the World Cup, we’re still bringing you the MLB DFS picks you need to know. Today’s DraftKings main slate begins at 4:05 p.m. ET. That slate includes eight games. FanDuel’s main slate is the same.

Saturday’s Top MLB DFS Picks & Player Props

Saturday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings (6/13)

• There are some interesting aces on today’s slate, including a returning Tarik Skubal, but the most appealing is Jacob deGrom. His matchup is against a Boston Red Sox team ranked dead last in wRC+ against right-handed pitchers. The Rangers’ ace’s 29.8% strikeout rate is third among qualified starting pitchers.
• Luis Castillo wasn’t happy when he was moved to a reliever role, but it seemed to get him back on track. He is now back as a traditional starting pitcher with the Mariners choosing to return to a six-man rotation. In his last four appearances, Castillo has a 3.16 FIP with 18 strikeouts in 17 innings. His matchup today is against a surprising Nationals lineup.
• If you’re going to go cheap, you might as well go for upside. I’m unsure whether Bubba Chandler is operating as a traditional starting pitcher in this game or will follow an opener again. He’s had success recently with an 11- and seven-strikeout game in his last four starts.

Suggested Lineup Stacks

Baltimore Orioles Projected Lineup (6/13)

• The Baltimore Orioles have a matchup today against the San Diego Padres. They are planning to start Randy Vasquez. He has only a 3.63 ERA, but his expected ERA is 6.33, and his FIP is 4.44. Over the past two weeks, the Orioles have been a top-10 offense by OPS.
• Pete Alonso is pricey, but there is a reason for that. He has five home runs in the past two weeks for a .949 OPS. Twelve of his 15 home runs have come against right-handed pitchers like Vasquez.
• Samuel Basallo hit his first home run in June yesterday. It was inevitable as his data continued to be excellent for a rookie. He has top-15 percentile marks in both expected slugging rate and hard-hit rate. Eighteen of his 19 extra-base hits have come against right-handed pitchers.
• Colton Cowser is only playable against right-handed pitchers, as he has one hit all season against left-handed pitchers. He’s making the most of his platoon role, especially recently. In the past two weeks, Cowser has a .971 OPS with four home runs.

Atlanta Braves Projected Lineup (6/13)

• Even without Drake Baldwin and Ronald Acuna Jr., the Braves still have enough hitters to give left-handed pitchers problems. The left-handed pitcher opposing them today is Sean Manaea. His 5.02 ERA has been a bit unlucky, as his indicators suggest a pitcher who deserves an ERA closer to 4.00. His groundball rate is down to a career-low 35%, which could set the Braves up to hit some home runs.
• There is never really a bad time to roster Matt Olson. He has 39 extra-base hits already this season, with 21 against right-handed pitchers and 18 against left-handed pitchers. His OPS against left-handed pitchers is .892.
• Ozzie Albies holds his own against right-handed pitchers but mashes against left-handed pitchers. Even though he has 35 fewer at-bats against lefties, he has five more extra-base hits. His OPS against left-handed pitchers is .840.
• Dominic Smith has settled back into an everyday role. He has started all but one game since the calendar turned to June. Smith only has one home run in June, but is consistently batting in the middle of the Braves’ lineup, which should set him up for RBI opportunities.

Core Studs

• It’s not often that you see a batter who has sustained success in their career against Tarik Skubal, but Jose Ramirez has done just that. In his career against Skubal, he’s 12-for-38 with four doubles.
• Getting a Dodgers hitter into your lineup is always a good choice. If you have to pick one, go with Freddie Freeman. He has a .859 OPS in the past two weeks, with eight of his 10 home runs against righties this season. Freeman’s matchup today is against Sean Burke.
• JJ Bleday has four home runs in the past two weeks. On the season, his OPS against right-handed pitchers is 1.019. If you drop the qualifications enough to include him, that’s the fourth-best OPS mark against righties behind only Yordan Alvarez, Ben Rice and Nick Kurtz.

Value Plays/Punts

• Carson Benge has been at his best against left-handed pitchers like Sean Manaea. It’s a small sample size, but he has a .960 OPS against lefties. Benge also has a .979 OPS in the past 14 days, so he is hot right now.
• Dominic Canzone is only an option against right-handed pitchers like the one he faces today in Cade Cavalli. He has an .897 OPS against righties, and has five home runs in the past 14 days.
• Nathaniel Lowe hasn’t hit a home run since May 29th, so his price has fallen to its lowest point since early May. He still has a 13.6% barrel rate and a 90th percentile expected slugging rate. All of Lowe’s home runs have come against right-handed pitchers, like the one he faces today in Michael Soroka.

Saturday’s Top 3 Underdog Player Props

Bryce Eldridge (1B, DH – SFG): 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs — Higher

It didn’t take long for Bryce Eldridge to settle in. In his last 10 games, he is batting .444 with a pair of doubles and three home runs. He has cleared this line in his last four games.

Nick Kurtz (1B – ATH): 2.5 Total Bases — Higher

There are a whole bunch of interesting props you can take with Nick Kurtz playing in Las Vegas. He’s hit home runs in three of the four games since they’ve started playing there. If you want to take a chance, his home run prop has a better payout.

While this line is higher than typical, his ability to generate extra bases makes it my preferred choice.

Cam Schlittler (SP – NYY): 5.5 Strikeouts — Higher

Cam Schlittler has had two of his worst strikeout games of the year since the calendar turned to June. In those two games, he struck out three and five batters.

Before that, he had exceeded 5.5 strikeouts in his previous four games. One of those games was against today’s opponent, the Toronto Blue Jays. In that matchup, Schlittler struck out seven batters.

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