MLB DFS: Pitchers and Stacks For May 31st

Max Scherzer was the hero of Wednesday’s action, fanning 12 Orioles over eight shutout innings. We don’t get the same pitching options for Thursday’s nine-game slate, but there are some great stacks available if the weather holds up.

Rain is once again a possible issue in Atlanta and St. Louis, and rain is expected in Baltimore. All of these games start early in the night, see keep an eye on the weather and be prepared for any possible changes.

MLB DFS Pitchers

Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw is recovered from biceps tendonitis and returns tonight, facing a Phillies team at home. The Phillies have the fourth-highest K percentage in baseball, striking out 25.4% of the time. The Phillies can score, but were shut down to the tune of four hits over seven innings by Ross Stripling yesterday. He’s not a lock to come back from injury strong, but considering the other matchups he’s got a great chance to have a much better performance than the other pitchers on the slate. There is risk however: With this being Kershaw’s first start since a DL stint, don’t be surprised if Dave Roberts has a short leash for his ace.

Aaron Nola

Clay’s opponent tonight, Nola has given up one run or less in three of his last five starts. In his last start, Nola was working through a no-hitter before a few walks led to his only hit driving in a run. The Dodgers are in the bottom half of teams when it comes to hitting, are middle of the pack against righties, and bad against curveballs. It’s a better matchup for Nola than it is for Kershaw, but Kershaw has a higher ceiling.

Value: Sonny Grey

Yesterday’s value play was a disaster, and Grey himself has had some really bad starts, but he’s just insanely cheap against the Orioles tonight. The O’s are fresh-off getting dominated by Scherzer, strike out a ton, and have scored six total runs on their five-game losing streak. Grey has alternated between quality and garbage, but he was garbage in his last start. Weather could be a problem in this one, but the Orioles have been bad enough to warrant targeting during this losing streak.

MLB DFS Stacks

New York Yankees

After a tough series against the Astros, the Yankees are back and ready to tee off on bad pitching. That chance comes early in the form of Andrew Cashner, who has given up three runs in seven of his last eight starts. Aaron Judge is a top play tonight, as he continues to be a strong start at Yankee Stadium. Judge is 1-5 lifetime against Cashner- but guess where that one hit landed.

Astros

The Astros are playing their 10th game in as many days, but that hasn’t slowed down their offense one bit. Yesterday’s 5-3 loss to the Yankees was their lowest scoring output over this run, and seven times during this run they’ve scored at least five runs. I’d rather have the top of the Astros lineup paired with some cheaper Yankees, as some of the top Astros like Jose Altuve have been hitting really well right now. Drew Pomeranz is the dud of the Red Sox rotation, and hasn’t pitched into the fifth inning of a game since May 8th.

Indians

It’s not often the Indians will fly a little under the radar, but they do get a decent matchup against flyball pitcher Jake Odorizzi. He’s had a few decent starts for the Twins this month, but gave up three homers to the Indians when they met last month. The hottest power hitter in baseball might be Jose Ramirez, who has three homers in his last four outings.

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