Friday, Sept. 23, concludes the work week with a handful of early evening matchups that lead into a 12-game featured slate with a 7:05 p.m. ET lock. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks today for pitchers and stacks for DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups.
DraftKings & FanDuel MLB DFS Picks Today (9/23)
Main Slate Stack:
Chicago White Sox vs. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez — 4.5 implied runs
The White Sox have been a letdown this season after rolling up 93 wins last year and running away with the American League Central by 13 games. Currently they are all but eliminated from the playoffs, trailing Cleveland by seven games for the division title, and they are 6.5 games behind Seattle for the final Wild Card berth. Heck, with a 76-74 record and a dozen games left on the schedule, they may not finish with a winning record, despite being in the weakest division in the American League.
September has been a rough month for veteran Eduardo Rodriguez. Yes, the hit sequencing has not been in his favor, but his 6.04 ERA is not that far off of his 5.21 FIP in the last four starts. In this stretch he has allow a pair of multi-home run games and five long balls overall.
Despite a constant parade of injured players, Chicago is still a formidable squad against southpaws. Jose Abreu, A.J. Pollock and Luis Robert all have logged a .243 ISO or better over the last two seasons when holding the platoon-advantage. Eloy Jimenez and Yoan Moncada are solid against opposite-handed pitchers, and they should be in the top half of the order. Most gamers will be flocking to the Coors Field Extravaganza, which boasts an 11.5 and rising implied run total with game-time temperatures in the low-80s. That makes the ChiSox an excellent pivot in tournaments.
Late Slate Stack:
New York Mets at LHP Cole Irvin — 2.9 implied runs
The Stokastic Top Stack Tool has flagged New York as one of the better stacking options tonight for both the main and late slate action. Cole Irvin has had a solid campaign, and while he still has a 3.79 ERA on the season, his numbers have been in decline as he approaches his career high for innings.
The wheels have come off the wagon in his last seven starts, and while he notched 11 strikeouts in the middle of this stretch against Miami, he has only 30 total whiffs across 43 innings. Though he has issued only 10 free passes and ceded a reasonable eight home runs, he still has allowed too many baserunners, which in turn have led to a 6.28 ERA during this timeframe. Of his 22 round-trippers this season, right-handed batsmen have accounted for 17, so that is the first place to look for power.
Pete Alonso has been absolutely ridiculous over the last two seasons, with a .283 ISO against left-handed hurlers. Mark Canha has a long career track record of success when holding the platoon advantage, and with Starling Marte (finger) on the injured list, the former Athletic should be near the top of the order tonight.
Switch-hitters Francisco Lindor and Eduardo Escobar are at their best when swinging the stick from the right side of the plate, and both are threats for extra-base hits. Darrin Ruf can be used to round out full stacks, as he has crushed southpaws with a .377 wOBA and .270 ISO in his last 315 plate appearances. There is a chance he could be lifted for a pinch hitter if a right-handed reliever comes into the game, but if he gets a favorable lineup spot, he could see two or three at-bats.
Best MLB DFS Pitchers
Primary Pitching Target:
RHP Chris Bassitt at Oakland Athletics — 2.9 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $9,500 | FanDuel $10,500
Carlos Rodon gets a great matchup against the Diamondbacks tonight; however, he had his Tuesday start pushed back because of a blister and fingernail issue on his left-hand. Separately, Gerrit Cole will be taking on the faltering Red Sox, though with the Yankees clinching a playoff berth last night, it remains to be seen who may get a rest day on Friday. Of course, Aaron Judge should be in the lineup as he continues his MVP campaign, though we could see some understudies in action and there is no real need to push Cole with New York essentially secure with the second-best record in the American League.
New York’s National League team has punched their ticket to the postseason; however, they are only 1.5 games ahead of Atlanta in the National League East and are looking to stay out of the Wild Card fray. Chris Bassitt is quite familiar with the pitching conditions in Oakland, having spent the last five season near the front of the A’s rotation. Bassitt has been a steady contributor all season and his 18 quality starts, 3.32 ERA and 1.14 WHIP are all top-25 marks. Additionally he also has set a career high in strikeouts while doing a phenomenal job of limiting baserunners and home runs.
Oakland has scored the second-fewest runs in the league this season while also being a bottom-five team against right-handed pitching. Their projected lineup has a two-year strikeout rate approaching 30% against righties, which further cements Bassitt as a top selection in all formats and slates tonight.
Secondary Pitching Target:
RHP Lucas Giolito vs. Detroit Tigers — 4.4 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $7,500 | FanDuel $9,300
Lucas Giolito is an absolute steal on DraftKings tonight, though that also comes with a fair amount of popularity. On FanDuel, even with the lofty salary, there are five hurlers with salaries over $10,000, which should keep him out of the limelight.
Though this has been a rocky season for Giolito, who has been saddled with a 5.07 ERA — his worst mark since 2018 — he still has nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings and his home run rate is also in line with his career numbers. Even though the Tigers have held their own against the erstwhile ace, they are the worst team in the league against right-handed pitchers. Four of the first five hitters in the Detroit batting order have struck out at a 25% or higher clip against righties over the last two seasons. Even more favorable, three of this group has been over 30% which is just deplorable.
Additional Opportunities
Currently, Mike Minor has a 5.5 over/under strikeout prop in his matchup with the Brewers. The Stokastic projections are forecasting 5.3 strikeouts and a 55% win probability. Yes, this is a very low win probability, but there are a few things in play here that need to be called out. First, Minor has recorded more than five strikeouts only once in his last eight starts, and in three of those he had just one punchout. This is certainly not about his workload, as he has tallied 96.7 pitches on average in these appearances. The projected Milwaukee lineup does have an above-average strikeout rate, but they also pack a lot of power and the potential to send Minor to the clubhouse early tonight.
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Other Pitching Options
- LHP Eric Lauer at Cincinnati Reds (Early)
- RHP Gerrit Cole vs. Boston Red Sox (Main)
- RHP Aaron Nola vs. Philadelphia Phillies (Main)
- RHP Jose Urquidy at Baltimore Orioles (Main SP2)
- LHP Carlos Rodon at Arizona Diamondbacks (Main, Late)
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Other Hitting Options
- Franmil Reyes at RHP Bryse Wilson (Early)
- Cedric Mullins vs. RHP Jose Urquidy (Main)
- Corey Seager vs. RHP Cody Morris (Evening)
- Coors Field Extravaganza (Both sides, all slates)
- Trayce Thompson vs. LHP Jose Quintana (Late)
Final MLB DFS Thoughts & MLB Weather Notes
There are cooler temperatures across the Midwest and the East Coast from today through the weekend. Minnesota looks to be the one venue carrying enough precipitation risk that they could postpone tonight’s game, which is accompanied by temperatures in the low-50s. This is one to watch, as Shohei Ohtani is currently scheduled to toe the rubber. It would not be a surprise if the Angels push him back one day to avoid having a start interrupted by a delay.
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