MLB DFS MAINSLATE BREAKDOWN 6/2/2022

Photo Credited : Redbird Rants

Thursday tends to be a short slate with many teams taking the day off, several day games and today, in particular, a double header eliminating it from the slate. So, for the main slate tonight we are looking at only 5 games. This will lead to some heavy ownership and in general, my recommendation is to take light slates - lightly. But to each their own and we are hear to give out some of the best picks and plays for the evening.

Weather wise, there is significant rain in Baltimore, again possibly shortening this slate down to only 4 total games. Everything else looks generally clear but be sure to check weather prior to lock.

DISCLAIMER - Keep in mind, these articles and any associated videos are published early, so that you have a chance to review and set lineups. Actual lineups likely are not out yet, so please please make sure you check lineups before lock. Also, please ensure you check weather and potential delays.

PITCHERS

Tony Gonsolin - $9,100 - v. NYM - 8.5 O/U
- Look, there really isn't much in the way of pitching tonight that stands out. You could probably argue for any pitcher given the concentrated ownership and lackluster names that are available. I do think there is some merit for Gonsolin tonight. The Dodgers need to get back on track, after getting swept at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets aren't the easiest of matchups and are coming off their own sweep of the Nationals, all while scoring a total of 28 runs in 3 games and winning 6 in a row. Yikes . . . . but . . . . they now have to travel across the country, on 0 rest after playing just yesterday, are playing their 7th straight game in a row and have to face one of, if not the best team in baseball on the road. Gonsolin has actually pitched very well this season, having put up 20 or more DraftKings points in each of his last 5 starts. He has gone 6 innings in each of his last 3 starts and consistently struck out 7 in each of those games. Now, the Mets are one of the best / top 2 teams in baseball against right handed pitching in terms of both WRC+ and wOBA, so I don't want to leave you guys without disclaimning the bad. But, on a slate where there isn't much to offer and where you may want to get a little different than the field, Gonsolin has a slither of an argument.
Matthew Liberatore - $7,300 - @ CHC - 8 O/U
- Who? Yeah, I had to do some research on this guy much the same as you might. Ranked as the 35th best prospect in baseball for this season, Liberatore was drafted by the Rays, traded to the Cardinals in 2020 and was aggressively moved up to AAA. This is his first MLB season but is a guy that pitched fairly well over the last couple of years in AAA. He actually logged a ton of innings in AAA, 164+ to be exact, and towards the end of his minor league stint, the young left hander was pitching fairly well. He did struggle a bit in his 1st start at Pittsburgh (but then again Dodgers just got swept lol) but did show some promise in his latest start vs. a much better lineup in the Brewers. That start included 5 innings, 6 Ks and 0 earned runs while throwing 93 pitches. Pitch count shouldn't be an issue. But the big point, the Chicago Cubs suck. It's definately a lineup you can take a pitcher against and is a great lineup to build some early career success against for Liberatore. Look, I have no clue if this guy will be good, but for his price, recent performance, matchup and the fact we have no options on this slate, I'll take a shot on him tonight.
Sean Manaea

BATS

Marcell Ozuna - $4,400 - @ COL - v. Gomber (L - COL)
- Look, we can start anyone and everyone tonight for Atlanta. This lineup, in Colorado? Yes, please. But, you know as well as I do, ownership is going to be extremely high on these guys, so I attempted to pick out maybe someone that wouldn't be as high as Acuna, Albies and others atop the lineup. That brings out Ozuna, a guy who has tremendous power as a right handed bat and gets an idea matchup vs. the lefty Gomber tonight. For his career, Ozuna has done nothing short of crush left handers, to the tune of a 125 WRC+, .355 wOBA and .211 ISO. I'm not saying he will be low owned, I'm just saying compared to the rest of the roster, Ozuna might slip a few % points and I'll be locking him up.
Nolan Gorman - $2,600 - @ CHC - v. Thompson (R - CHC)
- As of this writing, Gorman is projected to be the best value bat on the slate by Daily Fantasy Nerd. On a slate where we likely will need Atlanta bats, we will for sure need some value. Like Liberatore above, Gorman is a younger player for the Cardinals, making his MLB debut this season. Ranked 27th by MLB's Top 100 Prospects, he could be a fine bat for them here shortly. What I like outside of his cheap price tag is that he has been hitting atop the order for the Cardinals, batting typically 2nd. In his last 3 starts from that position, he has 7 hits in 12 at bats, 1 2B, 2 HR and 6 RBIs. That's a pretty good start to his young career and heres to hoping it keeps up tonight in a split advantage matchup.
Andrew McCutchen
Mookie Betts
Freddie Freeman
Wilson Contreras

STACKS

Atlanta Braves - 6.24 Runs Projected - v. Gomber (L - COL)
- This one is pretty easy . . . right? Just obviously be aware, on a slate as short as tonight's and being projected almost 1.5 more runs than the highest non-Coors field team, everyone and I mean everyone is going to own this stack. So plan to get creative and look for other ways to stack / diversify your lineup.
San Diego Padres - 4.00 Runs Projected - v. Houser (R - MIL)
- This one is just taking a chance on a talented lineup vs. a very average pitcher. So far this season, the Padres have really struggled vs. right handed pitching, in fact, we are talking like bottom 5 team struggles. At some point though, this lineup has too much talent for that to not improve, at least to league average. They continue to miss Tatis Jr. but Machado and Hosmer are scary bats against anyone. Houser has a 4.56 xFIP on the season and a weak 17-18% K-rate. He is giving up a good bit of hard contact and his flyball rate is it's highest since 2018. Milwaukee is a hitters park and this has led to a jump in Housers HR/9 metric when pitching at home. I'm not saying this is an excellent stack on most nights but again, this circles back to what we have at hand, which isn't much tonight. I'll take a chance on the Padres bats finding some life on the road v. Houser.