We have a 14-game slate on Friday night, and it is a tough slate to sift through with all of the options on it. There are elite arms and elite bats all over that will really challenge you to build the correct style of lineup tonight.
Pitchers
There are plenty of elite options on this slate, but I think I will be solely focused on Jacob deGrom in San Francisco. deGrom hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations that he had built up last year, but he is still a top-end ace, especially in this spot. The Giants offense is not very threatening, and I expect them to get shut down by deGrom tonight.
There are other options, like Verlander, Ryu, Corbin, Bieber, and Price, on this slate, but I just think that deGrom is either significantly better or a better value than all of these options. I would rank this group starting with Price, Ryu, Beiber, Verlander, and Corbin when considering matchup.
Ryu is in a similar situation to deGrom, but he is more expensive on most sites and has a shorter leash in a worse park. Price is in a great matchup, but he seems to lack the elite upside of the top-end guys.
The mid-tier of pitching is rather barren for a slate this large because it lacks upside that I want in tournaments. I like the overall projection and spot for Stroman and McKay, but their prices on most sites are too high. Adam Wainwright and Chris Bassitt have both flashed good games recently, but I don’t think that is what I can expect against solid offenses in humid, hitter-friendly parks.
If I had to take someone here, it is Jaime Barria. Barria has thrown three straight solid games, I like his overall talent, and he is in a pitchers park. The Mariners have some pop, but I think Barria’s strikeout upside is okay to attack in this spot.
The bottom tier of pitching is loaded with interesting options that I think are very viable tonight. JA Happ has solid stuff and faces a Rockies team that historically struggles outside of Coors. At this cheap of a price, I think Happ can throw three innings of 6-K, 2-ER ball and pick up a win.
Tyler Beede has thrown well in his last two outings and now faces a slightly below-average offense in a huge park. Beede isn’t a great talent, but Oracle Park does wonders for any pitcher.
Reynaldo Lopez gets a huge park bump and has legitimate upside to challenge $10,000 pitchers from time to time. Lopez has not been consistent whatsoever, but given the high-scoring slate outlook and the matchup, I like Lopez in GPPs for upside and savings.
Stacks
The Yankees have the highest total on the slate, coming in at just over seven runs tonight against Kyle Freeland. Freeland has really struggled lately, albeit in Coors Field most of the time. Freeland is a below-average left-handed pitcher who should see a plethora of powerful righties in the Yankees lineup tonight. This is my favorite stack on the slate.
The Blue Jays have a lower total but have much cheaper prices against Jordan Zimmerman, who can make a case for being the worst pitcher in baseball since returning from injury. The Blue Jays have a ton of power, so I like getting my fair share of players from this lineup tonight.
Milwaukee may go a bit overlooked tonight when they go and face Taylor Clarke in a bigger park than they are accustomed to in Arizona. Clarke is one of the worst pitchers in baseball and could easily give up a seven-spot in the first inning here. I like the Brewers as a full stack tonight.