MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 5/10/18

*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 5/10/18

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Thursday brings a limited slate of games, but there are still plenty of great options both on the mound and in the batter’s box to take advantage of in DFS. Sign up for our Newsletter and try our Playerlab tool, where you can filter the stats that matter the most and help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

STARTING PITCHERS

Walker Buehler vs. Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $8,600
DraftKings = $10,500

With the Dodgers dealing with injuries to their starting rotation, Buehler is here to stay. He’s made an immediate impact in his first three starts, posting a 1.13 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 10.7 K/9. He dominated with a 12.4 K/9 during his career in the minors, so his strikeout upside is legitimate. The only real negative you can say about his first three starts is that they came against the Marlins, Giants, and Padres, who are three of the worst offensive teams in baseball. The Reds haven’t been much better though and have the fifth-worst OPS against right-handed pitchers (.671) in baseball, so Buehler may be able to keep his hot streak alive for at least one more start.

Miles Mikolas vs. San Diego Padres
Stadium – Petco Park
FanDuel = $8,500
DraftKings = $10,200

Mikolas has been impressive in his first action in the majors since 2014 and clearly made significant improvements during his time in Japan. Through six starts this season, he has a 2.70 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. His 7.0 K/9 isn’t great, but he’s shown impeccable control with 0.5 BB/9. He’s pitching deep into games as well, logging at least 6.1 innings in all but one of his outings. The Padres have the third-lowest OPS against righties (.648) and have had trouble scoring runs in general, leaving Mikolas with the potential to provide value again Thursday.

CATCHER/FIRST BASE

Cody Bellinger vs. Tyler Mahle, Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $3,700
DraftKings = $4,200

After bursting onto the scene last year with a .933 OPS, Bellinger hasn’t hit for much power yet this season, resulting in a .794 OPS. He’s still hitting for a high average and has a 39% hard-hit rate, so he should start slugging more long balls sooner rather than later. He finished with a 140 wRC+ against righties last and has a 142 mark against them so far this season, so facing Mahle could lead to a breakout game.

Justin Bour vs. Mike Foltynewicz, Atlanta Braves
Stadium – Marlins Park
FanDuel = $3,200
DraftKings = $3,400

Foltynewicz has made improvements this season, but his 1.35 WHIP is still too high. Left-handed hitters have given him troubles in his career, including Bour, who is 8-for-14 with two home runs against him. Bour is off to a slow start this season, but he still has a .367 wOBA against righties, making him a cost-effective option to consider.

Others to consider: Gary Sanchez (catcher) and Lucas Duda (first base)

SECOND BASE

Whit Merrifield vs. Chris Tillman, Baltimore Orioles
Stadium – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
FanDuel = $3,600
DraftKings = $4,300

Merrifield is batting only .261 this season, but that won’t last for long if he keeps up his 42.6% hard-hit rate. His K% is right in line with his career mark and he’s drawing more walks as well. With Tillman taking the mound, this is going to be a great opportunity to stack Royals in DFS since he has allowed at least four earned runs in all but one of his starts this season.

Jonathan Schoop vs. Ian Kennedy, Kansas City Royals
Stadium – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
FanDuel = $2,900
DraftKinfs = $3,500

In two games since coming off the DL, Schoop is 3-for-9 with a double, two RBI and three runs scored. His slow start and stint on the DL have helped lower his price after a breakout campaign helped plenty of people win money in DFS last year. He doesn’t have the righty/lefty advantage in this matchup, but he’s still priced low enough to potentially use in tournament play.

Others to consider: Gleyber Torres and Eduardo Nunez

THIRD BASE

Mike Moustakas vs. Chris Tillman, Baltimore Orioles
Stadium – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
FanDuel = $4,100
DraftKings = $4,500

Moustakas had the best power season of his career in 2017 with 38 home runs and he hasn’t slowed down this year, slugging 10 homers in 36 games. He’s batting .292 as well and while that seems unsustainable, his .278 BABIP is actually not high. This is a prime opportunity to play him against Tillman, who allowed a .429 wOBA to lefties last year.

Yangervis Solarte vs. Mike Leake, Seattle Mariners
Stadium – Rogers Centre
FanDuel = $3,200
DraftKings = $3,900

Solarte has cashed in everyday playing time to bat .271 with nine homers this year. Solarte does a great job limiting his strikeouts, posting an 11.8 K% for his career. He has a .374 wOBA against right-handers this year and Leake has allowed a .366 wOBA to lefties, so Solarte could be an option if you need to save money at third base.

Others to consider: Travis Shaw and Matt Carpenter

SHORTSTOP

Paul DeJong vs. Jordan Lyles, San Diego Padres
Stadium – Petco Park
FanDuel = $3,600
DraftKings = $4,000

Lyles has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen this season, logging 19.2 innings across 13 appearances. He did pitch three innings in one appearance earlier this year, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll have built up enough arm strength to pitch deep into this game. He struggled in five starts for the Padres last year, recording a 9.39 ERA and 1.96 WHIP. This could end up being a bullpen day for the Padres, so with several of the top shortstops dealing with difficult matchups Thursday, DeJong becomes a viable option with homer upside.

Chris Taylor vs. Tyler Mahle, Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $3,500
DraftKings = $3,800

Taylor seemed like a regression candidate heading into this season as his .288 average in 2017 was largely aided by a .361 BABIP. He’s had a bigger drop off than expected this year though, batting .235 with a .284 BABIP. He’ll probably end the season somewhere in the middle and is an important player on a Dodgers team that is now missing their star shortstop in Corey Seager (elbow). Mahle has a 4.92 FIP through seven starts and has been prone to giving up the long ball, leaving Taylor as another shortstop worth considering.

Others to consider: Eduardo Escobar and Jean Segura

OUTFIELD

Giancarlo Stanton vs. Eduardo Rodriguez, Boston Red Sox
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $4,900
DraftKings = $5,100

Stanton normally hits lefties well, posting a .430 wOBA against them for his career. This year has been no different with an incredible .621 wOBA against them so far. He already has six home runs in only 34 plate appearance against lefties as well. He’s stepped up in the first two games of this series against the Red Sox and will look for another big performance against Rodriguez as the Yankees go for the sweep.

Jorge Soler vs. Chris Tillman, Baltimore Orioles
Stadium – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
FanDuel = $3,700
DraftKings = $4,200

Continuing our stack of Royals’ hitters against Tillman, Soler is another great option. He’s on fire right now, recording at least two hits in five of his last 10 games while also hitting three home runs in that same stretch. Even though Soler has much better numbers this season against lefties than righties, he’s not exactly struggling against righties with a .362 wOBA.

Alex Gordon vs. Chris Tillman, Baltimore Orioles
Stadium – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
FanDuel = $3,100
DraftKings = $3,800

Let’s go to the well against Tillman one more time with Gordon, who is batting .313 in the early going. He is still having troubles against left-handed pitching, but righties have not proven to be nearly as difficult, resulting in a .412 wOBA. Since he will help with your budget as well, it makes a lot of sense to try riding Gordon’s hot streak in this game.

Others to consider: Charlie Blackmon and Christian Yelich