MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 5/8/2019

As per usual, a dose of day games leaves with us with a limited featured evening slate in DFS on Wednesday. With that being said, there are still a lot of great pitching and hitting options to consider, so let’s get right down to business. Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter and try our MLB Lineup Optimizer to help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

STARTING PITCHERS

Chris Sale vs. Baltimore Orioles
Stadium – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
FanDuel = $11,000
DraftKings = $10,400

Sale’s rough start to the season sent everyone into a panic. Luckily for the Red Sox, he’s been able to quickly right the ship by recording 28 strikeouts and allowing six runs (four earned) over 18 innings in his last three starts. He still has a lot of work to do on his ERA, but his xFIP is all the way down to 3.92. With him regaining his strikeout groove, he’s once again an elite DFS option, especially against a bad Orioles lineup.

Kyle Hendricks vs. Miami Marlins
Stadium – Wrigley Field
FanDuel = $8,200
DraftKings = $8,400

If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. The DFS equivalent of that phrase is deploying whichever pitcher is facing the Marlins on a nightly basis. They continue to scuffle along offensively, recording the fewest runs scored (99) and the lowest OPS (.602) in the league. While Hendricks isn’t a big strikeout pitcher, he showed his upside by throwing a complete game shutout against a very good Cardinals lineup in his last outing.

CATCHER

Willson Contreras vs. Jose Urena, Miami Marlins
Stadium – Wrigley Field
FanDuel = $4,100
DraftKings = $4,900

The Cubs are going to be a popular stack for this slate. Urena has never been an overpowering pitcher with his career 15.9 percent strikeout rate and he’s off to a terrible start with a 1.54 WHIP. To compound matters, he’s allowed seven home runs over 39.2 innings. There are few catchers in the league with as high of an upside as Contreras, who has started off the season with a robust 184 wRC+.

Others to consider: Robinson Chirinos

FIRST BASE

Mitch Moreland vs. Andrew Cashner, Baltimore Orioles
Stadium – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
FanDuel = $3,700
DraftKings = $4,700

Moreland was able to take advantage of the Orioles bad pitching staff Tuesday by launching a three-run homer. He now has three long balls across his last six games, which has helped him post a .327 ISO this year. Cashner allowed a .361 wOBA against left-handed hitter last year, so don’t hesitate to roll out Moreland in DFS again.

Others to consider: Anthony Rizzo and Ryan O’Hearn

SECOND BASE

Whit Merrifield vs. Brad Peacock, Houston Astros
Stadium – Minute Maid Park
FanDuel = $3,800
DraftKings = $5,000

The Royals had a rare offensive outburst Tuesday, but it was no surprise that Merrifield was right in the middle of it all by hitting 4-for-5 with a homer and a steal. He has recorded at least two hits in four of his last seven games and already has six home runs after hitting 12 all of last season. He’s one of the toughest outs in baseball, making him a great option against Peacock and his 4.69 xFIP.

Others to consider: Michael Chavis and David Bote

THIRD BASE

Justin Turner vs. Mike Foltynewicz, Atlanta Braves
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $2,900
DraftKings = $3,800

Speaking of monster performances, Turner launched three home runs against the Braves on Tuesday. He only had one long ball heading into that game, so it was a performance that was desperately needed. Despite his lack of power, Turner has still been getting on base at a high rate this season. At this cheap price, he’s hard to pass up, especially with how poorly Foltynewicz has looked since returning from the IL.

Others to consider: Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers

SHORTSTOP

Corey Seager vs. Mike Foltynewicz, Atlanta Braves
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $3,000
DraftKings = $3,800

Seager has an alarming 43.8 percent fly ball rate this season, which is over 12 percentage points higher than his career mark. He has only two home runs, so it hasn’t exactly resulted in an increase in his power numbers. The good news is that he’s 4-for-12 with two doubles over his last three games and he has a career .375 wOBA versus right-handed pitchers, so he might be worth taking a chance on at his reduced price.

Others to consider: Javier Baez and Xander Bogaerts

OUTFIELD

J.D. Martinez vs. Andrew Cashner, Baltimore Orioles
Stadium – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
FanDuel=$3,900
DraftKings = $4,900

You don’t see this too often, but Martinez had gone 15 straight games entering play Tuesday without a home run. All it took was the Orioles to cure what ailed him as he hit a homer in the first inning against David Hess. His price is still fairly low based on his upside, especially on FanDuel, making him a great target against another underwhelming pitcher in Cashner.

Alex Verdugo vs. Mike Foltynewicz, Atlanta Braves
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $2,700
DraftKings = $4,200

With A.J. Pollock (elbow) on the shelf, Verdugo has a clear path to regular playing time. He hasn’t let the opportunity go to waste so far, hitting 10-for-31 (.323) across his last 10 games. Although he only has one extra base hit during that stretch, he did draw five walks compared to just two strikeouts. If you’re stacking against Foltynewciz, Verdugo is someone to strongly consider.

Kyle Schwarber vs. Jose Urena, Miami Marlins
Stadium – Wrigley Field
FanDuel = $2,400
DraftKings = $3,900

It’s no secret that Schwarber is very much an all-or-nothing option. His strikeout rate is bad again at 29.2 percent, but the more concerning stat is that he only has one home run over his last 73 plate appearances. A lot of that is why he has a reduced price tag on both sites. However, with how badly Urena has pitched, this might be just the matchup that Schwarber needs to get things going.

Others to consider: Michael Brantley and Andrew Benintendi

Author Bio:

Mike has been covering fantasy sports since 2007, joining Lineup Lab in 2017. An avid player of both season-long fantasy leagues and DFS, Mike’s work has appeared on numerous sites, including RotoWire, SportsLine and Sports Illustrated. He’s also been featured on DraftKings’ nightly show, The Sweat, and was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.