We’re back! It was a rough couple of days with no baseball, but the start of the “second half” is finally here. The slate tonight is a big one, with 14 games eligible for selection. The only teams not involved in tonight’s slate are the Padres and the Phillies. There are some big aces on the mound and hopefully some of the niggling injuries that were bothering some players are now in the rearview mirror.

The big matchups to target tonight are the Braves at home against the White Sox, the Rays in Kansas City as well as both sides of Brewers-Reds and Yankees-Rockies. The Twins are also in a favorable matchup against the Oakland Athletics. There is a ton of weather out there to look out for today, so keep that in mind before lineups lock.

This is for the 7/14 4:05 PM PST classic slate on Draftkings.

Writer’s Record

35-21-1

New York Yankees @ Colorado Rockies u11.0 Runs (-110)

The Coors Field tax is very high in this game and I just don’t see where the offense is going to come from. Carlos Rodon gets his second start since his return from the IL and he looked pretty decent in his first game. Austin Gomber starts for Colorado and he has not been good, but even so, this Yankees team is one of the more offensively challenged lineups in the league.

Houston Astros ML (+129) @ Los Angeles Angels

Shohei Ohtani gets the start for the Angels, who are completely directionless at the moment. It seems like they don’t know how to manage a talent the level of Shohei Ohtani. Everybody sees the reports swirling around Ohtani’s long-term status on this ballclub and the Houston Astros are just at the completely opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to how an organization should operate. I will take Houston at plus money to add insult to injury for Angels fans.

DFS Pillar Plays

Kenta Maeda

Position: P

Salary: $7,700

I want to play Tyler Glasnow, but that game is potentially going to be impacted by a thunderstorm in Kansas City. Glasnow is also $2,600 more expensive than Maeda, and with all the big bats going, I want to get as many in my lineup as possible. Maeda is roughly 25% cheaper than Glasnow, but I don’t see Glasnow having a points output 25% higher than Maeda with the Twins taking on the lowly Athletics. Not only is Maeda cheap, he’s also been really good in the three games since his return. He’s only given up three earned runs in those three games and has struck out 21 batters. I would like to see his pitch count a little bit higher, but even going only 87 pitches in his last start, he was able to make it through seven innings. 

Giancarlo Stanton

Position: OF

Salary: $5,000 

Stanton has had a disappointing season to say the least, but against left-handed pitchers, he has been okay actually. In only 25 at-bats against lefties, Stanton has a 1.037 OPS. Left-handed Austin Gomber gets the start for the hometown Rockies, while the Yankees have the chance to get off on the right foot in this second half of the year. They need somebody to step up and Stanton is one of the few potentially impactful bats that could set the tone for the Bronx Bombers. Gomber has a 7.84 ERA at home this year.

Sean Murphy

Position: C

Salary: $5,400

Which Atlanta Braves player is going to hit a home run tonight? The White Sox travel to Truist Park to take on an Atlanta team that is on a historic pace when it comes to hitting home runs. The Braves have 82 home runs in 45 games at home this year. Murphy has been sensational for Atlanta and the all-star starter homered in his last three games before the break. 

DFS Value Plays (<$3000 Salary)

Paul DeJong

Position: SS

Salary: $3,000

Paul DeJong has had an okay season buoyed by the power he’s shown at times. He is hitting .304 in 23 at-bats against Trevor Williams in his career, and Williams gets the start for the visiting Nationals tonight. Williams has a 4.73 ERA on the road this year and has given up 21 earned runs in his last seven starts.

Joey Wiemer

Position: OF

Salary: $2,400

Wiemer had a nice finish to the first half, getting a hit in four straight games with a home run and three runs scored. Graham Ashcraft starts for the Reds, who is on the lower end of their starting rotation. The Great American Ball Park is favorable to hitters and the Brewers showed they could hang with this electric Reds squad. Milwaukee took two out of three games in the series between these two teams right before the break.

Will Benson

Position: OF

Salary: $2,600

Before the break, Will Benson was making a big impact in this lineup. Over the last month, Benson has a .373 batting average with 19 hits, 14 runs and eight RBIs in 19 games played. He is a part of the youth movement in Cincinnati and has had a bigger role than expected. Benson has hit three of his four home runs at home and is confirmed to be hitting ninth in the lineup today against Corbin Burnes, who has been shaky this season.