What a week it’s been for baseball. We got a nice little preview of what the Reds could look like in the near future. We also got a trifecta of collapses from the New York Mets. There were a number of postponements and delays due to the apocalyptic conditions on the east coast. This led to some abnormal start times and double-headers. We should be back to regularly scheduled programming as it seems the smoke has dissipated enough to be deemed healthy for these games to go ahead.

There looks to be multiple games on tonight’s slate that will be on the higher scoring side. There are five games with run totals at nine or above. Some of the games I will be looking to target are Padres-Rockies, Athletics-Brewers and Nationals-Braves. It will be a bullpen game for the Dodgers in Philadelphia as well as for Oakland in Milwaukee.  

This is for the 6/9 4:05 PM PST slate. As always, make sure to check lineups before first pitch. 

Writer’s record

27-17-1

Chicago Cubs ML (+100) @ San Francisco Giants

Marcus Stroman takes the mound for the Cubs and he’s been cruising lately. He hasn’t allowed a run in 15 innings, while his counterpart, Anthony Desclafani, allowed five runs in only three innings in his last start for San Francisco. 

Oakland Athletics @ Milwaukee Brewers o9.5 runs (-105)

There was a late change from Luis Medina to opener, Sam Moll, starting for Oakland. That does not bode well for the As, whose bullpen is carrying a 6.12 ERA. They’re DFL in that stat, with Kansas City a distant second with a 4.90 bullpen ERA. Oakland’s offense has shown signs of life lately as well and it’ll be hot in Milwaukee, which should help the ball fly.

DFS Pillar Plays

Tyler Wells

Position: P

Salary: $8,300

Of the pitchers who have thrown more than 50 innings this season, Tyler Wells has the lowest WHIP in the league. The Orioles welcome the Royals to Baltimore, which sets things up nicely for the right-hander. He’s been a little bit better at Camden Yards than on the road, allowing five fewer runs in five more innings pitched at home. In his last five starts, he’s gotten seven or more strikeouts in each game. The Royals have scored the fourth fewest amount of runs in the last two weeks.

Fernando Tatis Jr.

Position: OF

Salary: $6,400

The Padres travel to Colorado in what should be a get-right series for them. Five of Tatis’ 11 home runs have come against lefties this year, in only 40 PAs. I’m expecting a big night out of the Padres’ power hitters against Rockies starter, Austin Gomber. Gomber has an 8.64 ERA at home over seven starts. You could go with Juan Soto as well for $300 cheaper if you’re having trouble building your lineup, but Tatis’ ceiling is higher. 

Francisco Alvarez

Position: C

Salary: $3,500

I think it’s safe to say Francisco Alvarez is back. Two home runs in the last game and a home run in the game prior. The 43 year old lefty, Rich Hill, will take the mound for the home Pirates. The Mets might’ve gotten swept, but their offense was not the problem. Alvarez is third favorite for NL ROTY at +1000.

DFS Value Plays (<$3200 Salary)

Ryan Noda

Position: 1B

Salary: $2,600

Don’t look now, but the As have strung together two wins in a row, scoring 20 runs in those two games. Ryan Noda was a big part of those wins and has been impactful in the games where Oakland has done anything positive this year. He’s got two hits in four out of the last five games and has six XBH with a .325 batting average over the past two weeks.

Joey Wiemer

Position: OF

Salary: $2,400

Joey Wiemer has been red hot lately. He’s on a nine game hit streak and is two days removed from a two homer, five RBI game. Over the last 13 games, Wiemer has accumulated eight XBH for the Brew Crew. Oakland is going with an opener and their league-worst bullpen might be in for a long night. 

Miguel Vargas

Position: 2B

Salary: $3,200

Vargas has been really impressive lately. He takes great at-bats and he almost hit one out for the second night in a row on Thursday. It stopped just short on the warning track, but Vargas got a hit in another at-bat to push his hit streak to six games. With Ranger Suarez on the mound in Philadelphia, the Dodgers should continue their high scoring ways and with Victor Gonzalez starting for the Dodgers, they’ll need as many runs as they can get.