Multiple Cy Young candidates, and a few former winners, will be taking the mound today. Mitch Keller and the Pirates will be going across the country to the PNW to take on the Mariners in a game that will be played at 10:10 PM EST. Max Scherzer and the Mets travel to Coors as rumblings start to mount for a managerial change in Queens. We also get the start of the Andrew Friedman bowl in Tampa as the Dodgers make their way to western Florida. 

This is for the 5/26 4:05 PM PST slate. As always, make sure to check lineups before first pitch. 

Thrive Fantasy Picks

Corey Seager over 0.5 Total Hits

Christian Yelich over 1.5 Total Hits + Runs + RBIs

Jorge Soler over .5 Total Runs

Bryan Reynolds under 1.5 Total Hits + Runs +RBI\s

Writer’s record

17-15-1

Tampa Bay Rays ML vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (-115) 

The Rays are barely favored here and that’s surprising to me, given that the Dodgers are starting Noah Syndergaard. The Rays are at home and the Dodgers are coming off an emotional series against the Braves. 

Jesus Luzardo o5.5 Strikeouts (-145)

Over the last 15 days, the Angels rank 8th in number of strikeouts. Luzardo is 18th in K/9 with 10.1. Luzardo has gotten at least five Ks in every start this year, so he will at least be close to this number. The matchup should put him over the edge.   

DFS Pillar Plays

Kevin Gausman

Position: P

Salary: $10,300

There are six guys who rank in the top-25 in K/9 going in this slate. You could make arguments for any of them. Hunter Brown faces the As, Mitch Keller is in his Cy Young campaign and Chris Sale looks like he just got out of a time machine. The reason I’m going chalk here with the highest priced pitcher in Kevin Gausman is due to his matchup, his longevity and his strikeout potential. Gausman ranks fourth in K/9 with 11.6. Over the past two weeks, the Twins have struck out more than any other team. Gausman has gotten 18+ outs in eight out of his ten starts.   

Pete Alonso

Position: 1B

Salary: $5,700

Alonso is still being priced under $6,000, even though he leads the league in home runs. He has six of them in the last ten days. He’s red hot at the moment and the Mets are in Colorado, so that Rocky Mountain air could be in play. The Rockies are starting Connor Seabold, who has a 5.97 ERA and gave up two home runs in only 3.2 innings in his last start.

Jorge Soler

Position: OF

Salary: $5,500

Jorge Soler is going against a left-hander, which means I am playing him. In only 40 at bats against lefties, Soler has 16 hits with eight home runs. The lefty tonight will be Reid Detmers for the Angels, who has been better of late, but still boasts an ERA close to five. Soler is top-10 in barrel rate and is +260 to hit a home run tonight. 

Matt Chapman

Position: 3B

Salary: $4,600

This price makes Chapman an easy play for me. He’s cooled off compared to his ridiculous start, but still ranks second in barrel rate, second in hard hit percentage and seventh in average exit velocity. Chapman is tied for 13th in hits on the season. 

DFS Value Plays (<$3000 Salary)

Rougned Odor

Position: 2B/OF

Salary: $2,700

The Padres travel to the Bronx to start a cross-divisional matchup with the Yankees. Odor had a brief stint with the Yankees, who released him, so I expect him to be motivated to get a little revenge. He hit the go-ahead HR yesterday with two outs in the ninth and has hit a homer in two straight games. Odor is averaging 19 FPPG over the last four and is 7-for-15 during that stretch.

Owen Miller

Position: 3B/OF

Salary: $2,900

Owen Miller has slowly been moving up the Brewers lineup, and yesterday batted lead-off. It was a rough day at the office for the Brewers yesterday, who got shutout at home. They should have an easier time of it taking on the Giants’ Alex Wood today, who has a short leash due to just coming back from injury. In the last two weeks, Miller has six doubles, four home runs and a .380 batting average. 

Paul DeJong

Position: SS

Salary: $2,900

Paul DeJong has been an unexpected source of power for the Cardinals. He’s got eight home runs on the year and in the last 10 days has four home runs with 11 RBIs. DeJong has a .962 OPS on the season. He will be going against the Guardians, who are starting Shane Bieber and he has struggled this year.