It’s Elly De La Cruz day at the Great American Ball Park. The 6’5” 21-year-old shortstop is ranked by MLB.com as the fourth highest-rated prospect among all teams. The Dodgers are in Cincinnati and that will be one of the games that I am targeting today. That game and the Giants-Rockies game have the highest run totals on the board with 10.5 and 11 respectively. The Rockies have averaged 5.3 runs scored at home compared to a meager 3.69 runs averaged on the road. 

Today in some of the standout pitching matchups, we have Kevin Gausman vs. the Astros, Mitch Keller at home vs. the As, the ERA leader, Bryce Elder, welcomes the Mets to Atlanta, and Logan Gilbert vs. Joe Musgrove in San Diego. In injury news, Aaron Judge will be held out again and Thairo Estrada should be back for San Francisco.

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

Writer’s record

26-16-1

Baltimore Orioles ML (+105) @ Milwaukee Brewers

I like the Orioles at plus money in this spot. Freddy Peralta starts for the Brewers and Kyle Gibson starts for the Orioles. Gibson gives the Orioles a slight edge in the starting pitching matchup and they have the offensive edge as well. Baltimore has scored 50 more runs than the Brew Crew this year. 

Boston Red Sox ML @ Cleveland Guardians o7.5 runs (-110)

Shane Bieber’s struggles have been well-documented. His numbers are way down in terms of effectiveness and he gave up seven earned runs in only four innings in his last start. Over the last week, the Red Sox rank sixth in runs scored with 25, while the Guardians are only one behind with 24 runs scored. 

DFS Pillar Plays

Kevin Gausman

Position: P

Salary: $11,000

I’ll be going chalk with the highest priced pitcher on the board in Kevin Gausman. Gausman ranks fourth in K%, fourth in xFIP and twelfth in SwStr% this season among pitchers with over 50 IP. In his last five starts, he’s been absolutely sensational, giving up a combined five runs and striking out 42 batters over 33 innings. He has been a little better at home, with his home ERA sitting at 1.72, while his road ERA is 3.76. The Blue Jays will be desperate for a quality start the day after Alek Manoah couldn’t last a single inning.

Mookie Betts

Position: OF

Salary: $6,000

As part of a Dodgers stack, Mookie will be a must-play. Before the final two games of the Yankees series, he hit two home runs in back-to-back games. Look for Mookie to get back on track in a hitter’s park. Luke Weaver will be starting for the Reds. Weaver has been just average this year, carrying a 5.36 ERA. His velocity is on the lower side and he doesn’t strike out that many batters. 

J.D. Davis

Position: 3B

Salary: $4,700

With Michael Conforto potentially still hurt for tonight’s game, J.D. Davis will be the Giants’ leading home-run getter in this lineup. Davis has nine homers on the year and will be going against Dinelson Lamet who, in his one game since being recalled, went just three innings and gave up five runs. Watch for rain in this contest, but the wind will be blowing towards the outfield tonight and that should set things up nicely for some of the power hitters. 

DFS Value Plays (<$3000 Salary)

Jack Suwinski

Position: OF

Salary: $3,000

Suwinski wasn’t in the starting lineup for yesterday’s game, but he should be starting tonight against Oakland’s right-hander, James Kaprielian. Suwinski did pinch hit in the 6th inning yesterday where he grounded into a double play that led to a go-ahead run for the Pirates. Suwinski’s value mainly comes from the long ball, which he has 11 of this season. 

Miguel Vargas

Position: 2B

Salary: $3,000

It will be around 80 degrees in Cincinnati tonight. Vargas will be on the lower end of my Dodgers stack. He has a hit in three straight games. Among those hits was an RBI triple on Saturday. The high potential for offense in this game sets things up nicely for the Dodgers hitters. Vargas is the most intriguing cheap Dodger compared to guys like Jason Heyward or Chris Taylor

Kevin Newman

Position: 2B/3B

Salary: $2,800

With Jake Fraley missing yesterday’s game due to allergies, Newman hit lead-off. He got on base twice, with one hit and one walk. Newman can be deployed as a cheap option in this game that’s poised for a high run total. Tony Gonsolin will start for the Dodgers, but he will probably have a short leash, as usual. 

Elly De La Cruz

Position: SS

Salary: $2,000

The switch-hitting young prospect will be starting in the cleanup spot tonight. He’s fast and he’s got power. EDLC has 12 homers in 38 games, along with 11 swiped bags, 36 RBIs and 38 runs scored. His OPS is 1.031 this year in AAA and I’m excited to see how his skills translate to the big show. At this price, he’s worth a gamble in your lineup.