UPDATE: Max Scherzer has been scratched from his start and will be replaced by David Peterson

It’s Shohei day at the A. Aaron Judge is back. The Detroit Tigers are good? There’s plenty on the menu today, including the second game in a 3-game series between the top teams in the AL, at least record-wise. Mad Max is also going today as Mets fans desperately seek something, anything, positive to cling to. 

This is for the 5/9 4:05 PM PST slate on DraftKings. As always, make sure to check lineups before first pitch.  

Thrive Fantasy Picks

Lucas Giolito over 6.5 Ks

Willy Adames over .5 RBIs + Runs

Byron Buxton over 2.5 Total Bases

Fernando Tatis Jr. under .5 Stls

Writer’s record

8-9-1

Oakland Athletics @ New York Yankees o9 Runs (-105)

Clarke Schmidt takes the bump for the home team and has allowed 3+ runs in 5 of his 7 starts this year. Drew Rucinski is on the other side for the A’s and he’s given up 10 runs in 2 starts. With Aaron Judge back, the Yankees lineup looks a whole lot better and the A’s have one of the worst bullpens in the league.

Shohei Ohtani over 7.5 Ks (-140)

What else can you say about this guy? In 7 starts, he’s gotten 8 or more strikeouts five times and one of the two where he didn’t, he was taken out due to a rain delay 3 innings in. Ohtani had 8 strikeouts in the first 3 innings in his last start. If this number is under 8, I take it every time.

White Sox ML @ Kansas City Royals (-150)

Lucas Giolito was excellent in his last start, when he only allowed 2 hits and struck out 7 in 7 innings vs. Minnesota. The Royals are going with Jordan Lyles, who’s allowed 7 and 8 runs in consecutive starts. The White Sox are starting to show signs of life on offense and I expect them to get to Lyles and give Lucas Giolito a lead to work with. 

DFS Pillar Plays

Logan Webb

Position: P

Salary: $9,500

In his last start, Logan Webb was cruising against the Astros before giving up a 2-run shot in the 8th inning. You can count on him for length as he’s gone 6+ innings in 5 straight starts. He’s unlucky to have 5 losses and should have an easier time getting the decision at home vs. the Nationals.  

Sean Murphy

Position: C

Salary: $5,200

Despite Travis d’Arnaud’s return, the Braves have no reason to displace Sean Murphy as their everyday catcher. They’ll work d’Arnaud back as their DH for the time being, so fire up Murphy, who leads the catcher position in OPS, RBIs and HR this year. Nick Pivetta takes the mound for the Red Sox, who’s given up at least 1 HR and has allowed 3+ runs in each of his last 4 starts. 

Christian Walker

Position: 1B

Salary: $4,900

Christian Walker will probably be an all-star this year. He’s top-10 in runs batted in (28), home runs (9) and slugging percentage (.563). In his last ten games, he’s hitting .409 with 13 RBIs, 6 HR and 11 runs scored. He’s homered in 2 straight games, with last night’s traveling 459 feet. Only 12 have been hit further so far this year, 3 of which were in Mexico City. 

Luis Robert Jr.

Position: OF

Salary: $4,600

I want a piece of this matchup vs. Jordan Lyles and the Royals. You can go with Elvis Andrus, who’s at $2,800 and has multi-position designation, but I’m choosing to go with Luis Robert Jr., who is currently on a 7 game hit streak. He’s scored 9 runs in that same timeframe, with 4 coming in that 17 run shellacking the White Sox gave the Reds on Sunday. Robert has 4-XBH in his last 5 games, which is an easy way to rack up points.

DFS Value Plays (<$3200 Salary)

Brice Turang

Position: 2B

Salary: $3,000

In game 1 of a 3-game series, the Brewers beat the Dodgers 9-3 with Turang scoring 2 of the Brewers’ 9 runs. Turang has 8 hits in his last 6 games, with 2 stolen bases to boot. Noah Syndergaard takes the mound tonight for the Dodgers, who was mercifully held out of his last start. His outing prior to the scratched start, he struck out 0 batters in 5 ⅓ innings. He has been undergoing hypnosis (yes, really) in an effort to recapture some of his past success. It could work, but I’m betting it won’t. The advantage should be with Turang and the Brewers, who are all of a sudden just .5 games back from the high-flying Pirates for top spot in the NL Central. 

Lane Thomas

Position: OF

Salary: $2,500

There’s a lot of value in this Nationals’ lineup. Lane Thomas leads the Nats with 17 RBIs and is second on the team in hits, only trailing Joey Meneses. Thomas has been leading off for the Nationals the last few games and is averaging 12.5 FPPG over his last 6 contests. 

Chris Taylor

Position: 3B/SS

Salary: $3,200

I think it’s fair to say CT3 has fully recovered from his early season struggles. In the last 2 weeks (12 games), Taylor has managed a .342 batting average with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs. He hit a pinch-hit home run last night and should really be an everyday starter moving forward, given the limited options Dave Roberts has at his disposal.