MLB DFS Plays for May 9

Finding pitchers and lineup stacks for both of Wednesday's big DFS slates.

Wednesday brings an even split between day and evening games in baseball, with some great options to choose from in both slates. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Carrasco highlight the afternoon, while Patrick Corbin will be the headliner on the evening slate. Consider using the picks below and plugging them into our MLB Lineup Optimizer to help complete the rest of your lineup.

Starting Pitchers

Gerrit Cole, at Athletics (FD: $12,000, DK: $13,400)

Cole has been lights out for the Astros and has helped elevate the team’s rotation to one of the best, if not the very best, in baseball. Through seven starts with his new squad, he has a sparkling 1.42 ERA, 1.55 FIP and 0.69 WHIP. After allowing 1.4 HR/9 last season, which was almost double his career mark, he has course-corrected by allowing only three home runs in 50 2/3 innings. The biggest difference for Cole though has been a massive increase in strikeouts with a 13.7 K/9. His ERA is unlikely so stay this low over the course of the entire season, especially considering his opponents only have a .247 BABIP. However, he is still going to provide a ton of strikeouts and is the best starting pitcher available if you are playing the afternoon slate.

Patrick Corbin, at Dodgers (FD: $10,000, DK: $13,300)

Corbin has been dominant through his first seven outings, posting a 2.15 ERA, 2.97 FIP and 0.76 WHIP. He’s cut down his walks to 1.8 per nine innings, but he’s also been helped by opponents having an unusually low .208 BABIP. While that screams regression over the course of the season, his 35.3% hard-hit rate is actually slightly higher than his career mark. He also has an 11.7 K/9 this season, which has been boosted by the increased use of his slider, and a career high 15.7% whiff rate. This will already be his third start of the season against the Dodgers, and he gave up just one earned run while fanning 17 batters in 13 1/3 innings in the first two outings. The Dodgers have the fourth lowest OPS against left-handed pitching (.665) in baseball, making Corbin an excellent option again Wednesday.

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Chris Stratton, at Phillies (FD: $7,600, DK: $5,900)

Stratton didn’t have spectacular numbers in the minor leagues, accumulating a 4.07 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 7.9 K/9 in 623 2/3 innings. He only pitched 58 2/3 innings for the Giants last year, and while he finished with a respectable 3.68 ERA, his 1.48 WHIP and 4.3 BB/9 were reasons for concern. One area that Stratton has excelled in, though, in his brief career is keeping batters in the ballpark, allowing 0.8 HR/9. He’s done a better job limiting baserunners this season with a 1.23 WHIP. His 3.99 ERA isn’t great, but remember that he gave up six earned runs in just 1 1/3 innings in one start against the Dodgers. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his other six starts. His strikeout upside isn’t great, but he’s a viable option if you’re looking for a cheap starter for the night slate.

Offensive Stacks

Atlanta Braves vs. Ryan Yarbrough, Tampa Bay Rays
Stadium – Tropicana Field

Yarbrough has only made one start in his eight appearances this season, but he’s pitched at least four innings in five of those outings. He’s set to make his second start Wednesday in what is really going to be a bullpen game for the Rays, who have struggled to find starting pitching behind Chris Archer, Blake Snell and Jake Faria. The Braves crush left-handed pitching, posting the highest OPS against southpaws (.808) in baseball. The Rays bullpen has a 4.49 ERA, making this a great opportunity to fill your lineup with Braves hitters.

Houston Astros vs. Daniel Mengden, Oakland Athletics
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Mengden isn’t off to a bad start this year with a 4.30 ERA and 1.20 WHIP that could be better based on his 3.06 FIP. He’s shown excellent control with a 1.2 BB/9 and has allowed only three home runs across 37 2/3 innings. His .298 opponents BABIP is not high, but he’s flirted with trouble allowing a 40.2% hard-hit rate. He hasn’t been able to give the Athletics much length, either, throwing 5 2/3 innings or fewer in all but two starts. He was shelled by the Astros in their last meeting, giving up five runs (four earned) in 2 1/3 innings. The Astros have scored the third-most runs (186) in baseball, so don’t be surprised if they rough up Mengden in their rematch.

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Toronto Blue Jays vs. Wade LeBlanc, Seattle Mariners
Stadium – Rogers Centre

LeBlanc has mostly pitched out of the bullpen this season, but will be tasked with making his second start Wednesday. Although he didn’t pitch deep into the game last Thursday, he did hold the Athletics scoreless over four innings. That was his first start in the majors since 2016, so he might not be able to pitch deep into this game, either. With a 4.38 ERA and 1.36 WHIP for his career, the fact that he is starting for the Mariners shows their lack of depth more than anything else. The Blue Jays have the sixth-highest OPS (.763) at home this season, making for an excellent stacking opportunity.

Seattle Mariners vs. Jaime Garcia, Toronto Blue Jays
Stadium - Rogers Centre

With LeBlanc pitching for the Mariners and Garcia taking the mound for the Blue Jays, this could end up being a high-scoring affair. Garcia has not pitched well for his new team, posting a 6.60 ERA and 6.00 FIP across six starts. He allows way too many baserunners, following up his 1.41 WHIP last year with a 1.60 mark so far this season. His opponents .342 BABIP is likely to come down at some point, but with a 3.9 BB/9 and a 42.5% hard-hit rate, Garcia is going to need to make significant strides in order to turn things around. He has pitched at least six innings only one time this season and has allowed 15 earned runs in his last three starts combined, so stacking on both sides of this game could provide dividends for your entry.