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MLB has a stacked main slate of games for Saturday, July 23. There will be 10 games played starting at 7:05 p.m. ET, including the second of a doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians. The main slate kicks off at the same time as Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees take on the surging Baltimore Orioles.
Top Pitchers
Gerrit Cole, NYY vs. BAL ($10,400) — Stacks will be the name of the game for today’s slate. While there are 20 teams in action, the top pitcher is easily Cole, who has a 9-2 record with a 3.02 ERA. He continues to be one of the best arms in the game and will look to dominate the Orioles Saturday.
Kyle Wright, ATL vs. LAA ($9,100) — Wright isn’t technically the second most expensive pitcher, but I think he will be the second best option. He is a little riskier as he has had his good and bad days this year, but the Los Angeles Angels present a prime matchup. With Friday’s series-opening loss, the Angels are now 2-13 over their last 15 games. The Atlanta lineup gave plenty of run support to Dylan Lee Friday and Wright should see the same, taking the pressure off of him on the mound.
Top Hitters
Aaron Judge, NYY vs. BAL ($6,200) — Writing anything about Judge being a top hitter for a DFS slate seems superfluous at this point. Judge clobbered home runs 35 and 36 on Friday to extend his lead in the league to six home runs more than the next batter. He is only 2-11 against Baltimore Orioles starter Jordan Lyles in his career but as you may have guessed, both hits were home runs.
Shohei Ohtani, LAA vs. ATL ($6,100) — It may seem odd picking Ohtani when I said that Wright was going to be the second-best pitcher of the day. That is just a testament at how good that Ohtani is. He got rocked on the mound in the seventh inning of the game Friday, but he also received zero run support and struck out 11. Now, Ohtani faces the right-handed Wright and should be the one batter in the lineup that will do some damage.
Value Pitcher
Max Meyer, MIA vs. PIT ($6,100) — How risky are you trying to get with your lineup? If you are trying to risk it for the biscuit, then Meyer may be the value pitcher you are looking for. The rookie is starting his second career game and coming off a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. He pitched 5.1 innings and gave up five earned runs, but don’t be dismayed as the Marlins pitching staff gave up five more after he exited the game. There aren’t many reliable arms to go for on Saturday when looking at value, so why not go with a rookie against the Pittsburgh Pirates?
Value Hitter
Miguel Rojas, MIA vs. PIT ($2,900) — Staying with Miami for the value hitter, I am going with shortstop Miguel Rojas. He has been getting more playing time as Jazz Chisholm has been sidelined with an injury. With the star shortstop set to miss six more weeks of time, Rojas should continue to see starts in the lineup. He and the Marlins will face the veteran southpaw Jose Quintana. Rojas comes in 3-7 against Quintana in his career and is hitting .241 this season.