Fantasy Baseball Picks: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Lineup Strategy for Padres vs. Dodgers Showdown on April 24

The Saturday night Showdown game on DraftKings spotlights the great NL West rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. The Padres have taken each of the first two games of this series at Dodger Stadium after a memorable two-home-run performance Friday night from Fernando Tatis Jr. ($9,000).

After Yu Darvish vs. Clayton Kershaw on Friday night, Saturday night features another great pitching matchup between Trevor Bauer ($10,800) and Blake Snell ($10,000). Remember Snell is a lefty, which impacts the Dodgers splits significantly, and both pitchers have been in good form, each allowing seven runs in four starts this season. DraftKings Sportsbook has the over/under for this game at just 7.0 runs with the Dodgers as -145 favorites.

Let’s jump right into how to construct your DraftKings lineups for Saturday night’s Showdown contest.

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Captain’s Picks

Trevor Bauer ($16,200 CP) - Without many runs expected to be scored, you have to at least consider using a pitcher in your Captain’s spot, and Bauer had been outstanding so far this season. In his four starts for the Dodgers, he has averaged 28.4 DKFP while allowing just 10 hits and seven runs over 26 innings and striking out 36. He had 23.1 DKFP in his most recent start which was also against the Padres, striking out seven in six strong innings in a no-decision. Bauer has only made one start at home this season, and that was a masterful one-hit performance against the Rockies that resulted in a season-high 36 DKFP.

Bauer has lived up so far to the massive contract he signed this offseason and has a 37.5% strikeout rate, contrasted with a 28.8% hard-contact rate. Even against a great lineup like the Padres, he brings enough strikeout potential to have both a high ceiling and a high floor, especially as he steps in and tries to stop his team’s mini-skid against San Diego.

Manny Machado ($12,300 CP) - Machado has excellent career numbers against Bauer, going 12-for-19 (.632) with two doubles, four home runs, four walks, a .813 wOBA and .737 ISO. While making too much of a small sample in BvP can be dangerous, that’s a pretty significant sample size that shows Machado sees Bauer very well. He has a .344 wOBA and .143 ISO this season, so the power hasn’t quite been there yet, but he does have an impressive 63.5% hard-hit rate, per Statcast, so his swing is actually in good shape. He has hit safely in all five of his games against his former team and should keep crushing against the Dodgers while also giving nice flexibility at this affordable salary.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $5K Extra Inning [$1K to 1st] (SD vs LAD)

Value Plays

Justin Turner ($9,200) - The fact that Turner hits well against left-handed pitching has been a reliable go-to for DFS players for years, and he continues to deliver, so it’s time to go back to the well for this matchup with Snell. Turner has a .470 wOBA and .319 ISO in his 18 games this season and is 9-for-26 (.346) with a .493 wOBA and .385 ISO against southpaws. He has been even better at home, where he has a .500 ISO. While those numbers aren’t sustainable for the whole season, it shows how hot he has been in the early going.

Sheldon Neuse ($6,600) - The Dodgers’ lineup is a little thin right now with Gavin Lux (wrist) and Zack McKinstry (oblique) on the injured list and Chris Taylor ($8,800; back) sidelined the past two games. Neuse filled in against a left-handed starter in Game 1 of this series and went 1-for-4 with a home run. He wasn’t much of a power prospect in his rise through the minors, but has hit for a solid average and has shown he can hit against lefties, which makes him valuable in this matchup against Snell.

Fades

Max Muncy ($8,400) - Muncy has big-time power potential and usually hits in the middle of the order, but I’d pass on him in this matchup in a lefty-lefty spot against Snell. Muncy is only 4-for-21 (.190) with four singles and a .000 ISO against southpaws this season. He has also been in a little bit of a funk going just 1-for-17 over his past five games with seven strikeouts.

The Outcome

The Padres will have to overcome Bauer if they want to make it three straight over the Dodgers, and I don’t think they’ll be able to get enough offense to get the job done. The Dodgers’ lineup is not as deep as when it is at full strength, and the matchup against a lefty isn’t ideal either. However, I think they’ll be able to scrape across enough runs to eke out a close, low-scoring victory in what should be a great pitchers’ duel.

Final Score: Dodgers 3, Padres 2

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $5K Extra Inning [$1K to 1st] (SD vs LAD)

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