Thursday’s slate in fantasy baseball begins with an early matchup between the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. Overall, there are 10 games on the slate, and if you need advice with your lineups, we’ve got you covered here. Here are two potential stacks, a starter you’d be wise to stream, and a pitcher you should fade across all formats.
Why You Should Stack the Yankees and Fade MacKenzie Gore
The Yankees open Thursday’s slate against the Texas Rangers at 12:35 p.m. ET, and they also happen to be one of the top stacks in this 10-game fantasy baseball slate, which also leads us to recommend fading MacKenzie Gore whenever possible. The Yankees have several elite hitters in the lineup, headlined by Aaron Judge (.273, 15 HR, 1.066 OPS), but there are several other players who have had success against Gore in the past.
The list includes Paul Goldschmidt (.300, .864 OPS in 10 at-bats), who will start and bat leadoff, as well as Cody Bellinger (.333, .899 OPS in nine at-bats) and Jazz Chisholm Jr. (.333, 1.000 OPS, 1 HR in nine at-bats).
When it comes to the pitching matchup, Gore has been struggling of late and lasted just 3.2 innings the last time out against the Tigers, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three. Gore has allowed at least three earned runs in his last three starts, posting a 7.24 ERA across 13.2 frames in that span, so it’s best to fade him since the Yankees are among the best offenses in the majors.
Why Stacking the Mets at Coors Field is a Good Idea
Yes, the Mets have scored the second-fewest runs in the majors this season. They also own the second-worst OPS at .645, so it’s hard to rely on them for fantasy baseball and DFS purposes. However, if there’s one scenario in which it’d be a good idea to stack them, it’s a favorable pitching matchup in a hitter-friendly environment, which is exactly the case on Thursday when facing the Rockies and Jose Quintana (1-2, 4.07 ERA).
Quintana endured significant struggles in the early stages of the campaign and posted a 6.23 ERA and 4:9 K:BB through 13 innings in his first three outings, but he’s bounced back with a 1.59 ERA and 8:2 K:BB in 11.1 frames in his past two.
Still, the environment at Coors Field is just too good to ignore. The Mets are showing *early* signs of turning things around with a .731 OPS over the last seven days, which ranks ninth in the majors over that span. With Juan Soto healthy and the rest of the lineup slowly hitting its stride, this could be a profitable matchup for several New York hitters.
Why Marcus Semien Could Be a Strong DFS Anchor
Even if you decide against stacking the Mets at Coors Field, you should take a look at Marcus Semien as a hitter to include in the majority of your DFS lineups if you have the chance to do so. He has hit .417 with a 1.128 OPS in 12 at-bats against Quintana throughout his career, but the veteran is also coming off a strong game Wednesday against Colorado, going 4-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double, and three total runs scored in a 10-5 win.
Semien is batting .231 with a .602 OPS, two homers, 13 RBI, 11 runs scored, six doubles, and four stolen bases over 36 contests. Those numbers aren’t sexy by any means, but his strong showing Wednesday and the favorable hitting conditions at Coors Field make him a player worth targeting in most formats.
Why Zac Gallen is an Excellent Fantasy Baseball Streamer on Thursday
Gallen is in dire need of a bounce-back performance after he was obliterated by the Chicago Cubs the last time out, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks over 3.2 innings. However, prior to that outing, he had given up three runs or fewer in five starts in a row, and he’ll aim to bounce back against the Pirates on Thursday.
The Pirates have had a strong season, as they’ve scored the seventh-most runs in the majors (181) and post the ninth-best OPS (.720), but they also rank 17th in OPS over the last 15 days (.708), so they’re clearly trending in the wrong direction following a strong start to the year.
Gallen’s numbers are far from eye-popping, as he owns a 4.45 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 32.1 innings while sporting a 20:10 K:BB. However, if excluding the start against the Cubs, Gallen had posted a 2.19 ERA in 24.2 innings through five starts in April. He’s certainly a decent option to stream if you want to get quality innings in a favorable matchup.
If you want the full analysis on the pitching matchups for Thursday, don’t forget to check our Fantasy Pitcher Projections!
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