Tonight’s main slate features only five games. So, as a result, I’ve pared the pitchers down to three, stacks down to a pair, and included the customary three core studs and three value plays/punts.
Check out today’s MLB Grand Slam contest at FanDuel 
Thursday's Starting Pitcher Strategy
Freddy Peralta's the best pitcher on tonight's slate and has a favorable draw. He headlines the pitching selections in all game types. Joe Musgrove is the latest beneficiary of facing the Rockies on the road, thrusting him into the second slot. Alex Cobb narrowly edges out his opponent, Frankie Montas, for the final pitching spot. Although, he's only a GPP consideration.
Tonight’s main slate features only five games. So, as a result, I’ve pared the pitchers down to three, stacks down to a pair, and included the customary three core studs and three value plays/punts.
Check out today’s MLB Grand Slam contest at FanDuel
Thursday's Starting Pitcher Strategy
Freddy Peralta's the best pitcher on tonight's slate and has a favorable draw. He headlines the pitching selections in all game types. Joe Musgrove is the latest beneficiary of facing the Rockies on the road, thrusting him into the second slot. Alex Cobb narrowly edges out his opponent, Frankie Montas, for the final pitching spot. Although, he's only a GPP consideration.
Cash Game Recommendations:
Freddy Peralta (MIL) at PIT
Peralta's been nothing short of spectacular this year. He's responsible for a glowing 2.29 ERA, 3.48 SIERA, 0.89 WHIP, 35.0 K%, and 31.0 CSW% in 19 games (18 starts) lasting 102.0 innings, per FanGraphs.
In addition to his statistics supporting using him on daily rosters tonight, a matchup with the Pirates does as well. Pittsburgh's tied for 21st in wRC+ (88) against right-handed pitchers this year. Peralta and the Brewers are commanding -182 favorites in a game with a pitcher-friendly total of only 8.0 runs.
Joe Musgrove (SD) vs. COL
Musgrove has a few duds on his ledger of late. Nonetheless, he's pitched very well in his first season with the Padres overall. Further, he's coming off of a stellar start and has a woefully bad opponent tonight.
The Rockies rank dead last in road wRC+ (64), 14 points worse than the next closest team. They're also rather punch-out prone, striking out at a 25.4% clip. Musgrove's capable of picking apart their swing-and-miss tendencies, having struck out 27.4% of the batters he's faced this year. I suggest pairing him with Peralta in cash games on DraftKings. However, I'd rather spend up for Peralta on FanDuel's single-pitcher platform.
GPP Recommendations:
Alex Cobb (LAA) vs. OAK
The A's represent a challenging matchup. They rank tied for 11th in wRC+ (102) against righties this year. However, Cobb's capable of turning in a gem even in a tricky draw.
The veteran righty's in good form. Over his last five starts lasting 28.2 innings, he's twirled a 2.83 ERA, 4.55 SIERA, 1.26 WHIP, 20.2 K%, and 30.5 CSW%. Cobb's SIERA isn't spectacular. Regardless, his called-strikes-plus-whiffs percentage is outstanding. He's a defensible pitching option on tonight's slate, namely when considering the risk or salaries associated with the alternatives.
Top Lineup Stacks
The Blue Jays are going to be the chalk stack tonight. The near certainty they'll be on such a high percentage of rosters renders them more of a cash games option than a GPP pick. Yes, their upside plays in GPPs. However, sticking a key piece from that stack onto a different stack that blows up -- or avoiding the Blue Jays entirely as a contrarian move -- is the path of less resistance. In cash games, there's no need to overthink it.
The game's low total doesn't suggest this is an offense to stack. Further, Chad Kuhl's recorded a 2.70 ERA in his last five starts. However, the righty's 4.43 SIERA is less impressive during that stretch. Also, some of the integral pieces of this offense look underpriced, making them viable options in cash games and GPPs.
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is mashing against everyone this year, lefties included. He has a .422 OBP, .215 ISO, and 149 wRC+ against southpaws.
- This year, Willy Adames has thrived in same-handed matchups, raking against righties for a .351 OBP, .207 ISO, and 125 wRC+ in 2021.
- As great as Vladito's been against southpaws this year, Teoscar Hernandez has been better, ripping them for a .372 OBP, .356 ISO, 184 wRC+. I'm primarily interested in using Hernandez on FanDuel, where it's easier to squeeze him onto a roster with his sizable salary.
- Omar Narvaez's 134 wRC+ against righties this year is more bang than you should get for the modest bucks you need to spare to roster him.
- Robbie Grossman's reasonably priced on FanDuel. I like him there. However, he's a stone-cold steal on DraftKings, where his .376 OBP, .223 ISO, and 135 wRC+ against southpaws are dreamy at only $3,200.
- Kolten Wong's 110 wRC+ against righties and leadoff gig are worth rostering on both sites.
Thursday's Hitter Strategy
In cash games, punting where necessary to squeeze in some of Toronto's hitters is the play. Grabbing Vladito and/or Hernandez and tacking them onto a Brewers stack is my preferred play.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
