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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily MLB fantasy picture for the five-game evening slate beginning at 7:10 p.m. EST, Saturday, April 15:
Hitter Stacks
- Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers (RHP Kenta Maeda): The Diamondbacks' bats have looked sharp in the early going, scoring 5.09 runs per game -- good for third in the majors. The same can't be said for Kenta Maeda, who has allowed seven earned runs in 10 innings.
3-player stack: 3B Jake Lamb (52K), OF Yasmany Tomas (46K), 2B Brandon Drury (44K)
- Los Angeles Angels at Kansas City Royals (RHP Nathan Karns): Anchored by Mike Trout, any Angels stack will have a reasonable shot at returning value. Fill in the gaps with Andrelton Simmons (.419 OBP vs. RHPs so far this year) and Yunel Escobar (.371 OBP vs. RHPs) and the Angels will have a good shot at adding to Karns' 7.11 ERA.
3-player stack: OF Trout (73K), 3B Escobar (47K), SS Simmons (41K)
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Pitcher Breakdown
- TARGET - LHP Patrick Corbin (65K), Diamondbacks (at Dodgers): Corbin has a career 7.6 K/9 and solid run support, so strikeouts and a win are certainly within reach. Aiding his cause is a Dodgers lineup that ranks dead last in wOBA vs. LHPs since the start of the 2016 season. L.A. still has to solve their troubles against lefties.
- FADE - RHP Kenta Maeda (98K), Dodgers (vs. Diamondbacks): Not only is Maeda the most expensive player on the slate in spite of his 6.30 ERA through two starts, he's also facing an extremely effective Diamondbacks lineup. Arizona has the second-highest wOBA vs. RHPS this season, sitting at .362.
- CONTRARIAN - RHP Matt Shoemaker (65K), Angels (at Royals): Shoemaker has struggled greatly so far in 2017, allowing eight earned runs through 9 1/3 innings, with five Ks to five BBs. Perhaps a matchup with a lackluster Royals lineup that is collectively posting a .288 wOBA is just what Shoemaker needs to get his K/9 back on track.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Bargain Plays
- C Travis d'Arnaud (38K), Mets (at Marlins): D'Arnaud has gotten off to a fantasy start, slashing .333/.438/.704 with two HRs in nine games. The only thing hampering his production is that he has hit eighth when he stats -- always ahead of the team's pitcher. That doesn't offer much protection in the order but does lend itself to a reduced price.
- OF Shin-Soo Choo (42K), Rangers (at Mariners): A number-two hitter for just 42K? That's a steal, even if, ironically, Choo is past the point of being a stolen base threat at the top of the order. He still has a career .380 OBP, so on a good day, Choo can tally runs at a high clip.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Top Fades
- SS Corey Seager (59K), Dodgers (vs. Diamondbacks): Don't spend up for the second-most expensive middle infielder today. Seager is excellent at a lot of things, but unless the Dodgers can get to the D-Backs' bullpen quickly, his deficiencies against LHPs will be on display for most of the game. Seager has a career .407 wOBA vs. RHPs but that falls to just .327 against southpaws.
- 2B Dee Gordon (48K), Marlins (vs. Mets): As a true speed threat whenever he gets on base, Gordon on-base potential might be a tad skewed. A .412 OBP is exceptional, but much that has to do with a .464 BABIP, so unless Gordon has miraculously turned himself into a 30% line drive hitter, regression is due to hit him hard.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Contrarian Plays
- OF Marcell Ozuna (45K), Marlins (vs. Mets): Sure, Ozuna is set to face Mets star Jacob deGrom, who owns a 1.50 ERA through 12 innings in 2017, but Ozuna has arguably been even hotter. His .364 OBP offers a fine floor, but the power display he's put on so far offers a tremendous ceiling as well. For 45K, Ozuna is worth taking a risk on.
- 3B Joey Gallo (35K), Rangers (at Mariners): As the cheapest corner infielder on the slate, Gallo will be in tough against the lefty James Paxton. For his career, Gallo has hit just .136 against LHPs, though he's actually fared better against southpaws in limited at-bats this season. He still has one of the purest power profiles on the planet, and a .342 OBP overall helps insulate against an 0-for-day at the plate.
For up-to-the-minute starting lineups, check out Baseball Press.
