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Main Slate Rundown 🏟

Hope everyone is ready to lock in for a loaded Friday slate – we’ve got a ton of games to work through. First, let me note that the main slates differ a bit between sites. DraftKings is rolling out a full 13-game slate, including every game starting at 7:05 ET or later. FanDuel trims things down to 11 games, adding DET at CIN (6:40 ET) but leaving off the three latest games (SEA at CIN, CHC at LAD, MIA at SF). A bit of a strange setup from FD, but they seem to be having some issues in general today. As usual, this breakdown will focus on the 10 overlapping games between both sites, with any notable DK-only or FD-only options called out separately in list form. Let’s get into it. Best of luck!

Main slate match-ups with implied run totals and moneyline odds:

💣4/24 Dinger Report💣

Today’s Top Dinger Odds (sorted by LineStar projected HR odds)

Main Slate Weather Outlook 💨🌦️☁️

Check LineStar's MLB Daily Dashboard to see an overview of the most up-to-date game forecasts. Note: I’m not a meteorologist so don’t treat these forecast previews as gospel! It’s always best to run a pre-game weather check for any at-risk games.

Weather Key: 🟡 Chance for delay | 🟠 Elevated delay / PPD risk | 🔴 High PPD risk
🔵 Favorable for pitchers (cold/wind in) | 🟢 Favorable for hitters (warm/wind out)

• DET at CIN (6:40 ET, 8.5 O/U): FD-only. Bit of a murky outlook here. Storms could move in during the early-to-middle innings, creating risk for a delay or even a suspension if the bad weather hangs around long enough. There’s also a path where the worst of those storms mostly miss the ballpark and they just get some mild/moderate, but playable, rain. This is a spot to monitor closely with a pre-lock radar check.

• BOS at BAL (7:05 ET, 8.5 O/U): Scattered showers/storms in the area. If one passes over the park, a delay is likely, but coverage doesn’t look widespread enough for a PPD. Due to middle-inning delay risk, bats will be safer than pitchers.

• General Weather Note: Surprisingly quiet elsewhere for a slate this size. No major temperature extremes or wind spots worth factoring in right now.

Pitchers to Consider ⚾

Freddy Peralta (RHP), NYM | DK: $8.8k, FD: $8.6k | vs. COL

I was originally leaning toward kicking things off with George Kirby, but with SEA at STL not on the FanDuel main slate, we’ll pivot to a more DK and FD slate-friendly option in Peralta. The results haven’t fully popped through five starts (26.2 IP) in his Mets tenure, but they’ve been solid overall. His 4.05 ERA is backed by a more encouraging 3.79 xFIP, and he’s posted a 1.09 WHIP with a 25.0% kRate and 12.7% SwStr%. Peralta’s changeup – which has been his second-most used pitch – has been excellent. Opponents have hit for just a .074 AVG against that pitch, and it has led to him ranking in the 99th percentile in Offspeed Run Value. After that brutal 12-game losing streak, the Mets (-219 ML) are now riding some serious momentum with a two-game win streak (hah) and come in as the heaviest favorites on the slate.

The matchup adds to the appeal. After a seven-game homestand, the Rockies leave Coors Field for the first time since April 16, and the “road Rockies” remain one of the best matchups for opposing pitchers. Against RHPs on the road this season, they’ve posted a .205 AVG, .615 OPS, .280 wOBA, and a 73 wRC+ while striking out at a high 28.4% clip. On a slate this large where pitching isn’t overly deep, Peralta stands out as a strong option in the $8k range on both sites.

Nathan Eovaldi (RHP), TEX | DK: $8.5k, FD: $8.7k | vs. ATH

Eovaldi has had some mixed results this season, but he’s pitched better than the surface stats suggest. The 5.06 ERA isn’t great, but it’s paired with a much stronger 3.33 xFIP, and some poor BABIP luck has led to a couple of inflated outings. The swing-and-miss has been excellent, though, with a 14.8% SwStr% – the second-best mark among today’s starters – which points to his 23.8% kRate trending closer to the 28–30% range as the season progresses. Globe Life Field has quietly been one of the best pitching environments in baseball, ranking as the No. 2 most pitcher-friendly park last season and No. 1 so far this year. Eovaldi has also thrived at home, posting a 2.23 ERA, 2.92 xFIP, 0.94 WHIP, and a 27.9% kRate across 12 home starts dating back to the start of 2025.

The matchup is favorable as well. The A’s have been more consistent offensively of late, but the home/road splits are significant. They’ve averaged 5.10 runs per game at home in a hitter-friendly environment (Sutter Health Park), compared to just 3.67 on the road. Against RHPs on the road, they own a lackluster 93 wRC+ with a 26.5% kRate. There is some real power at the top of this lineup, but if Eovaldi can limit damage there, the lower half of the A’s order should be much easier to navigate.

Yusei Kikuchi (LHP), LAA | DK: $6.4k, FD: $7.7k | at KC

You’re playing with fire with a lot of these cheaper arms on this slate, but Kikuchi does stand out from an upside perspective. He’s another guy whose underlying numbers look better than the surface stats. The 5.63 ERA isn’t pretty, but it’s paired with a much stronger 3.83 xFIP. He also brings solid strikeout upside (24.3% kRate), and his 112 Pitching+ actually tops several higher-priced arms on this slate, including Paul Skenes (110), George Kirby (111), Freddy Peralta (105), and Nathan Eovaldi (107). It’s also worth noting he’s had a brutal schedule to start the year, facing the Astros, Cubs, Braves, Yankees, and Padres.

This is easily his softest matchup to date. The Royals have struggled badly against lefties, posting a .212 AVG (24th), .599 OPS (27th), .273 wOBA (27th), .095 ISO (28th), 27 wRC+ (28th), and a 24.8% kRate. Kauffman Stadium’s offseason changes – some fences moved in 8-10 feet and lower walls along most of the outfield – have nudged it toward being more hitter-friendly, and Kikuchi has had some road issues, so the environment isn’t perfect. Still, the matchup is strong enough to give him a real path to outperform these price tags and he’ll make sense as an SP2 on DraftKings or in “overload on high-end hitting” lineups on FanDuel.

Other Pitchers to Consider

Paul Skenes (RHP), PIT | DK: $10k, FD: $10.6k | at MIL

Taj Bradley (RHP), MIN | DK: $9k, FD: $10k | at TB

Drew Rasmussen (RHP), TB | DK: $8.3k, FD: $8.5k | vs. MIN

DraftKings Main Slate Only

George Kirby (RHP), SEA | $9,500 | at STL

FanDuel Main Slate Only

Framber Valdez (LHP), DET | $8,800 | at CIN (Monitor weather)

Team Stacks to Target 🎯

Disclaimer: Stacking in MLB DFS is not a requirement but it is a very common strategy used to take down GPPs. This strategy is covered in more detail in the MLB DFS strategy guide linked in the header at the top of this newsletter. Check out the MLB StackFinder on LineStar.

Chicago White Sox vs. Miles Mikolas (RHP), WAS

Note: Mikolas is expected to serve as the long reliever with LHP PJ Poulin expected to operate as the opener.

Mikolas is off to a rough start, posting a 9.15 ERA, 1.98 WHIP, and a 15.3% kRate across 19.2 innings. The underlying numbers (5.44 xERA, 5.04 xFIP) suggest he hasn’t been quite that bad, but they’re still well below average. He’s been hit hard consistently, ranking in the bottom 25th percentile in Barrel%, HardHit%, Pitching Run Value, and fastball velocity. He’ll also be backed by a Washington bullpen that has been one of the worst in baseball, ranking bottom-five in ERA (5.56), xFIP (4.90), WHIP (1.52), kRate (17.4%), and HR/9 (1.66).

The White Sox have done most of their damage against lefties (one reason why I don’t hate the Nats using a lefty opener), but their recent form vs. righties has been trending up. Over the last two weeks vs. RHPs (322 PAs), they rank top-10 in OPS (.787), wOBA (.352), ISO (.185), and wRC+ (122). Strikeouts can be an issue, but they’ve kept that in check recently with a 20.5% kRate in those splits. That’s notable given Mikolas’ lack of swing-and-miss combined with the Nationals bullpen owning the lowest kRate in the league. Every projected White Sox hitter is coming in under 10% pOwn%, so they should stay low-owned despite the recent power surge and favorable matchup.

Favorite CWS Bats: Munetaka Murakami, Colson Montgomery, Everson Pereira

Bargain Bat: Chase Meidroth

Los Angeles Angels vs. Noah Cameron (LHP), KC

Cameron opened the season with a couple of solid starts, but he’s been roughed up in his last two outings (vs. CWS, at NYY), allowing 10 earned runs combined, including five home runs. The underlying profile backs up the struggles. His 5.40 ERA is paired with a slate-worst 6.95 xERA, and he’s generated just a 25.8% ground-ball rate while ranking in the bottom 15th percentile in Barrel%, HardHit%, Chase%, and fastball velocity. He’ll also be backed by a Royals bullpen that owns the worst ERA in baseball (6.29) along with the second-highest WHIP (1.66).

The Angels have been a strong lineup against lefties, especially of late. Over the last two weeks (just under 200 PAs), they rank top-seven in OPS (.816), wOBA (.363), ISO (.202), and wRC+ (129) while keeping strikeouts low (16.7% kRate). They’ve also been much better on the road, averaging 6.07 runs per game compared to 3.42 at home. As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, Kauffman Stadium’s offseason adjustments have pushed it toward a more hitter-friendly environment, now ranking as a top-10 park for offense, which only adds to the appeal here.

Favorite LAA Bats: Mike Trout, Jo Adell, Zach Neto

Bargain Bats: Oswald Peraza, Jorge Soler

Low-Owned Stack That Just Might Work Out 🤔

Baltimore Orioles vs. Brayan Bello (RHP), BOS

Every hitter in the projected Orioles lineup is coming in under 5% pOwn%. Baltimore returns home after a seven-game road trip and sets up as an interesting low-owned target. Camden Yards has played as the No. 4 most hitter-friendly park early on this season, and the O’s have been more productive at home, averaging 4.83 runs per game compared to 4.08 on the road. Against RHPs at home, they’ve ranked in the top half of the league in AVG, OPS, wOBA, ISO, and wRC+.

Bello has had a strange start to the season. He leads the slate with a 14.9% SwStr% and has done a great job generating ground balls (53.8% GB%), yet his kRate sits at just 14.1%, which is incomprehensibly low given the excellent swing-and-miss. Outside of that, most of his profile has been rough – 6.75 ERA, 6.85 xERA, 1.93 WHIP, 13.0% BB%, and a 93 Pitching+ rating. The Orioles also match up very well against his primary mix (sinker, cutter, changeup), posting an MLB-best .379 wOBA. Bello has only worked past the fifth inning once in four starts, so there’s a good chance Baltimore gets significant exposure to a middling Boston bullpen that has been prone to the long ball (1.30 HR/9, 6th-highest in MLB).

Favorite BAL Bats: Gunnar Henderson, Taylor Ward, Pete Alonso

Bargain Bats: Jeremiah Jackson, Leody Taveras, Dylan Beavers

One-Off Bats ☝️

A maximum of one hitter per team will be listed below. Feel free to use these players as one-off options, one-half of a two-man mini-stack, or a core piece to a full team stack.

1B/OF Shohei Ohtani, LAD vs. Jameson Taillon (RHP), CHC

OF Aaron Judge, NYY vs. Lance McCullers Jr. (RHP), HOU

OF Yordan Alvarez, HOU vs. Will Warren (RHP), NYY

3B Jose Ramirez, CLE vs. Max Scherzer (RHP), TOR

OF Oneil Cruz, PIT vs. Brandon Woodruff (RHP), MIL

OF James Wood, WAS vs. Erick Fedde (RHP – PLR), CWS

SS Gunnar Henderson, BAL vs. Brayan Bello (RHP), BOS

OF Mike Trout, LAA vs. Noah Cameron (LHP), KC

OF Juan Soto, NYM vs. Michael Lorenzen (RHP), COL

SS Bobby Witt Jr., KC vs. Yusei Kikuchi (LHP), LAA

2B Brice Turang, MIL vs. Paul Skenes (RHP), PIT

OF Kyle Schwarber, PHI vs. Grant Holmes (RHP), ATL

C Cal Raleigh, SEA vs. Andre Pallante (RHP), STL

1B Munetaka Murakami, CWS vs. Miles Mikolas (RHP – PLR), WAS

1B Nick Kurtz, ATH vs. Nathan Eovaldi (RHP), TEX

OF Byron Buxton, MIN vs. Drew Rasmussen (RHP), TB

3B Junior Caminero, TB vs. Taj Bradley (RHP), MIN

1B Vlad Guerrero Jr., TOR vs. Gavin Williams (RHP), CLE

1B Matt Olson, ATL vs. Andrew Painter (RHP), PHI

2B Xavier Edwards, MIA vs. Adrian Houser (RHP), SF

OF Wilyer Abreu, BOS vs. Brandon Young (RHP), BAL

OF Jordan Walker, STL vs. George Kirby (RHP), SEA

C Hunter Goodman, COL vs. Freddy Peralta (RHP), NYM

1B Jake Burger, TEX vs. Luis Severino (RHP), ATH

OF Ian Happ, CHC vs. Emmet Sheehan (RHP), LAD

FanDuel Main Slate Only

SS Elly De La Cruz, CIN vs. Framber Valdez (LHP), DET

SS/3B Kevin McGonigle, DET vs. Andrew Abbott (LHP), CIN

Bargain Bats 💸

Note: Additional hitting value may open up once all official starting lineups are released. For now, here are some cheap hitters who are already confirmed or currently expected to be on the field tonight and find themselves in a good spot to pay off their modest DFS salaries.

To qualify as a bargain bat, hitters must be ≤ $4,000 on DraftKings.

C Carter Jensen, KC vs. Yusei Kikuchi (LHP), LAA

OF Mickey Moniak, COL vs. Freddy Peralta (RHP), NYM

C Moises Ballesteros, CHC vs. Emmet Sheehan (RHP), LAD

1B/OF Dominic Smith, ATL vs. Andrew Painter (RHP), PHI

2B Jeremiah Jackson, BAL vs. Brayan Bello (RHP), BOS

1B/C Dalton Rushing, LAD vs. Jameson Taillon (RHP), CHC

OF Jorge Soler, LAA vs. Noah Cameron (LHP), KC

OF Everson Pereira, CWS vs. Miles Mikolas (RHP – PLR), WAS

2B Chase Meidroth, CWS vs. Miles Mikolas (RHP – PLR), WAS

OF Michael Harris II, ATL vs. Andrew Painter (RHP), PHI

2B/3B Amed Rosario, NYY vs. Lance McCullers Jr. (RHP), HOU

OF Leody Taveras, BAL vs. Brayan Bello (RHP), BOS

3B Josh Jung, TEX vs. Luis Severino (RHP), ATH

2B/3B Oswald Peraza, LAA vs. Noah Cameron (LHP), KC

SS Hyeseong Kim, LAD vs. Jameson Taillon (RHP), CHC

FanDuel Main Slate Only

OF Riley Greene, DET vs. Andrew Abbott (LHP), CIN

OF Jahmai Jones, DET vs. Andrew Abbott (LHP), CIN

Home Run Calls of the Day 💣

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