This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There's one pitcher that stands out Thursday, while the rest are complete toss-ups. Of course, that also means there are a lot of valuable bats if you can find them. As of note, rain looks likely in Boston so monitor the weather before choosing anyone from that game.
PITCHER
Trevor Bauer, CLE vs. DET ($46): Most of the rain will hit earlier in the day in Cleveland, so that shouldn't change things for this game. Bauer faces a team that hasn't figured out any Cleveland pitcher in the series and has a miserable .277 wOBA against righties. Bauer's been solid even without a win, as he already has 14 Ks and only three earned runs in 13 innings.
Ian Kennedy, KC vs. LAA ($36): Kennedy has been stout in his first two starts, with only one earned run and 13 strikeouts in 12 innings. The Angels will be tough, but he's already faced deep lineups from the Indians and White Sox. Kennedy had a down 2017 and his early price is a reflection of that. Even if he doesn't make it past six innings, he should still grab around five strikeouts and that could be worth the price as long as he doesn't get shelled.
CATCHER
Matt Wieters, WAS vs. COL ($7): Wieters is healthy again after 10 days on the DL, so he should return to the lineup. That's reason enough to grab him at this price against Chad Bettis, who has been iffy through his first two starts with six walks and seven strikeouts in 10.2 innings. That comes to a .354 wOBA against lefty bats, which should help Wieters in his first game back.
FIRST BASE
Joe Mauer, MIN vs. CWS ($18): Mauer has a hit in every game this season and has a stout .485 wOBA and 7.4 K% against righties to show for it. That should work well against Lucas Giolito, who recently struggled against the Tigers (5.2 IP, 5 ER, 3 HBP) and has a lofty 5.07 xFIP against lefties over the last two seasons.
SECOND BASE
Carlos Asuaje, SD vs. SF ($10): Asuaje is only good against right-handed pitchers, and that's what Chris Stratton is with a 5.28 xFIP against lefty batters over the last couple seasons. Asuaje comes at a nice price and has a workable .311 wOBA against righties to use in this spot.
THIRD BASE
Matt Carpenter, STL at CIN ($19): All of Carpenter's power comes against righties, which should work well against Sal Romano, who has an early 5.79 xFIP against lefty bats. It helps Carpenter even more that Romano has just three Ks in his first two starts. Carpenter has an early .345 wOBA and .241 ISO in 37 plate appearances against righties. For a cheaper play, if Nick Tropeano is pitching for the Angels, I'd give Mike Moustakas ($15) a look.
SHORTSTOP
Brandon Crawford, SF at SD ($15): The Giants have struggled to get things going, but Bryan Mitchell could change that. The righty has had major issues with control, already with nine walks and just one strikeout in 10.2 innings. That should help Crawford and company even if the lefty hasn't had much success against either side of the plate. The good news is that his 28.6 K% against righties probably won't matter in this matchup.
OUTFIELD
Max Kepler, MIN vs. CWS ($13): Kepler is another Minnesota lefty that could feast on Giolito's weaker numbers, especially his early 7.79 xFIP against 21 lefties faced. Kepler has been solid early with a .349 wOBA against righties, which is in line with last season's .350 wOBA.
Billy Hamilton, CIN vs. STL ($12): Hamilton is more useful against righty arms as seen in this year's and last year's wOBA (.307, .296). Those aren't amazing numbers, but Michael Wacha has struggled in his early starts, already with seven walks and nine hits allowed in 9.2 innings.
Dexter Fowler, STL at CIN ($15): Fowler has only hit righties this season and is a good bet to round out these cheap outfielders. His stats aren't great, but 2017's .368 wOBA and .243 ISO against righties still give hope to fantasy owners. That could work against Romano, who has allowed seven runs in his first two starts and has a poor .335 wOBA allowed and 4.76 xFIP against lefties since last season.
