The Atlanta Braves remain on the West Coast and, inevitably, that means Braves Country is operating on a lack of sleep this week. However, there are plenty of benefits to late-night baseball, including increased productivity elsewhere, and if you need a baseball "fix" prior to the 10:15 first pitch in San Francisco, we have you covered.
SB Nation and FanDuel continue to partner on daily fantasy baseball, and we regularly bring you "recommended" lineups. Friday evening's slate of games is quite intriguing, and there is an opportunity to find value if you look closely at the match-ups.
As usual, fading my picks may be your best option, so if you do that, I won't be offended in the slightest.
Note: This lineup would be used in a 7:05 pm ET contest.
P - Cole Hamels ($9,800)
C - A.J. Pierzynski ($2,200)
1B - Ryan Howard ($3,200)
2B - Chase Utley ($2,800)
3B - Pablo Sandoval ($2,600)
SS - Wilmer Flores ($2,400)
OF - Bryce Harper ($6,000)
OF - David DeJesus ($2,500)
OF - Denard Span ($3,500)
Paying $6,000 for any DFS option is painful, but Bryce Harper in Great American Ballpark with a platoon advantage makes it worth every penny. Beyond that, I've mini-stacked Phillies left-handers with Howard and Utley, while adding in another lefty against Cincinnati (Span) and even thrown the home faithful a bone by deploying Pierzynski. In the interest of full disclosure, it is a bit risky to plug in Pierzynski at this early hour without assurance that he will play, but I like the gamble given the chance of a lofty pay-off against Huddy and the Giants.
Last but not least, I'm going with Cole Hamels on the mound. Hamels isn't the most expensive option (an honor bestowed upon Matt Harvey), but he's close, and that could worry some people given Philly's propensity to, you know, lose games. Still, Hamels has 4 consecutive wins, and with a 1.53 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in those outings, it is tough to argue against him.
The slogan, as always, is to simply make money, and this lineup can (hopefully) help you get there. Let's do this together.