This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We were limited to a light MLB slate Monday night, but we'll pick back up Tuesday. We have a few early starts but the main slate that kicks off at 7:05 ET will feature 10 games. It's not a great day for elite pitching options, though it is an interesting pool to work with given the second start of the year for Jeffrey Springs and the season debut for Tyler Mahle (elbow). There should be plenty of matchups for hitters to exploit with also some solid hitting environments such as Coors Field, Yankee Stadium, Truist Park and Kauffman Stadium.
Pitching
Sonny Gray ($9,600) is the exception to this being a very flat pitching slate, as he's the only arm to have maintained a 30 percent strikeout rate with a SIERA below 3.00. The Rays are capable of doing damage, but Gray should still have plenty of upside as they strike out at a 24.4 percent clip – seventh-highest in the league.
As was noted, the pool gets pretty flat from there. Luis Gil ($8,700) is a nice tournament option against the Angels, as he's gotten his performance back on track lately with outings of 28.6, 25.9, 17.7 and 21.2 DraftKings points. He should have a good chance for a win and has more strikeout upside than Luis Castillo ($8,200), who is the other option in this price tier. He also has a favorable matchup against the Tigers.
The reason not to pay up at pitcher in at least one spot is the mispricing of Pablo Lopez ($8,000). He has the third-highest strikeout rate among available pitchers Tuesday and has finally gotten the results his skills indicated he deserved in his last three starts with 24.8, 25 and 23.9 DraftKings points. The Cubs don't strike out much overall, so it may not be a ceiling performance, but Lopez should project as one of the best point-per-dollar pitchers of the day.
Things get pretty dicey from there, so the safe route is to pick from the middle tier of pricing. For those willing to take on some risk, Colin Rea ($7,100) and Chris Bassitt ($7,000) are worth considering. They draw tough matchups against Atlanta and Baltimore, respectively. My preference between the two would be Rea, as Atlanta has struck out at a 27.1 percent clip in the last 30 days.
Top Hitters
Brayan Bello has been hit hard recently, which has translated to a 10.7 percent barrel rate and 51.2 percent hard-hit rate. Kauffman Stadium is a difficult place to hit home runs but is good for offense in general, making the Royals a decent stacking option. Bobby Witt ($6,600) is the obvious choice, but Vinnie Pasquantino ($5,100) has also been swinging a hot bat and checks in at a more palatable price.
The Mets have gotten production from up and down their lineup, making them another stacking option. They also have the benefit of playing at Coors Field and against Kyle Freeland. A lefty on the mound opens a lot of opportunities. There are the more traditional choices of Francisco Lindor ($5,900) and Pete Alonso ($5,400), but Mark Vientos ($4,500) is another sneaky appealing option.
Value Bats
Victor Robles ($3,300) has remained the leadoff hitter for Seattle and is averaging 9.9 DraftKings points across his last 10 games. Curiously, his price hasn't increased, which makes him a great value. That's particularly true in a matchup against Keider Montero, who has a 2.20 HR/9 rate and a 4.70 SIERA.
It's difficult to find anything redeeming about the season the White Sox are having, but they do have two intriguing young players atop their lineup in Miguel Vargas ($2,800) and Brooks Baldwin ($2,500). They've each shown flashes of potential at the plate in recent games and they draw Ross Stripling Tuesday night. He has a 5.02 SIERA this season, the highest of any pitcher taking the mound for the main slate.
Stacks to Consider
Oakland Athletics vs. Chicago White Sox (Jonathan Cannon): Lawrence Butler ($4,100), Miguel Andujar ($4,000), Brent Rooker ($5,900)
The A's have quietly been one of the most productive lineups in the last month, as the team has maintained the third-highest wOBA in the league in that span. Rooker is the only player truly priced up, making this a solid value stack, particularly against Cannon. He has somehow managed to limit the runs against him in recent starts, but he has a 5.60 SIERA and 2.4 K-BB percentage rate across his last five starts. That sets Oakland up well to deliver a strong offensive performance.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Atlanta (Bryce Elder): Brice Turang ($4,100), Jackson Chourio ($3,900), William Contreras ($5,100)
Elder can put together solid outings, but he's also gotten demolished in a higher percentage of his starts. Of his nine starts this season, he's allowed more than five runs on three occasions. That makes him an appealing option to stack against even knowing there is potential for him to shut down the Brewers. The other positive is that the top of Milwaukee's lineup checks in at very reasonable price points.
