This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
After a ton of doubleheaders and games last week, there's a limited schedule Monday. There are two specific games I'd like to target, but a lot of other interesting spots combining strong pitching against strong lineups.
Pitchers
A lot of the top options on the slate have tough matchups, so Cristian Javier ($9,100) stands out above the rest. There's risk due to his inconsistent ability to find the strike zone, but he has a 31.5 percent strikeout rate and draws the Mariners, who are a middle-of-the-road offense by most measures.
I prefer Javier to Carlos Carrasco ($9,300) in terms of skills and price, but Carrasco is worth mentioning because he has the best matchup among the top-priced pitchers in the pool. The Padres own the 23rd best wOBA in the league and strike out at an average rate. I'd prefer to have more of Carrasco in cash games, and Javier in GPPs.
There are two main wild cards in the pitching group today, both of whom are in the middle tier of pricing. Blake Snell ($8,100) and Hunter Greene ($7,600) have each shown the ability to rack up strikeouts in a hurry. Snell has a history of struggling to find the strike zone consistently and has given up multiple free passes in each of his three starts this season. A matchup against the Mets could be a final strike to him as a cash game option. Meanwhile, Greene has a 10.9 BB%. His opponent is the Diamondbacks, who have hit better of late but still strike out at a clip of 25%.
Ross Stripling ($5,800) is the punt play of the day. He has a slight workload concern due to pitching out of the bullpen since May 16. However, he completed 2.1 innings in his most recent outing (following Hyun Jin Ryu's removal for injury) and if he can reach the teens in points he'll have done his job. He'll square off against the Royals, who have little punch but don't strike out much either.
Top Hitters
Ketel Marte ($4,900) has shown signs of breaking out (.903 OPS, .528 slug across his last 10 games) but hasn't had a slate-breaking performance. The factors could come together on Monday night, highlighted by a positive hitting environment in Cincinnati and Greene serving up 2.8 HR/9.
Targeting Michael Wacha hasn't been a profitable strategy early this season, but his skills (16.8 K%, 8.7 BB%) don't come close to supporting his 2.43 ERA. That has me interested in the Angels as a whole, in which case Mike Trout ($5,400) is the obvious building block.
Corey Seager ($5,300) has been very steady and Cal Quantrill has the highest SIERA of any pitcher on the hill Monday. He's not necessarily a sexy tournament play, but should serve as a reliable cash game centerpiece.
Value Hitters
Cincinnati is a spot to attack Monday, and Nick Senzel ($2,900) stands out as a great value. He's led off for the Reds in most games since returning from the injured list May 23. Madison Bumgarner could really struggle, and he's allowed 1.5 HR/9 while striking out hitters at just a 16.4 percent clip.
Jarren Duran ($2,600) joins Senzel as the other pretty obvious value. He has regular playing time while Jackie Bradley is on paternity leave and has led off for a talented Boston lineup.
Yuli Gurriel ($2,900) sticks out in terms of price as compared to the rest of the Astros' lineup. That has a lot to do with his performance this season (.277 wOBA), but even from the fifth spot in the order, he will have the opportunity to drive in and score runs.
Stacks to Consider
Cincinnati Reds vs. Madison Bumgarner: Nick Senzel ($2,900), Brandon Drury ($5,100), Tommy Pham ($5,100), Joey Votto ($3,700)
I'm really interested in this game as a whole, as I expect a lot of offense. I'd rather attack the Reds side because Hunter Greene has the potential to rip off a 10-strikeout performance while shutting down the Diamondbacks. That is significantly less likely with Bumgarner. It's not typical to see price points so drastically varied at the projected top a lineup, but I like that in this case because the elevated cost of Drury and Pham could deter some stacks. Similarly, a lefty on the mound could push people off Votto.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Daniel Lynch: George Springer ($5,000), Bo Bichette ($5,400), Vladimir Guerrero ($4,900), Teoscar Hernandez ($4,200)
Toronto is likely to be a more conventional stack on the slate. Lynch hasn't been a total disaster, but he has a double-digit walk rate and a HR/9 above 1.0. Like the Reds/Diamondbacks matchup, this is the other game with a 9.5 run total.
Also Consider: Los Angeles Angels vs. Michael Wacha
