This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Monday's 13-game slate offers no shortage of offensive potential, as we can choose targets from struggling pitchers to rookies making their major league debuts. The flipside is that it is a bit tougher to find low-cost pitching but there is at least one hurler worth your attention who has dominated in the minors.
Pitching Overview
Lucas Giolito ($11,000) bounced-back from a rough patch with a fantastic start against the Mets, and will now face the Tigers, who hold the second-lowest wOBA in the league against right-handed pitching. Giolito has struck out batters at a blistering 30 percent clip this year while the Tigers have fanned 27 percent of the time against righty hurlers.
Charlie Morton ($10,700) has had a few recent missteps against top-flight offenses but still holds a spectacular 30 percent strikeout rate to go along with his 49 percent groundball rate, which has contributed to a 2.78 ERA. The Blue Jays have shown themselves to be a powerful offense despite their overall struggles against right-handed pitching but Morton has allowed just 10 homers in 136 innings this year.
There is no denying how good Luis Castillo ($10,100) has been this season but the Angels are a top-10 team against right-handed pitching and have only struck out 19 percent of the time. Castillio features excellent strikeout and groundball numbers but he should be considered the weakest of the five-figure options based on matchup.
Kyle Hendricks ($9,300) must be given a look when he is at home due to the 1.89 ERA he has kept in 62 innings at Wrigley Field. The A's don't strike out as much as we might want when rostering an expensive pitcher but they hold just a .316 wOBA against right-handers.
Jeff Samardzija ($8,700) has been on quite a run of late, finishing July with a 2.09 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 38.2 frames. The Nationals have a couple of big bats in their lineup but are a middle-of-the-road team against right-handed pitching and carry just a .178 ISO, making this a decent spot for The Shark to continue his run.
Aaron Civale ($6,900) has carved up the minor leagues this season, notching a 2.35 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 72.2 frames. The Rangers are a bottom-half team on the road, where they strike out a whopping 28 percent of the time.
Key Values
Eduardo Escobar ($4,900) has done a bit more damage against lefty pitchers this year but still holds a robust .236 ISO against right-handed hurlers. Meanwhile, Vince Velasquez has allowed seven homers to lefty batters in just 29.2 innings.
Jacob Waguespack has been absolutely hammered by same-handed hitters in 2019, allowing a .580 slugging percentage in 16.1 innings. Austin Meadows ($4,700) has done his best work against righty pitchers this season, as evidenced by the .264 ISO and .395 wOBA he has logged in 235 at-bats.
DraftKings seems unwilling to elevate Paul Goldschmidt's ($4,400) price past a certain point despite the fact that he finished the month of July with a .418 ISO in 91 at-bats. He will head into a matchup with Tony Gonsolin, who has been lit up in his cup of coffee with the big club this season and holds a 4.95 ERA in Triple-A.
Michael Chavis ($4,300) has shown tremendous power against southpaws in 2019, logging a .273 ISO in 99 at-bats. Mike Montgomery looks to have a tough matchup on his hands Monday as he has kept subpar walk and strikeout rates to go along with a .486 slugging percentage against righty hitting.
Corey Seager ($4,000) has been a solid asset against right-handed pitching this season, logging a .217 ISO and .360 wOBA in 207 at-bats. This has the opportunity to pay dividends against Michael Wacha, who has kept an xFIP close to 5.00 against both righties and lefties.
Kyle Schwarber ($3,900) seems perpetually undervalued by DFS pricing, having tallied a .278 ISO in 295 at-bats. Chris Bassitt has thrown the ball well overall this year but has still allowed homers to lefty hitters at a rate of 1.6 per nine innings.
Ditto for Brian McCann ($3,700) who has kept a .203 ISO and a .352 wOBA against right-handed pitchers. Jake Odorizzi isn't quite as homer prone as he has been in recent years but still holds a 1.5/9 rate against left-handed batters.
Stacks
Rays against Jacob Waguespack (Blue Jays)
Austin Meadows (OF - $4,700) Jesus Aguilar (1B - $3,300) Tommy Pham (OF - $4,300)
Aguilar is a bit of a spec play here, as he was initially brought in to play against lefties. He has gone 4-for-7 in his first two starts with the team, however, which could buy him a place in the lineup to exploit the struggles of Waguespack.
Reds against Patrick Sandoval (Angels)
Eugenio Suarez (3B- $4,400) Aristides Aquino (OF -$3,600) Phillip Ervin (OF -$3,900)
The Reds have a few low-cost righties to take a look at but Aquino may be the most intriguing option, as he dominated Triple-A with a .636 slugging percentage in 294 at-bats. Patrick Sandoval, who will make his major league debut following an opener, has kept an unsightly 6.41 ERA in 60.1 minor league innings.
