This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The end of July is here. Sunday brings another month to a close, and the trade deadline is a couple days away. We've got 10 games on the slate for MLB purposes. Here are my recommendations to help you bring the month to a satisfying conclusion.
Pitching
Dylan Cease, CWS vs. OAK ($10,200): Cease is going to end up winning the AL Cy Young if he keeps pitching like this. Over his last 11 starts, he's allowed all of three earned runs and never more than one in a game. Now he faces Oakland, who rank 29th in runs scored and last in team OPS. It would be a surprise if the A's are the team that delivers Cease a dose of harsh reality.
Aaron Nola, PHI at PIT ($9,700): Nola's performance has been spotty recently, but on the year he's managed a 3.32 ERA, included a 2.30 on the road. Meanwhile, the Pirates rank 28th in both runs scored and team OPS.
Jordan Montgomery, NYY vs. KC ($7,300): Montgomery has posted a 3.50 ERA, but he also has the league's best offense to support him. The Royals sit in the bottom-five in offense and the trade of Andrew Benintendi takes a chunk out of that already-poor offense. Montgomery is also a lefty, and the Royals have a few key lefty bats (and Bobby Witt has reverse splits as well).
Top Targets
If you want power, Kyle Schwarber ($5,400) can provide it having slugged .497 with 32 home runs, but the lefty has gone .553 against right-handers. JT Brubaker is a righty who has recorded a 3.96 ERA this year, though his career mark is 4.77.
When it comes to connecting with the ball, few do it as well as Xander Bogaerts ($4,800). He's produced a career .292 average, and this year that's up to .315. When he gets the opportunity to face a lefty, he's posted a 1.012 OPS. Aaron Ashby is a lefty and enters with a 5.15 ERA on the road.
Bargain Bats
Austin Hays ($3,800) made his first real splash in the majors last year when he hit .256 with 22 home runs. This year, he's at .261 with 12 long balls to go with 24 doubles. Nick Lodolo got a taste of MLB action in April, but in July starts after returning from the minors. Also, righties have hit .322 against him.
Even for a lefty, Kolten Wong ($3,800) has shown particularly significant splits with southpaws having throttled him, but against righties he's slashed .275/.354/.483. He'll face a righty Sunday in Josh Winckowski, who also happens to have a 5.18 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
White Sox vs. Athletics (Adam Oller): Jose Abreu ($4,900), Eloy Jimenez ($4,200), Gavin Sheets ($3,100)
The rookie Oller has posted an 8.07 ERA. And if you're wondering if he's been unlucky, his 7.51 FIP indicates that, no, that hasn't really been the case. Oller has also allowed 2.51 home runs per nine innings. Luis Robert is hurt and Tim Anderson is appealing a suspension, but I found three solid White Sox to stack.
Abreu's power is slightly down, but he's still hit .299 with a .383 OBP and his career .511 slugging percentage is a reminder of his power. He's also compiled an .863 OPS the last three weeks. Jimenez has been hurt much of the season, but over two weeks has an 1.034 OPS and an .832 at home. The lefty Sheets shows a great preference to face righties, but also to be at home with a career .966 OPS.
Yankees vs. Royals (Zack Greinke): DJ LeMahieu ($4,900), Anthony Rizzo ($4,500), Andrew Benintendi ($4,400)
Greinke's 4.40 FIP and 5.12 strikeouts per nine innings tells the story of a junkball veteran on his last legs. What really stands out is his 7.38 road ERA. That feels a bit fluky, but just a bit. Against the best offense in baseball, I'm happy to stack against Greinke away from home.
LeMahieu has a .388 OBP, and he's been hot of late with a .466 OBP and .889 OPS the last three weeks. Rizzo has racked up 24 homers to go with six stolen bases and has taken advantage of his home ballpark with an .888 OPS. Benintendi is facing his former team and gets to face a righty. This year, the southpaw has produced an .830 OPS versus right-handed pitchers.
Reds vs. Orioles (Austin Voth): Brandon Drury ($5,700), Jonathan India ($5,500), Joey Votto ($3,900)
Whether it's with the Nationals or the Orioles, Voth doesn't cut an imposing figure on the mound. His ERA is at 6.15 ERA this year with a career 5.40. That's with Voth spending a lot of time in the bullpen, where matchups are more easily managed. When you're hit hard by both righties and lefties, it's hard to make it as a starter.
Drury has paced the Reds offense in his first - and possibly only - season with the Reds hitting .272, slugging .513, and crushing 19 home runs. As a rookie, India slashed .269/.376/.459 with 21 homers and 12 stolen bases. He missed time this year, but has a .938 OPS across the last 21 days. Votto has regressed after a bounce-back campaign in 2021, but still maintains a .727 OPS against righties and a .756 at home. Combining those two could work out for him.
