This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
After a limited schedule Monday, baseball brings plenty of action Tuesday with 15 games on the schedule. One of the more exciting matchups will be the Dodgers facing the Giants in a battle between two of the top teams in the National League. The Dodgers will start Julio Urias in the matchup, who will be looking for his 13th win of the season. There will also be two key series in the AL East with the Rays hosting the Yankees and the Blue Jays taking on the Red Sox. Let's dive into the matchups and highlight some players to consider for your DraftKings lineups.
Pitchers
Lance McCullers ($10,400) is in the midst of arguably the best season of his career based on his 3.04 ERA and 3.34 FIP. He's missed plenty of bats with his 27.8 percent strikeout rate and he's only allowed six home runs across 91.2 innings. His ability to keep hitters inside the ball park is nothing new, either, given that he's only allowed 0.7 HR/9 for his career. Up next is a favorable matchup against the Mariners, who have the third-worst OPS in baseball.
The Rockies enter the trade deadline as sellers in what has been an underwhelming season for their lineup. They can still do damage at Coors Field, but they have an abysmal .590 OPS on the road. That's where they'll be for their matchup with the Angels, so Jose Suarez ($7,300) might be worth taking a chance on in tournament play. He's done a good job of limiting hard contact, using his 6.2 percent barrel rate allowed to record a 1.12 WHIP.
It's a bit surprising to see Jordan Montgomery ($6,700) checking in at such a cheap salary. He's allowed three of fewer runs in each of his last five starts and now has a 3.96 ERA and a 3.58 FIP for the season. His 1.18 WHIP would be the best mark of his career, and while he doesn't miss a ton of bats, he has a respectable 24.3 percent strikeout rate. A matchup against a Rays team that has struck out the most times in baseball makes him an intriguing option.
Top Targets
Whenever Adbert Alzolay ($8,300) is scheduled to take the mound, it's important to look at the left-handed hitters for the opposing team. They have crushed him this season, posting a .405 wOBA and a .631 slugging percentage. For the Reds, this makes both Jesse Winker ($4,400) and Joey Votto ($4,100) stand out. Votto has been particularly hot at the plate, hitting 28-for-85 (.329) with seven home runs and six doubles over his last 24 games.
Bargain Bats
It's almost disrespectful for see Bryan Reynolds ($3,900) at this salary for his matchup with Brett Anderson ($7,200). Reynolds is having a fantastic season with a and a .216 ISO and a .394 wOBA. He's been even better against left-handed pitchers, too, posting a .224 ISO and a .420 wOBA against them.
It's also surprising to see Kyle Tucker ($3,300) listed with such a cheap salary. He's followed up his .244 ISO last season with a .245 mark this year and he's made more contact to boot, dropping his strikeout rate to 15.9 percent. While he doesn't have the easiest of matchups against Chris Flexen ($7,500), Flexen at least doesn't have overpowering stuff given his career 15.0 percent strikeout rate.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Garrett Richards ($7,900), Red Sox: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($5,900), Teoscar Hernandez ($4,300), George Springer ($4,500)
Richards faced the Blue Jays in his last start and allowed four runs over 5.2 innings. The Blue Jays launched three home runs and Richards has now given up eight of them over 23 innings in his last five outings. He has a 1.63 WHIP this season, so if he's going to have any chance of staying on the mound in this game, he's going to need to get his home run issues under control. That's easier said than done against the Blue Jays, especially Guerrero. He's already hit 32 home runs on his way to a .333 ISO.
Nationals vs. Matt Moore ($6,600), Phillies: Juan Soto ($6,200), Trea Turner ($6,000), Josh Harrison ($3,800)
Moore has been a good pitcher to stack against this season considering his 5.79 ERA and 5.68 FIP. His 1.60 WHIP puts him on pace to have a WHIP of at least 1.50 for the fifth time in his career, so it's unlikely that he's going to turn things around anytime soon. Soto and Turner are the big names to build a Nationals stack around, but Harrison is also someone to consider. He's become a key member of their lineup, hitting 31-for-97 (.320) with nine doubles and two triples over his last 27 games.
White Sox vs. Brad Keller ($5,900), Royals: Tim Anderson ($5,400), Jose Abreu ($4,800), Eloy Jimenez ($2,500)
Keller has been a bit unlucky on his way to a 5.84 ERA this season considering his .353 BABIP allowed. However, his FIP is still poor at 4.72 and he hasn't helped his cause by allowing a career-high 9.7 percent barrel rate. Given his career 17.3 percent strikeout rate, he doesn't have much margin for error. He's faced the White Sox three times this season, allowing a total of nine runs over 14.1 innings. This could be a great matchup for Abreu, who has started to turn things around after hitting 21-for-73 (.288) with a .589 slugging percentage over his last 19 games.
