This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
There will be no shortage of action across baseball Tuesday with all 30 teams in action. We even have a doubleheader between the Twins and Indians. One of the more intriguing story lines will be Gerrit Cole taking the mound for the Yankees. They have been fading in the playoff hunt and Cole left his last start early with hamstring tightness. They need their ace to be healthy if they are going to make a push for a Wild Card spot. Another intriguing matchup features the Giants hosting the Padres, who are trying to stay afloat in the NL Wild Card chase. Let's highlight some players across the slate who could be worth targeting on DraftKings.
Pitchers
The Mets will send arguably their most reliable pitcher to the mound in Marcus Stroman ($9,300) when they face the Cardinals in the battle of two teams fighting for a playoff spot. Stroman has cut his walk rate to 5.9 percent, which has propelled him to a 1.13 WHIP. That's significant because he had a WHIP of at least 1.29 in each of his last four seasons. This has the makings of a favorable matchup with the Cardinals ranking inside the bottom-10 in baseball in OPS.
Nathan Eovaldi ($9,600) ran into the red-hot Rays in his last outing, but he cooled them off by recording eight strikeouts across seven shutout innings. As if his 3.57 ERA wasn't impressive enough, Eovaldi has an even better 2.86 FIP. His success has been buoyed by his 1.15 WHIP and by him allowing only 14 home runs over 163.2 innings. Another valuable stat line could be forthcoming against a Mariners team that has the fourth-worst OPS in baseball.
When the Rockies are on the road, they are a team to target pitchers against. They have a robust .828 OPS at home, but that mark drops all the way down to .632 on the road. Trying to exploit those splits will be Touki Toussaint ($7,300), who has a respectable 1.24 WHIP thanks to a 9.7 percent walk rate that is more than three percentage points lower than his career mark.
Top Targets
Adrian Sampson ($5,700) escaped his last start against the Reds having only allowed two runs over five innings. Both runs came via the home run, though, which is nothing new for him given that he allowed 29 home runs over 125.1 innings in 2019. That could be a recipe for disaster in a matchup against Bryce Harper ($6,100), who has hit 32 home runs on his way to a .304 ISO.
Yordan Alvarez ($5,100) broke a string of 12 straight games without a home run by going deep two times Monday against the Rangers. It wouldn't be a surprise to see hm hit another Tuesday, as well, in a matchup against Jordan Lyles ($6,700). In addition to his 5.43 ERA and 5.60 FIP, Lyles has allowed 2.1 HR/9.
Bargain Bats
One of the few bright spots within the Marlins' lineup down the stretch has been Jesus Sanchez ($3,200). He's homered in three of his last four games and has already gone deep 10 times in just 49 games this season. He could end up providing value in a matchup against Erick Fedde ($6,900), who has a 5.17 FIP and has allowed 1.5 HR/9 for his career.
Lane Thomas ($2,900) is trying to make a case for being a valuable part of the Nationals' lineup beyond this season. Over his last 27 games, he's 29-for-99 (.293) with four home runs, six doubles, two triples and two stolen bases. His strikeout rate is only 20.9 percent during that stretch, while he's shown an excellent eye with his 13.0 percent walk rate. He could find his way on base a time or two against Jesus Luzardo ($6,300), who has a bloated 1.61 WHIP.
Stacks to Consider
White Sox vs. Packy Naughton ($6,100), Angels: Jose Abreu ($4,200), Luis Robert ($4,400), Yoan Moncada ($5,100)
Naughton pitched well in his last outing against the Padres, recording five strikeouts over five shutout innings. With that being said, it's difficult to have much faith in a pitcher that had a 1.46 WHIP at Triple-A before being called up. Also, he's walked seven batters across his first 14 innings in the majors. Among the more appealing options on the White Sox has to be Abreu, who has a career 150 wRC+ versus left-handed pitchers.
Giants vs. Jake Arrieta ($5,200), Padres: Kris Bryant ($5,300), Brandon Belt ($4,400), Mike Yastrzemski ($3,900)
The only other time Arrieta faced the Giants this season, he was lit up for six runs over two innings. Given his 7.04 ERA and 6.09 FIP, similar results could be on the horizon for their rematch. Arrieta has also allowed 2.2 HR/9, which is noteworthy for Belt, who has a .315 ISO.
Yankees vs. Alexander Wells ($5,400), Orioles: Aaron Judge ($5,400), Giancarlo Stanton ($5,000), DJ LeMahieu ($4,200)
A series against the Orioles could cure what has been ailing the Yankees' lineup. They had plenty of success against Wells the last time they faced him, scoring six runs in his 2.1 innings on the mound. With his 1.90 WHIP, Wells could leave this game with another ugly stat line. LeMahieu doesn't have the power upside that Judge and Stanton do, but he's shown signs of life down the stretch, hitting 17-for-52 (.327) with just an 8.3 percent strikeout rate over his last 14 games.
