This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We're back to a full slate of games after a quiet Monday night. The top-hitting teams are in very favorable positions, so thankfully there are ways to pay down at pitching.
Pitchers
Carlos Rodon ($10,300) has been fine but unspectacular for the majority of his last five starts. That makes it difficult to justify rostering him at his hefty price point, but the matchup against the Rockies on the road brings him back into consideration. The Rockies have a .289 wOBA away from Coors Field, though they only strike out at a 21.6 percent clip, which does cut into the upside a bit.
There's a trio of starters just below Rodon in price point but with equally strong matchups: Kyle Wright vs. Oakland ($10,100), Alek Manoah at Kansas City ($10,000) and Tarik Skubal at Pittsburgh ($9,800). I'd play either of Wright or Manoah in cash because they steadily produce low-20 DK points. Meanwhile, Skubal has spiked two 30-point performances in his last five starts, also turning in a 26.2-point performance in that span. He's a strong play in tournaments as a result.
After the four elite pitchers, I'm pretty much willing to entirely bypass the middle tier. That leads me to Keegan Thompson (6,700) and Jeffrey Springs ($6,300). Springs is my preferred option of the two. He has worked at least five innings in each of his last three starts and owns a superior strikeout rate as compared to Thompson. Springs does face a fairly strong St. Louis offense, while Thompson has the obvious edge in matchup by taking on Baltimore.
Top Hitters
Bryce Harper ($5,100) is a prime position to produce on Tuesday. He takes on Jason Alexander, a contact-oriented Quad-A pitcher that is getting an opportunity due to the absence of Brandon Woodruff. American Family Field accentuates lefty power, so Kyle Schwarber ($4,300) is also a reasonable choice.
Vladimir Guerrero ($4,700) is on a heater, slugging four home runs in his last six starts. Chasing hot streaks isn't good analysis, but Guerrero's price seems out of place and Brad Keller is a contact-oriented pitcher. Even if Guerrero doesn't go yard again, he will put balls into play which opens opportunity to score points.
J.D. Martinez ($5,400) has a .473 wOBA against southpaws this season. Like Keller, Reid Detmers allows a lot of contact, but he also has a home run problem (1.4 HR/9).
Value Hitters
Frank Schwindel ($3,300) went from being optioned to Triple-A Iowa to serving as the team's primary cleanup hitter thanks to an injury that opened a roster spot. His position in the order helped him pick up counting stats even when he doesn't post a big individual performance. He'll square off against Kyle Bradish, who has allowed a home run in each of his starts this season.
The Giants seemingly have endless depth to fill in for injured or otherwise absent players. Donovan Walton ($2,300) is the latest example, as he appears to have taken over the starting second base job from Thairo Estrada. Walton hits towards the bottom of the order, but he has seven extra-base hits across his last 10 starts.
Luke Voit ($2,700) is starting to hit his stride at the plate and appears to be locked into the cleanup role in San Diego. Given his power potential, he's too cheap. Meanwhile, Taijuan Walker has enjoyed strong surface-level success, but he has the second-highest SIERA on the slate.
Stacks to Consider
Houston Astros vs. Chris Flexen: Jose Altuve ($5,000), Michael Brantley ($3,900), Alex Bregman ($4,900), Yordan Alvarez ($5,900)
This is an interesting stack to consider because Flexen has pitched reasonably well in his most of his starts this season. However, when things have gone poorly for him, it's been extreme. Flexen surrendered a pair of home runs in each of a three-stretch start from May 9 to May 21, which resulted in a total of 14 earned runs across 14.1 innings. We know Houston has the lineup to take advantage if Flexen is lacking his best stuff Tuesday, but there is some significant risk of a flop here.
Boston Red Sox vs. Reid Detmers: Enrique Hernandez ($4,200), Rafael Devers ($5,300), J.D. Martinez ($5,400), Xander Bogaerts ($5,400)
It's a little dangerous to rely on splits versus handedness this early in the season, but the Red Sox measure up well against southpaws (top-five wOBA and ISO). Their success makes sense given the overall context of the lineup, so they'd be a solid stack even without the split stats. That makes me comfortable considering them. Even when he's had success, Detmers hasn't piled up strikeouts, and he's allowed a pair of home runs in three of his nine starts this season.
New York Yankees vs. Cole Sands: DJ LeMahieu ($4,200), Aaron Judge ($6,200), Anthony Rizzo ($5,100), Josh Donaldson ($5,000)
This is a tough stack to actually roster, and the top of the lineup would really have to come through to pay off. However, with the possibility of paying down at pitcher, it's still worth mentioning. Sands has a minimal major-league track record – which has been poor – and he's a fairly strong prospect in the Twins' system. Even so, I expect the quality of the Yankees lineup to overcome Sand's inexperience to put up a strong offensive performance.
