This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Seven games make up Saturday evening's main slate, four of which start at 9 p.m. or later on the East Coast. Weather doesn't look to be a huge hindrance here, and the heat can certainly be an aid for long balls. The story of this slate is whether you pay for the top pitching option in Chris Sale ($12,000) as he will clearly limit your offensive options. The converse is there isn't another arm priced over $9,000, forcing you to pick a side, both of which will lead to some level of anxiety.
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PITCHER
Chris Sale, BOS at NYY ($12,000): Cash game players have very little choice but to pay for Sale, as there doesn't appear to be any other "safe" option available. And while Sale's price is incredibly prohibitive to buying stable bats, let alone any with upside in tournament formats, the matchup is surprisingly positive. Sale has a 2.52 ERA and 64 Ks in his last 50.0 innings against the Yankees, a terrific showing against an offense that currently ranks second against lefties with a .348 wOBA and .216 ISO. He's failed to post 40 fantasy points five times in 17 outings, so in a best-case scenario, if you pay down for Kenta Maeda ($8,900), you're left with $3,100 in savings that you have to guarantee yourself a minimum of 10 to 15 points from the bat you're buying. GPP players are going to have to be incredibly fortunate if fading Sale in favor of power bats.
GPP Fade: Kenta Maeda, LAD vs. COL ($8,900): When initially penning this column, I had Sale and Maeda reversed in their placements. But I think the lazy, casual, high ownership play is going to be to pivot to Maeda at the major discount from Sale, especially when considering the 66 point outing he had at home against the Rockies on May 23rd. Since then, he's lasted more than five innings just once in four starts, going a combined 10.1 innings in his other three outings. There's a clear high ceiling here, and the Rockies .307 wOBA and 91 wRC+ against lefties on the road does nothing to dispel that, but there's also a low floor, and when mixing that with the other options on the slate and assumed high ownership, Maeda has the looks of someone you'd pivot off of rather than go all in on.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Felix Hernandez, SEA vs. KAN ($7,800): Personally, I prefer Carlos Rodon ($7,700) at Texas, but the numbers seem to favor Hernandez here. He's been solid of late, averaging 30.6 points over his last five starts, which includes a zero-point outing against Tampa. The Royals don't fan often, just 19.1 percent of the time against righties, but offer a meager .292 wOBA, 83 wRC+ and .123 ISO. The buydown from Sale here suddenly turns offers $4,200, which is a huge upgrade at two offensive positions, flirting with making it worth the gamble.
And if we're really gambling, Arizona's Shelby Miller ($6,400) fanned five in 3.2 innings, and gets a middling Giants offense that whiffs 24.1 percent of the time with only a .150 ISO against righties. Atlanta's Max Fried ($5,900) also may be worth a look against a Cardinals lineup that fans 23.1 percent against lefties while bringing only a 96 wRC+ to the table.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Josh Bell, PIT at SDP ($2,600): Bell has platooned some against lefties of late, which is odd given his .335 wOBA and 111 wRC+ against southpaws compared to .305/91 against righties. In any event, if he's in the lineup against Joey Lucchesi, he looks like a great bargain at this price for those using Sale as their pitcher. Lucchesi has allowed a .342 wOBA to righties compared to just a .244 to lefties, seemingly putting any Pirate right handers in play. Lucchesi has allowed 17 runs over his last 31.1 innings, allowing nine long balls in that span, possibly giving Bell a chance to flash some rare power.
SECOND BASE
Yoan Moncada, CWS at TEX ($3,400): This is a strict GPP play, as Moncada is an all-upside option. He has a .214 ISO against righties compared to .075 against lefties, making him a ripe play against Bartolo Colon and his 7.77 June ERA. As of submission, Moncada had a six-game hitting streak snapped Friday night, but had still provided north of 15 points in three of his previous five starts.
THIRD BASE
Johan Camargo, ATL at STL ($2,500): Stacking Braves lefties against Luke Weaver could prove successful in this spot, as he's allowing a .357 wOBA to them compared to a .285 wOBA to same-handed bats. Weaver has allowed four runs in three of his last four starts, while not making it out of the sixth inning in any of those outings either. Camargo trails only Freddie Freeman among Braves regulars with a .358 wOBA against righties, adding a 126 wRC+, and has four multi-hit games in his last nine starts.
SHORTSTOP
Adalberto Mondesi, KAN at SEA (2,400): Shortstop remains a pay or punt position nightly, and if punting means settling for Mondesi, the savings suggest it's the right play. Mondessi has posted nine of more fantasy points in six of his 10 starts, largely due to his speed and ability to score on small contact. So long as he's in the lineup, anything under $3,000 looks appealing for the speedster.
OUTFIELD
Nick Markakis, ATL at STL ($3,700): We touched on targeting lefties against Luke Weaver, and the Braves have plenty to choose from. Markakis is better suited for cash games, as his lack of power doesn't play well at this price. That said, he has a very stable floor, having provided some return in 10 straight games, while bringing a .356 wOBA and 124 wRC+ to the table. He doesn't strike out, whiffing just 7.8 percent of the time against righties, while Weaver allows a 50.4 medium contact rate and 34.9 percent hard contact rate to lefties, suggesting Markakis is in a good spot to put some well hit balls into play.
Marcell Ozuna, STL vs. ATL ($3,200): While I like Fried's potential on the bump for the Braves due to his strikeout potential, he's still a rookie who had 4.29 ERA in Triple-A. The Cardinals aren't great against lefties, but Ozuna has been an outlier who can at least be serviceable in this spot, owning a .386 wOBA, 146 wRC+ and .175 ISO against southpaws. He's hit safely in seven straight and eight of his last nine, but has only two extra-base hits in that stretch and hasn't homered since June 16, causing his price to slide to more attractive number.
Denard Span, SEA vs. KAN ($2,700): Any and all Mariners appear to be in play against Royals' starter Jason Hammel. Span has moved to a bottom-third lineup spot since coming over from the Rays, but has still posted a .383 wOBA, 150 wRC+ and .218 ISO against righties as a Mariner. Hammel has a 6.22 road ERA, and is someone worth stacking against, and Span's tag and feast of famine recent form make him an ideal match for those paying up for pitching.
UTILITY
Nelson Cruz, SEA vs. KAN ($4,300): Cruz lands here rather than in an OF slot again due to price, as pairing him with Sale would be great, and difficult to field a competitive lineup all at the same time. We touched on Jason Hammel's road woes, but he also has struggled mightily against same-handed bats, allowing a .381 wOBA away from home. Cruz is locked in of late, and has a season-long .258 ISO to go along with a .368 wOBA and 140 wRC+.
