This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
13 games await Friday's main slate, and there's an incredible depth of pitching options. We've got four options priced in five figures, and an additional four options at 9k or more. That should appeal to all types of players as we can name our price on the bump and build offense accordingly. Truthfully, I like all of the arms priced in this upper tier, sans for maybe Lucas Giolito ($10,700) who has struggled in two starts against the Tigers already, and Blake Snell ($9,200).
Pitching
Brandon Woodruff, MIL vs. PIT ($11,800): Woodruff doesn't come at much of a discount to Jacob deGrom ($12,000), who is fresh off a 64 FDP outing against the Padres, but his matchup still profiles better. The Pirates aren't K machines, whiffing only 22.7 percent, but that's offset by a league-worst .288 wOBA and .118 ISO. There may not be 4x upside, but there should be a very stable floor.
Charlie Morton, ATL at MIA ($8,300): There are plenty of options priced above Morton that present favorably, so I wouldn't blame you if you overlooked him. But it's a nice spot against a Marlins' offense that fans 25.9 percent of the time against righties while posting just a .295 wOBA and .132 ISO. Morton has won three straight while posting two quality starts in his last four, returning 3.6x in each of those starts.
Chase De Jong, PIT at MIL ($6,000): There are so many quality options on the mound on this slate, fulling paying down my not make sense. But if you must, De Jong could be that option. He's gone five innings in each of his two starts and is averaging a strikeout per frame. He gets a brutal Brewers' offense that doesn't have one option hitting .250, presenting as a whole with a .289 wOBA, 81 wRC+ and 25.9 percent K rate. There's certainly a path to 4-5x.
Top Targets
Nick Castellanos, CIN vs. COL ($4,200): Castellanos actually isn't in good form, so it may be hard to justify this number. But he mashes lefties to the tune of a .492 wOBA, .318 ISO and 213 wRC+. That's enough for me to ignore form and trust the numbers.
Mookie Betts, LAD vs. TEX: Teams are throwing a ton of lefties at Foltynewicz, as he's allowing a .420 wOBA overall to them. But he's faced an identical 48 righties on the road, and allowed a .430 wOBA and 1.004 OPS to them. Betts homered yesterday for the first time since May 18 and appears to be warming up, going for double-digit FDP in four of his last seven. The Dodgers' other pieces aren't hot enough to stack this lineup, as such, I like Betts as a stand alone option.
Pete Alonso, NYM vs. SD ($4,000): Alonso has launched three homers in his last two games, and has hit safely in five straight, eight of nine and 12 of his last 16. Snell has struggled mightily on the road, owning a 9.70 ERA and 6.20 FIP, allowing a .457 wOBA and 1.069 OPS to righties in the process, while allowing 2.45 HR/9. FanDuel lists Alonso at (+260) to homer tonight, suggesting a reasonable shot at a big fly.
Value Bats
Salvador Perez, KC at OAK ($3,100): Perez has hit safely in four straight, but hasn't driven in a run in six and hasn't homered since June 3. But this spot against Cole Irvin seems like it can buck that skid. Perez has a team-leading .384 wOBA and .310 ISO against lefties, adding a 44.4 percent hard hit rate. Irvin has struggled at home, allowing a 4.79 xFIP and doesn't miss many bats (5.85/9), giving Perez a good shot at putting meaningful balls in play.
Yasmani Grandal, CWS at DET ($2,700): Given Tarik Skubal's surge and ability to miss bats, stacking the Sox here doesn't seem correct. But he's still walking plenty and giving up long balls, especially to righties, so maybe Grandal (averaging 15.1 FDP across his last seven, hitting four HRs). Grandal walks a whopping 37.6 percent of the time against lefties, setting a decent floor, also carrying a team-leading .460 wOBA into Friday in this spot.
Tyler Stephenson, CIN vs. COL ($2,500): Apparently I'm finding value in catchers Friday evening. Stephenson didn't start Thursday, so seems likely to be back in the lineup here. The Reds surprisingly only have two bats that stand out against lefties, and if we're not in on Castellanos above, Stephenson makes for a decent secondary target, boasting a .391 wOBA and .294 ISO. I'm not going to break out another catcher, but if you're hunting power chances for cheap, Mike Zunino ($2,600) fits the mold.
Stacks to Consider
Astros vs. Matt Shoemaker: Yordan Alvarez ($3,700), Kyle Tucker ($3,200), Michael Brantley ($3,000)
This doesn't set up as a traditional stack given likely lineup expectations, but it's far too obvious to load up on the Astros' lefties against Matt Shoemaker, who is allowing a .405 wOBA, .947 OPS and just a 15.1 percent soft contact rate to opposite-handed bats. Alvarez is the anchor, owning a .382 wOBA against righties. Tucker meanwhile is surging after a cold start, collecting hits in nine of his last 10 (17 total), bringing him up to a .378 wOBA and .237 ISO. Brantley doesn't do much in the power category, but rounds out this lefty stack with a .366 wOBA against righties, and hitting near the top of the order, he's a good bet to come around and score thanks to one of these bats behind him.
Orioles vs. Ryan Yarbrough: Cedric Mullins ($3,600), Trey Mancini ($3,000), Ryan Mountcastle ($2,900)
Baltimore has five healthy regulars that have a wOBA of .371 or better against lefties, giving us plenty of choices who are priced favorably to consider as values, or stack, against Yarbrough, who is coming off of a complete game. That elevated pitch count appeals to me as he hadn't previously worked more than six frames, and I think could be fatigued as such. Mullins has that "low" .371 wOBA, but carries a nine-game hitting streak into Friday and has hit safely in all but two games since May 22. Mancini's power/run production has cooled since a torrid pace, but he still sports a .429 wOBA, .310 ISO and 178 wRC+. Mountcastle has an eight-game hitting and RBI streak, and goes .385/.237/149 against southpaws.
