This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We've got a nearly full 14-game slate Friday evening, with only the Cubs-Royals matinee omitted from our options. It's an absolutely loaded pitch slate with three five-figure priced arms and three more at at least $8,900. The depth doesn't make you pay top dollar for arms, but the pricey options are also in favorable spots where they could blow the slate up. There's also a plethora of bad lefty arms at t Fun roster construction awaits!
Pitching
Robbie Ray, TOR vs. DET ($10,500): There's certainly nothing wrong with going all the way up for Walker Buehler ($11,600) while I'm personally taking a wait and see approach with Chris Sale ($10,700), but Ray looks to offer nice upside at a slight discount. We're hunting strikeouts here, with Ray averaging 10.9 per nine and having posted eight or more in four of his last seven outings. The Tigers surprisingly hit lefties decently, ranking seventh with a .325 wOBA, but fan 25.9 percent of the time.
Blake Snell, SD vs. PHI ($9,000): Snell is a GPP target only given his volatility, but there's a lot to like here. The Phillies are reeling, being swept by the Diamondbacks, and fan 25.0 percent against lefties. They also aren't a good road team, sporting just a .309 wOBA and 91 wRC+ away from Citizens Bank Park. Snell has been vastly better at home as well, carrying a 2.40 ERA, .256 wOBA allowed and 3.00 xFIP against a 7.01/.410/4.96 line away from Petco Park.
Sonny Gray, CIN vs. MIA ($8,300): At this point in the year, we know which offenses we can work against on a nightly basis. Miami certainly qualifies, carrying a meager .299 wOBA, 90 wRC+, .141 ISO and 25.2 percent K rate against righties. Gray isn't in terrific form, but he's been worth at least 3.5x in five of his last eight starts, and the matchup suggests better is in store Friday.
Nestor Cortes, NYY vs. MIN ($7,300): The bottom tier of arms doesn't excite me Friday, so Cortes seems about as low as I'm willing to go. The Twins don't swing and miss much (23.1 percent), but that's okay, as it's not Cortes' game either (9.2 per nine). The Yankees are hot, having won seven straight and Cortes figures to get ample run support with Minnesota trotting out Charlie Barnes and his 4.91 ERA. We're win chasing here, but that seems like a reasonable bet in this matchup. The Twins' .318 wOBA against lefties, paired with Cortes' 1.01 WHIP suggest limited at best damage allowed.
Top Targets
Fernando Tatis, SD vs. PHI ($4,500): Tatis' season-long splits against lefties don't jump off the page, but he's been raking since the All-Star Break to the tune of a .461 wOBA, 192 wRC+, .377 ISO and 1.119 OPS. That should work against soft-tossing Matt Moore and his 6.07 ERA/5.52 FIP.
Ozzie Albies, ATL at BAL ($4,400): Albies is always a lock when facing a lefty, this season sporting a .405 wOBA, 152 wRC+ and .286 ISO. He's also reached at least 12 FDP in eight of his last 10 outings. We know we want shares of the Atlanta offense; they are hot, in a hitters park in Camden Yards, and O's starter Keegan Akin has been pummeled regularly. Stacking is tough as they are priced up however. Freddie Freeman ($4,200) is equally as hot, and Akin's LvL splits suggest more success than Freeman's do. Take your pick.
C.J. Cron, COL vs. ARI ($4,200): Cron's price is surging, and I don't love it at this point, but it's impossible to ignore the current form, matchup, and ballpark factor here. Since the break, Cron has a .436 wOBA, 160 wRC+, .337 ISO and 1.048 OPS. That's pretty similar to Tatis above, and I'm expecting D'Backs' starter Tyler Gilbert to come back to earth here after his no-hitter last time out.
Value Bats
Teoscar Hernandez, TOR vs. DET ($3,800): The price has risen enough to where Hernandez likely doesn't fit in as a bargain. But he's too hot to not include in this column, having homered in four straight. Mix in a .495 wOBA, 219 wRC+ and .416 ISO against lefties, and he's surely going to find his way into many a lineup Friday night.
Carter Kieboom, WAS at MIL ($2,700): I've picked on the Nats unsuccessfully since their sell off, but they've been a feisty group and not an easy out nightly, so much so I thought about a contrarian stack Friday. Kieboom looks to be figuring things out, carrying a .375 wOBA and 132 wRC+ the month, hitting safely in five of seven while driving in at least a run in three straight.
Gary Sanchez, NYY vs. MIN ($2,500): We know the drill now with Yankee bats against lefties; pay up for Aaron Judge ($4,300, .403 wOBA) or pay down for Sanchez, who has a .372 wOBA, 139 wRC+ and .311 ISO. We're clearly chasing a homer here, but the aforementioned Charlie Barnes is ripe for a long ball, allowing a 42.6 percent fly ball rate, and a 6.23 ERA/5.77 xFIP on the road.
Stacks to Consider
White Sox vs. Michael Wacha: Eloy Jimenez ($3,800), Tim Anderson ($3,500), Cesar Hernandez ($3,000)
Wacha is getting smacked around, having allowed 18 runs and 30 hits in his last three starts, spanning just 14.0 innings. We'll simply take the top of the White Sox order here and hope for the best. Hernandez' RvR splits aren't targetable, but his lineup spot and price make him the third choice here. Jimenez is our anchor, carrying a .467 wOBA204 wRC+ and .408 ISO in this spot. Anderson is on a role, riding a nine-game hitting streak where he's collected 16 knocks total.
Angels vs. Sam Hentges: Shohei Ohtani ($4,500), David Fletcher ($2,700), Jack Mayfield ($2,400)
This is anything but conventional. The secondary pieces allow us to afford Ohtani and his .388 wOBA and .372 ISO against lefties. Fletcher likely hits in front or just behind Ohtani, putting him in a place to score or drive in runs, and boasts a .386 wOBA against lefties. Mayfield is a wildcard, as his .364 ISO gives him great upside and reason to think he's back in the lineup here, but he's also likely to hit near the bottom of the lineup, and Indians' starter Sam Hentges isn't likely to last long in this contest. Perhaps this is best left as a two-man mini-stack, but it's a plus spot for this lineup regardless.
