This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
There's only one group of games Monday: the usual main slate that starts at 7:05 p.m. EDT featuring 12 contests. The only single-game slate is the Marlins at the Cardinals, beginning at 8:15 p.m. EDT.
Pitching
There's a lot of great value at the pitching spot Monday, starting with the Dodgers' Kenta Maeda ($8,600). He's got a great matchup at home against the Giants, whose team .290 wOBA against right-handed pitching is the fourth-worst mark in baseball. Their 23.4 percent strikeout rate against that handedness is the 11th-highest mark, and Maeda is the biggest favorite on the board. Maeda has especially been lights-out at home this year with a 1.69 ERA, a 0.72 WHIP and over a strikeout per inning leading to a perfect 5-0 record. He has scored at least 39 fantasy points in all five home games this season.
The Cardinals' Miles Mikolas ($7,000) is struggling in his second year with the team (4.54 ERA) but has a prime matchup at home. He just pitched against the Marlins (12 fantasy points) and at home this time around should have better success. Since joining St. Louis, he has a 2.39 ERA at home (0.94 WHIP), and the Marlins are still one of the best matchups in baseball. Their team .284 wOBA is the second lowest, while their 24.9 percent strikeout rate is the sixth-highest mark in baseball.
It seems a bit odd, but all of the high-priced pitchers for the night seem to have a flea or two attached to them. Mike Soroka is coming off his worst start of the season, Luis Castillo faces the Astros, Jose Berrios ($9,600) faces the Red Sox, and Mike Clevinger is coming off the IL. Looking at GPPs, Berrios makes the most sense of the four. He's been dominant at home since the start of the 2017 season with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. The Red Sox aren't the greatest matchup, but they have struggled more on the road than at home when facing right-handed pitching.
Key Values/Chalk
After something of a mini-slump (2-for-20 entering Sunday's game), the Angels' Mike Trout ($4,600) hit a home run and has one of the better odds to do that again Monday night in Toronto. It's a great matchup against Edwin Jackson, who for some reason continues to start/be the primary pitcher every five days despite a 10.22 ERA. If using Maeda or Mikolas, this is one of the few nights it's possible to pair Trout and Cody Bellinger ($4,700) and still not have to punt any of the other positions.
The Phillies' Jean Segura ($3,300) has been fantastic against left-handed pitching this season, sporting a .392 wOBA against the handedness. He'll have what appears to be a tough matchup against Patrick Corbin, but there's some positive BvP data for Segura. In a small sample, he's gone 7-for-11 against Corbin with two extra-base hits and a walk.
The price has come down enough that it's time to buy back into the Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($2,800). He'll be home in Toronto facing the Angels' combination of Luis Garcia and Felix Pena. Both of those pitchers have ERAs north of 4.50 so this is a good matchup for the affordable Vlad Jr.
The Indians continue to play Jason Kipnis ($2,300), despite his down season, and have been using him in the cleanup spot. He'll get a park upgrade in Arlington with a solid matchup against Lance Lynn, who has a 4.91 ERA at home (1.42 WHIP) and a 0.5 HR/9 that suggests negative regression will be coming.
The Athletics have one of the higher expected run totals of the night against the Orioles while facing Andrew Cashner, so getting a bat or two from Oakland makes sense. Matt Olson ($3,400) has been on a tear lately with four home runs over the last two weeks (.975 OPS). It's a small sample, but Olson has gone 3-for-5 against Cashner with two home runs.
Stacks
Reds vs. Astros (Wade Miley)
Eugenio Suarez (3B - $3,400), Yasiel Puig (OF - $3,000), Nick Senzel (OF - $3,500), Joey Votto (C/1B - $3,000)
Though the Reds scored 11 runs Sunday, their stack will likely be under the radar tonight. All of these players have a good track record against southpaws, and Miley comes into this game with a 4.50 road ERA.
Dodgers vs. Giants (Tyler Beede)
Bellinger, Joc Pederson (OF - $3,200), Max Muncy (C/1B - $3,700), Alex Verdugo (OF - $2,600)
Beede is a good pitcher to target, and his worst split is on the road against left-handed hitters this season. All of these listed Dodgers are lefties.
