This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's a light Monday with only six games. It's also a brutal day for pitching. However, that could mean a good day for hitters, and you need a lot of those in your lineup too!
PITCHERS
Tyler Mahle, CIN at PIT ($8,900): The pitchers I'm recommending are mostly about the matchup, not about the pitchers themselves. Mahle's start Sunday was moved to Monday due to a rainout, which means he brings his 3.23 ERA into a matchup with the Pirates. Pittsburgh finished last in runs scored in 2020, and this year they are down there with the Tigers in the bottom five in runs per game as well.
Alex Wood, SF vs. TEX ($8,900): Maybe moving to a new team and a new ballpark is helping Wood? He has a 1.96 ERA through four starts, and his 3.09 FIP is quite good as well. The Rangers are middling offensively so far, which is a little surprising given their lineup. It's also surprising since the Rangers finished 29th in runs scored last year.
Luke Weaver, ARI vs. MIA ($7,500): If you want to try to save a little salary, then you can go with Weaver. Yes, his 6.07 ERA is terrible, but his 4.98 FIP is…less bad? Also, he does have a 2.45 ERA at home, which is something. The Marlins are in the bottom 10 in runs scored and slugging percentage, so this matchup could be worth a roll on the dice to try and allocate your money elsewhere.
TOP TARGET
Jose Altuve, HOU vs. LAA ($3,700): Is Altuve starting to turn things around? He's still got a .414 slugging percentage, but his average is up to .283, and he just hit his third home run. Alex Cobb went on the injured list, so the thought is Jose Suarez will now be on the mound for the Angels Monday. Last year in his MLB debut, Suarez posted a woeful 7.11 ERA. This could be Altuve's fifth multi-hit game in a row.
VALUE BAT
Mike Moustakas, CIN at PIT ($3,000): Moustakas is a classic lefty you only play against righties. In his last full season, he hit 35 homers, and 24 of them came against right-handed pitchers. Mitch Keller, meanwhile, has been brutal against lefties since 2019. In that time, he's allowed a .313 average to southpaws, which these days is practically good enough to compete for the batting title.
STACKS TO CONSIDER
Padres vs. Antonio Senzatela: Trent Grisham ($3,900), Manny Machado ($3,700), Eric Hosmer, ($3,600)
The Padres' offense has struggled this year to the surprise of many, but you know what can help on that front? Getting to hit at Coors Field. Facing Senzatela fresh off the injured list should help as well, as he has a 5.76 ERA in 2021 and a career 4.70 FIP. Grisham is not one of the hitters who has had a problem this year, as he's slashed .293/.369/.515 with five homers and six stolen bases. Machado hasn't quite been on that level, or his normal self, just yet, but he's had a .905 OPS over the last three seasons prior to this one. Then there's the lefty Hosmer against the righty Senzatela. He's hit .307 this year and has an .802 OPS versus right-handed pitchers since 2019.
Red Sox vs. Jorge Lopez: Xander Bogaerts ($3,600), Rafael Devers ($3,600), Alex Verdugo ($3,300)
Getting to face the Orioles for a stretch is good for an offense, as the Red Sox can attest to. Lopez is en route to having an ERA of more than 6.00 for the third season in a row, which is kind of impressive in its own way. Also, he's allowed 2.32 homers per nine innings this year. Bogaerts' OPS has dipped below 1.000, but just barely, and he still leads the Red Sox with a .349 batting average. Devers just hit his eighth home run, and he has a .966 OPS versus righties since 2019. Verdugo's OPS has improved every season of his career, and he's had an OPS of more than .900 against righties in each of the last two seasons.
