This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Mondays don't have to be mundane. A little Major League Baseball can perk things up. Want to play DFS baseball? Here are some recommendations for your lineup. There are six games Monday night – the rescheduled game between the Red Sox and Rangers in the afternoon is excluded for content purposes – so you have until the 7:05 p.m. ET start to get your lineups in.
PITCHING
Zack Greinke, HOU vs. KC ($9,200): Greinke is the clear top choice for Monday in my mind. He matches skill and matchup like nobody else. The veteran pitcher has a 3.43 ERA, but also a 2.93 ERA over his last 10 starts. Kansas City, Greinke's former team, is fighting just to try and stay out of the bottom five in runs scored. It should be a nice visit from his old squad for the pitcher.
Paul Blackburn, OAK vs. SEA ($5,500): My other two pitching recommendations will be entirely about the matchup and saving salary. Blackburn has only made one start this season, so his numbers are irrelevant. He's pitching in a pitcher-friendly ballpark against a team with some weak bats. The Mariners rank last in the league in team batting average and are one of three teams with a sub-.300 OBP.
Caleb Smith, ARI at PIT ($): Again, this is about the matchup. The Pirates have by far the worst offense in MLB. They are locked into finishing 30th in runs scored and team OPS. Smith has not been good this year, that is true. If there was ever an opportunity for him to, say, go five innings, allow two runs and pick up a win, though, it's Monday.
TOP TARGETS
Ketel Marte, ARI at PIT ($3,900): Marte missed a lot of time this season, but when he's played he's slashed .350/.405/.549. Last time he played a full campaign he hit 32 home runs with a .329 average as well. Wil Crowe has had a woeful rookie campaign, as he has a 5.70 FIP in 19 games. He's allowed righties to hit .319 against him, and Marte is a switch hitter, so he can bat from that side of the plate.
Starling Marte, OAK vs. SEA ($3,900): I'm all about the Martes today. Starling has hit .321 and is vying to lead the majors in stolen bases. He's swiped 39 bags already. Marco Gonzales, meanwhile, has a 5.03 FIP. On top of that, he's allowed righties – like Marte – to hit .278 against him in 2021. When Marte gets on base, a stolen base is never far from happening.
VALUE BATS
Brendan Rodgers, COL at CHC ($2,800): Part of the reason I'm recommending Rodgers is because he's a Rockie that isn't reliant on Coors Field. He actually has an .856 OPS on the road and a .782 OPS at home. Another part of the reason for the recommendation? Adbert Alzolay has a 5.16 ERA and has given up 2.03 home runs per nine innings.
Rafael Ortega, CHC vs. COL ($3,400): Ortega is surprisingly starting to get a little something going for the first time in his career as a 30 year old. He's slashed .307/.365/.472 with six home runs and seven stolen bases. The southpaw's real problem is that he truly can't hit lefties at all. He's hit .960 against righties this year and a woeful .277 against lefties. Antonio Senzatela is – fortunately for Ortega – a righty, and though he is a Rockies pitcher, his road ERA is 5.80.
STACK TO CONSIDER
Astros vs. Daniel Lynch: Jose Altuve ($3,700), Carlos Correa ($4,000), Aledmys Diaz ($2,700)
It's been a rough rookie season for Lynch, who has a 5.12 ERA. The problem is that he simply can't get righties out, and opposing teams seem to know that. Across his eight starts he's only had 17 at-bats against lefties, but he's held them to a .154 batting average. Right-handed hitters, on the other, ahem, hand, hit .294 against him. Naturally, I'm recommending three righties from the Astros.
Altuve's average is down a bit from his career number of .308 (.280), but his power is up as he has 25 home runs and has slugged .489. Correa has an .891 OPS in August, including a .370 OBP. He also has 19 home runs. Diaz particularly feasts on lefties, as he's posted a .957 OPS against them in 2021.
