This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Monday is matinee-free for MLB. All nine games on the slate are in the evening, which is helpful for DFS players like you. Ready to dig into the matchups in order to make the most of your Monday contests? Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Martin Perez, TEX at KC ($9,700): I don't know why Perez is having such a strikingly improved season in 2022. He has an 1.96 ERA, and even a 2.61 FIP. At this point, the sample size has some substance to it, so why not just Perez? That's especially true in this matchup, as the Royals are 27th in runs scored.
Jordan Montgomery, NYY vs. OAK ($9,200): Montgomery is having the best season of his career thus far, posting a 2.97 ERA through 14 starts. At home he's been even better, sporting a 2.61 ERA at Yankee Stadium. The Athletics are 29th in runs scored and also last in team OPS, both of which are encouraging for Montgomery.
George Kirby, SEA vs. BAL ($9,000): It's been an up-and-down rookie campaign for Kirby, but over his last five starts he has a 2.17 ERA. The Orioles are better offensively than they have been in a while, but they are still on the fringes of the bottom 10 in runs scored. It's not exactly like trying to shut down the Yankees here.
Top Targets
Coors Field helps a lot of hitters, but C.J. Cron ($4,100) takes it to a whole different level. Since joining the Rockies he's slugged over .650 at home, which is stellar even for a park like Coors. Cron gets to face the lefty Tyler Anderson on Monday, and since 2020 the slugger also has a .922 OPS against southpaws.
In his first full season as a Yankee, Anthony Rizzo ($3,700) has been taking advantage of his home ballpark. The lefty has an .891 OPS at home, which has played a part in him racking up 19 home runs and six stolen bases. Paul Blackburn does have a 3.39 FIP this season, but since 2020, lefties have hit .298 against him.
Bargain Bats
A guy with a career .279/.379/.478 slash line, Jesse Winker ($3,100) got off to a slow start with the Mariners. However, over the last three weeks he has an .864 OPS. Typically, Winker hits righties quite well, and the lefty gets to face Tyler Wells on Monday. In his first season as a starter, he has a 4.27 FIP.
After sandwiching two strong seasons around a rough 2020, Bryan Reynolds ($2,900) has been more middling in 2022. However, the switch hitter does have 12 home runs and three stolen bases. Also, on the road he's been more on his game, posting an .854 OPS in those matchups. He's squaring off with Erick Fedde, who has a career 5.11 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers at Rockies (Chad Kuhl): Freddie Freeman ($4,500), Cody Bellinger ($3,400), Gavin Lux ($3,000)
I mentioned Coors Field earlier, and so now it's time to recommend a stack of three Dodgers hitters. Kuhl is in his first season with the Rockies, and his 4.20 FIP is better than usual for him. However, after a good start to the campaign, Kuhl has a 5.59 ERA over his last eight starts. The Dodgers should keep things rough for the former Pirates pitcher.
Freeman started strong, dipped a bit, and is now crushing it again. Over the last three weeks he has an 1.019 OPS. Also, since 2020 he has a .994 OPS against righties. Bellinger doesn't hit for average, but he has nine home runs and nine stolen bases. The southpaw is the kind of player who can rack up counting stats at a ballpark like Coors. Lux doesn't have power, but he's hit .286 with a .358 OBP. Plus, on the road this year he has a .795 OPS.
Rangers at Royals (Kris Bubic): Adolis Garcia ($4,300), Marcus Semien ($3,100), Mitch Garver ($2,500)
Bubic has gone from mediocre pitcher to bad pitcher in 2022. This year, he's got a 7.41 ERA. In his career, Bubic has allowed 1.51 home runs per nine innings as well. He is a lefty, so I have three righties in this stack.
Garcia pretty much just deals in big moments. He barely ever walks, which keeps his on-base percentage low, but he has 15 home runs and 11 stolen bases and had 31 homers and 16 stolen bases last year when he only managed a .286 OBP. Semien has seven homers and 12 stolen bases after having 45 home runs and 15 swiped bags in 2021. He doesn't like his new home ballpark, but he does have a .763 OPS on the road. Garver has been DHing recently, and he's been crushing lefties. He has a .913 OPS against southpaws this year and a .797 OPS against them since 2020.
Nationals vs. Pirates (Bryse Wilson): Juan Soto ($4,200), Josh Bell ($3,400), Nelson Cruz ($3,300)
We've got Wilson slotted into start for the Pirates on Monday in a call-up from Triple-A. He has an 8.29 ERA this year, but the Pirates clearly don't have a lot of options. If he is on the mound, it'll be great for the Nationals. Lefties will particularly enjoy it, as Wilson has allowed lefties to hit .313 against him.
Soto is a lefty, and even in the worst season of his career he has an .888 OPS against righties. He also still has a .372 OBP and 14 home runs in this down campaign. Bell has slashed .308/.390/.492 with 11 home runs. He's a switch hitter, but against righties he has an .891 OPS (and an .890 OPS at home as well). Cruz is DHing as per usual and he has put a slow start behind him to hit eight home runs. That comes after he had 32 homers as a 40-year-old in 2021. He also has a .781 OPS at his new home ballpark.
