This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Monday's is a bit of an odd slate, with no day games and a main contest featuring only one "early" 7:10 PM ET start among its nine games. There's no action at Coors Field or in Arlington (the two premiere hitting spots these days) and the two highest-priced pitchers, Gerrit Cole ($11,100) and Aaron Nola ($9,900), both draw tough road assignments. There are, however, plenty of exploitable matchups tonight, especially with so many left-handed pitchers toeing the rubber.
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PITCHER
David Price, BOS vs PHI ($9,300): The Phillies haven't seen Price yet this season, and that usually gives the advantage to the pitcher. Price's numbers have trended favorably as the season has gone on, with July being his best month in some categories, as evidenced by his 26.9 percent strikeout rate and 2.1 percent walk rate. He's also been better at Fenway Park (3.69 ERA, .311 wOBA) this season than on the road. The Phillies have been bad against left-handed pitching, with a 23.2 percent strikeout rate (ninth-highest in baseball) and their .301 wOBA is the 11th-lowest mark in the league.
GPP Fade: Robbie Ray, ARI vs TEX ($8,300): Ray has struggled throughout his short career at home, posting a 5.28 ERA as opposed to on the road where he has a 3.18 ERA. The same thing is happening this season, as he's given up 11 home runs at home (8.06 ERA) in 25.2 innings while on the road his ERA sits at 2.57. Texas isn't a great opponent for him, either, as they have a team wOBA of .326 against southpaws, the eighth-best mark in baseball.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Freddy Peralta, MIL at LAD ($7,300): Peralta has become purely a GPP play at this point given his inconsistency from start to start. He's scored 21 fantasy points or fewer in half of his starts this season (four) but in his other four starts he has 43, 49, 61 and 62 fantasy points. The Dodgers are second in the league against right-handed pitching with a .334 wOBA, which should keep Peralta's ownership low Monday night. However, his elite 33.1 percent strikeout shows the upside he possesses.
FIRST BASE/CATCHER
Justin Smoak, TOR at OAK ($3,600): Smoak has a five percent increase in his walk rate against right-handed pitching, leading to a .375 wOBA. Oddly, in the last two seasons his numbers have gone up on the road, and this season he has a .405 wOBA against righties away from Toronto. Edwin Jackson seems primed to continue the letdown that began in his last start (five earned runs in 4.1 innings) and his .232 BABIP seems way too low looking at his past numbers.
SECOND BASE
Jason Kipnis, CLE at MIN ($2,800): The Indians are in a great spot tonight taking on Ervin Santana, who is making only his second start of the season. Santana is on the wrong side of 35 and his velocity hasn't been close to what it was in the past. This means Cleveland hitters, including Kipnis, should be able to take advantage of this matchup. After a .337 wOBA in the month of June, Kipnis has improved upon that with a .348 wOBA in July. Here's a way to get a cheap piece of the Cleveland lineup.
THIRD BASE
Evan Longoria, SF at SD ($2,800): Since returning from the DL, Longoria has reached base safely in every game, going 4-for-14 with two walks. This means his timing is likely back at the plate and he's been hitting in the cleanup spot. He's been solid against left-handed pitching with a .384 wOBA this season, while Eric Lauer has allowed a .364 wOBA to right-handed hitters.
SHORTSTOP
Nick Ahmed, ARI vs TEX ($2,600): Whenever the Diamondbacks face a left-handed pitcher such as Martin Perez, owners typically and rightfully flock to Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock. However, Ahmed should be a consideration – assuming he's in the lineup following the acquisition of Eduardo Escobar – and often gets lost in the shuffle. His price is always affordable and his .359 wOBA (.450 last season) against southpaws offers value.
OUTFIELD
Hunter Renfroe, SD vs SF ($2,600): Renfroe should be hitting in the three spot tonight, as he usually does when facing off against a lefty, and his .352 wOBA against lefties this year is dwarfed by his .408 mark against that handedness during his brief career. Derek Holland has allowed at least a .341 wOBA to right-handed hitters in each of his last four seasons.
Marcell Ozuna, STL vs COL ($2,900): Ozuna might have been overlooked tonight except he homered for the second consecutive game Sunday against the Cubs. Ozuna has gotten better as the season has progressed, and he's always had good success against left-handed pitchers such as Tyler Anderson. For his career against them his wOBA stands at .353, and he's had at least a .337 mark in each of his last four seasons.
UTILITY
Matt Olson, OAK vs TOR ($3,300): Olson is coming off a disappointing road trip through Texas and Colorado, during which he went 5-for-28 (.179) with only one extra-base hit (a double). Returning home should decrease his ownership levels, but he's still in a good spot facing Marco Estrada. Olson has a .346 wOBA against right-handed pitching and Estrada, making his return from the DL, has allowed 36 home runs since the start of the 2017 season.
