This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Just six games are present on Saturday's main slate, and rain could again be present for Kansas City-NYY, further limiting your options.
Pitching Overview
Hyun-Jin Ryu ($11,000) rightfully leads the options on the mound. He's gone for at least 38 FDP in six straight and seven of eight, owns a 2.70 xFIP and a moderate 9.0 K/9 rate. Pittsburgh counters with just a .279 wOBA and .120 ISO while fanning 26.2 percent of the time against lefties. He's a cash game staple and a GPP option where affordable.
Mike Soroka ($10,000) is your only other five-figure option, and while it never feels great to use an arm against the Cardinals, Soroka shut them out two starts ago across seven innings and been worth at least 30 FDP in every start to date. He does an incredible job of limiting big innings, creating a stable floor at worst.
Lefties Mike Minor ($9,200) and David Price ($8,500) round out the upper tier Saturday evening. Minor is a terrific GPP pivot from the top two options above, as his feast or famine nature has resulted in five outings with 50+ FDP in 10 outings. The Angels don't strike out, at all, fanning just 15.9 percent of the time against lefties, but there seems to be some rare stability here with LAA posting only a .285 wOBA and .145 ISO. Price is a GPP target for opposite reasons; Houston leads the league with a .382 wOBA and 145 wRC+, which should have Price's ownership very low.
J.A. Happ ($7,900) isn't in great form but would be an option if we were confident the game was played without a hitch. Kansas City has a .284 wOBA against lefties, ranking 26th. The weather ambiguity is going to force you to have other options. Maybe St. Louis' Dakota Hudson ($6,600) can match Soroka's suggested success. He's allowed three runs or fewer in six straight starts and has a 4.43 xFIP against his 4.40 ERA, suggesting we know what we're getting. Limited potential, but huge cost savings.
Key Value/Chalk
It's lazy for me to list Rockies and Orioles as stackable options on this limited slate. Everyone's looking here, so they're the chalkiest of the chalk, but you should absolutely have pieces on both sides as cornerstones to all lineups. On the Baltimore side, Pedro Severino ($3,000) could be a sneaky cheap option if he starts, as he carries a .355 ISO to go with a .457 wOBA and 190 wRC+ against lefties. Renato Nunez ($3,400) is a nice pivot, or a lineup pairing option, given his .375 wOBA and .278 ISO. Charlie Blackmon ($4,300) is the obvious Rockies choice if healthy and starting, but this looks like an ideal spot for Raimel Tapia ($3,100), who should be in the lineup against righty Andrew Cashner ($6,300), and has a .244 ISO and .353 wOBA against opposite-handed arms.
I certainly wouldn't shy away from either Red Sox or Astros bats, especially with such limited options. I won't regurgitate top names here, but rather point out that Josh Reddick ($2,800) and Jake Marisnick ($2,200) are the Astros' top two hitters against lefties, sporting a .526 and .512 wOBA, respectively, and ISOs of .267 and .312. Boston doesn't offer any obvious value options, so studs can be targeted as support rather than a pivot from Coors Field, and lefties Rafael Devers ($4,000) and Mitch Moreland ($3,700) possibly being lower owned than the team's top names.
All things Yankees should be considered if weather allows them to play, with Gleyber Torres ($4,000) and Gary Sanchez ($4,300) always being nightly mini-stack options. Royals starter Jorge Lopez ($6,600) is allowing a .435 wOBA to lefties, which could make Aaron Hicks ($3,700) or Brett Gardner ($2,900) less obvious selections.
Stacks
Dodgers vs. Joe Musgrove (Pirates)
Cody Bellinger (OF - $4,700), Joc Pederson (OF - $3,600), Justin Turner (3B - $3,000)
Musgrove is allowing a .370 wOBA to lefties at home, immediately putting Bellinger and Pederson on short lists, as they boast a .393 ISO or higher, and no worse than a .417 wOBA. A third lefty like Max Muncy (1B - $3,300) or Corey Seager (SS - $2,900) isn't a bad play, but Turner isn't cost prohibitive, and brings some stability with a .369 wOBA.
Rangers vs. Tyler Skaggs (Angels)
Joey Gallo (OF - $4,400), Hunter Pence (OF - $4,100), Nomar Mazara (OF - $3,700)
Two of three bring LvL splits that I don't love, or hold up in past seasons, but presently look like the right plays. Skaggs is allowing a .381 wOBA at home to lefties, while Gallo boasts a team-high .445 wOBA, 176 wRC+ and .390 ISO against southpaws. Skaggs' struggles bring Mazara and his .381 wOBA and .295 ISO into play, while Pence is enjoying a resurgence within this lineup, posting a .297 ISO to date. There's no position flexibility here, which makes the full stack less appealing, and full ownership will be lower than minimal as a result.
Braves vs. Dakota Hudson
Freddie Freeman (1B - $4,200), Nick Markakis (OF - $3,500), Josh Donaldson (3B - $3,300)
Yes, I listed Hudson in the pitching column, and I don't think he's an awful play for his cost. That's far from a ringing endorsement. He's being peppered by lefties, allowing a .439 wOBA and 1.058 OPS, immediately putting Freeman and Markakis in play. Freeman is percolating with five homers in his last eight games and has a .414 wOBA and 160 wRC+ against righties. Markakis lacks power upside, but offers stability by way of a .387 wOBA. The third piece to this stack is highly interchangeable. Donaldson's base numbers aren't great, but he's not expensive and has a .371 wOBA and 55.1 hard hit rate against righties. The catcher's spot can be an option here as well if you need some savings, as both Tyler Flowers ($2,700) and Brian McCann ($2,800) have favorable splits.
