This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Saturday's six-game main slate is a bit light on the stack targets, as an argument can be made to at least consider most hurlers, but we can draw upon specific weaknesses in matchups against powerful offenses. The upshot of this is prospective owners will have a few low-cost options to plug in, which may allow for more high-priced offense.
Pitching Overview
Max Scherzer ($11,700) began the year giving up a few too many homers, but the former Cy Young Award winner has come as advertised lately, allowing just 11 earned runs in his last 46 innings dating back to May 1. Add in his 33 percent strikeout rate and what materializes is a comfortable matchup against the Padres, who hold the highest strikeout rate in the league against right-handed pitchers (27 percent).
Rich Hill's ($10,000) home run rate is on the rise for the third consecutive year (1.6 HR/9), which may make some uncomfortable about the prospect of forking over five figures to put him on their roster, but it must be noted that the Giants hold the lowest ISO in the league against southpaws (.111). This should leave Hill to rack up points with his 28 percent strikeout rate and heavy groundball profile.
Jon Gray ($8,400) has enough strikeout ability to be considered a GPP option on a short slate but the escalation in walks and homers allowed this season makes him a shaky play against a team like the Mets, who fall just outside the top half of offenses in wOBA against righty hurlers this year. It must also be noted that Gray is coming off a finger injury that he felt during his last start, though that doesn't appear likely to hamper him Saturday.
Jack Flaherty ($8,100) has shown the ability to limit walks while getting punchouts of his own but a 1.5 HR/9 rate doesn't inspire confidence in a matchup against the Cubs, who hold the seventh highest ISO in the league against righties.
Steven Matz ($7,600) will likely be a popular play against the Rockies, who have logged the third lowest wOBA on the road this year to go along with a 27 percent strikeout rate. Matz has been fantastic at Citi Field in 2019, logging a 1.50 ERA in 24 frames.
Yusei Kikuchi ($6,700) is an option for those really looking to save money due to his ability to throw grounders and keep runners off base via the free pass. Kikuchi is not without his faults but the Angels have shown vulnerabilities against southpaws, as evidenced by the bottom-10 wOBA they have logged so far this season.
Key Values
Eric Lauer has thrown the ball well at Petco Park this year but Anthony Rendon ($4,600) figures to be popular whenever a mediocre lefty is on the mound thanks to the .326 ISO and .449 wOBA he has tallied against his opposite hand in 46 at-bats.
Anthony Rizzo ($4,400) has punished right-handed pitchers to the tune of a .303 ISO in 175 at-bats. This doesn't bode well for Flaherty, who has allowed seven homers to lefty hitters in just 31.1 innings.
Chris Bassitt has allowed just a .309 wOBA against right-handed hitters this year but it will be hard to pass on Hunter Pence ($4,100) at this price, as he has tallied a .298 ISO and a .398 wOBA against right-handed pitchers.
Joc Pederson ($4,000) has been fantastic against right-handers in 2019, logging a .423 ISO and a .438 wOBA in 149 at-bats. Jeff Samardzija is another hurler who has thrown the ball well at home but his 5.40 xFIP against lefty hitters in general tells us that some sort of regression may be around the corner.
Adrian Sampson is coming off a stellar 61-point performance in his last outing against the Royals but it's difficult to ignore the .553 slugging percentage he has allowed against righty hitters in 32.2 innings this year. Matt Chapman has had most of his success against southpaws in 2019 but his .225 ISO against righty hurlers is nothing to sneeze at.
Stacks
Cubs vs. Jack Flaherty (Cardinals)
Anthony Rizzo (1B - $4,300) Kyle Schwarber (OF- $3,400) Javier Baez (SS - $4,100)
Flaherty remains an arm to consider in the GPP realm but it's more comfortable to place him as a stack target due to the 6.20 ERA he has notched in 24.2 innings on the road. The Cubs feature quite a few hitters we can use to exploit the 23-year-old's problem with keeping the ball in the yard.
Dodgers vs. Jeff Samardzija (Giants)
Joc Pederson (OF - $4,000) Max Muncy (1B - $3,700) Corey Seager (SS- $3,800)
Samardzija's lack of strikeouts seems likely to hurt him against a powerful Dodgers offense, as he has allowed 11 homers in 62.1 innings this year. Muncy can be considered the value play of this group, as he has tallied a .223 ISO against right-handed pitching.
