This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Saturday greets us with a full 13-game main slate, giving us plenty of options to choose from on both sides of the ball. From an offensive perspective, in particular, we can find fantastic value against struggling pitchers, which can allow us to anchor our stacks with high-priced talent.
Pitching Overview
Walker Buehler ($11,400) will take a microscopic walk rate and a strikeout rate of 28 percent into a matchup against the Padres at home. The San Diego offense combines a bottom-10 wOBA with a strikeout rate of 26 percent against right-handed pitching, making Buehler a reliable play even at his elevated price.
Trevor Bauer ($11,200) hit a rough patch in the month of July, logging a 4.54 ERA and a .449 slugging percentage against in 47.2 frames. While a move to the National League should help, he will still have his work cut out for him in his Reds debut, as the Braves have logged top-10 marks in both wOBA and ISO against righty pitchers.
Stephen Strasburg ($11,000) needs to be considered almost regardless of matchup at this point thanks to his 51 percent groundball rate and 168:34 K/BB ratio in 140.2 frames. The D-Backs are a bottom-10 team at home according to wOBA, but walk a bit more and strike out a bit less than we might want for an ideal DFS play.
Matthew Boyd's ($10,100) strikeout rate (33 percent) is enough to take your breath away, but his home run problem (2.0/9) is very real. The Rangers have tended to strike out against left-handers but still hold a .193 ISO against them, making Boyd more of a GPP play in Arlington.
Marcus Stroman ($9,000) will be the second pitcher on our list to make his season debut in the National League when he takes on the Pirates on the road. Pittsburgh has been a formidable offense against right-handed pitching, but Stroman should be able to use his elite groundball rate to keep bats in check, as the Pirates have logged the third-highest groundball rate in the league this season (46 percent).
The Reds should be a target whenever they are away from Great American Ball Park, as they have registered just a .300 wOBA on the road. This lines up perfectly for Dallas Keuchel ($8,500), who holds a 2.66 ERA at home in 20.1 innings.
Jon Gray ($7,200) is once again throwing the ball well at Coors Field, as evidenced by the 3.55 ERA he has logged in 63.1 innings. The Giants have tallied a .301 ISO against righty pitchers this year, which could make Gray a sneaky cheap option on a crowded slate.
Key Values
Jeff Samardzija has been hit hard by lefties in 2019, but the worst may be yet to come, as he currently holds a 5.45 xFIP against his opposite hand in 55.1 frames. Charlie Blackmon ($4,300) should stand to benefit tremendously from Samardzija taking the hill due to the .279 ISO and .401 wOBA he has logged against right-handed pitchers.
Rhys Hoskins ($4,200) has done a tremendous amount of damage against left-handed pitchers in 2019, as evidenced by the .300 ISO he has logged in 90 at-bats. Meanwhile, Ross Detwiler has been absolutely hammered by righty hitters this year, allowing six home runs in just 15 innings.
Francisco Lindor ($4,100) has done most of his damage from the left side of the plate this season, notching a .245 ISO in 257 at-bats. Felix Pena has thrown the ball extremely well against righty hitters but has struggled against left-handed bats, allowing a .506 slugging percentage in 43 innings.
Max Muncy ($3,900) has performed better on the road this year but still holds a .271 ISO against right-handed pitching overall. He should get his share of comfortable at-bats against Cal Quantrill, who features mediocre walk and strikeout rates while holding a 1.4 HR/9 rate against lefty batters.
Brian Johnson hasn't thrown much with the big club but hasn't been all that effective when given the opportunity, as he has allowed eight runs to right-handed hitters in 7.2 frames. DJ LeMahieu ($3,700) needs to be considered against lefty pitchers whenever he is in the lineup thanks to the .415 wOBA he has tallied against opposite-handed pitchers.
It would be tough to find a hotter hitter against left-handed pitching than Mitch Garver ($3,500), who holds a .431 ISO and .485 wOBA against southpaws in 65 at-bats. He will face off against Danny Duffy, who has kept an xFIP over 5.00 against both sides of the platoon.
Stacks
Phillies against Ross Detwiler (White Sox)
Rhys Hoskins (1B - $4,200) Jean Segura (SS - $3,600) Scott Kingery (OF - $3,300)
The Phillies have no shortage of powerful options from the right side of the plate. Even struggling hitters like Kingery fall into this category, having notched a .250 ISO in 76 at-bats against lefty pitching.
Yankees against Brian Johnson (Red Sox)
Aaron Judge (OF -$4,100) DJ LeMahieu (3B - $3,700) Gio Urshela (1B -$3,200)
It's not often that I can comfortably recommend a Yankees stack, but injuries have allowed us to plug in a money saver like Urshela, who finished the month of July with a .347 ISO in 72 at-bats.
