This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A larger than normal 10-game slate awaits us for Saturday evening's main slate. The late addition of Gerrit Cole ($10,100) to the pitching options has made it suddenly plentiful atop the bump, though the second tier of arms appears priced up compared to their name recognition, sans Walker Buehler ($9,200), but he's in Coors Field. As such, I think paying for one of the top three arms is the right way to build tonight. Keep an eye on the East Coast weather situation, as rain is possible to likely in New York, Pittsburgh and Washington.
Pitching
Anthony DeSclafani, SF at STL ($9,900): Never would I expect to recommend DeSclafani over Cole or Brandon Woodruff, yet here we are. There's certainly nothing wrong with the other two aces, and the price differential isn't tremendous, so I'm assuming DeSclafani will be largely ignored. He has the softer matchup, with Cole and Woodruff facing two of the top six offenses against righties, while the Cardinals have a soft .298 wOBA. DeSclafani went into the break in great form, going for at least 46 FanDuel points (FDP) in three of four, so he's got the same upside as the others.
Brady Singer, KC at BAL ($7,000): Singer has been a bit erratic overall, but he's allowed two or fewer runs in five straight starts. That comes with the caveat he hasn't lasted four innings in two of those contests. He's averaging a decent 9.6 K/9, which should play up against an O's lineup that fans 25.1 percent of the time, and Baltimore's .291 wOBA and 83 wRC+ against righties suggests he can limit damage.
Tylor Megill, NYM at PIT ($6,500): Targeting bad offenses is an easy way to find pay down options on the mound. Megill struggles with efficiency, having not gone more than five innings in any outing, so his win and quality start potential isn't great. But he's averaging 27.8 FDP across four starts, and he posted 29 against these Pirates in his last outing despite going only 3.2 innings. The magic number is nine here. Any combination of innings and Ks that totals nine gets you to 4x, assuming the Pirates don't scratch.
Top Targets
Pete Alonso, NYM at PIT ($4,100): Pirates starter Wil Crowe is allowing 2.7 HR/9 to righties, so that alone makes Alonso attractive. Mix in a .440 wOBA allowed to righties at home, and we know we want pieces to this offense. Yet they don't bring positive splits to the table, so Alonso gets the nod. Big upside, chalky matchup, but a power into the Mets lineup.
Justin Turner, LAD at COL ($4,000): The Dodgers have too many plus RvL matchups, making it hard to choose one. Coors Field factoring in won't make selections any easier. So I'll take Turner and look to load up elsewhere. He has a .404 wOBA, 160 wRC+, .278 ISO and only an 18.9 percent K rate. Pair that with a 13-of-29 history against Kyle Freeland, and I like the stability and potential.
Juan Soto, WAS vs. SD ($4,000): Soto went into the All-Star break on a bit of a warm streak, and following his home run derby performance, the fantasy industry was expecting a second half surge. Well, that appears to be legitimate, as Soto went 4-5 with two homers last night. The splits aren't terrific against lefties, but Blake Snell shouldn't scare many. The price isn't too high and the upside is immense.
Value Bats
Trent Grisham, SD at WAS ($3,400): The Padres' loaded lineup oddly doesn't have great splits against lefties. Grisham, oddly as a lefty himself, is an exception, carrying a .384 wOBA, 145 wRC+ and .214 ISO into this matchup against Patrick Corbin, who's been up and down all year. Grisham has multiple hits in four of his last seven, including a 2-5 outing against Corbin and the Nats July 7, which included a homer.
Darin Ruf, SF at STL ($2,900): We want pieces against Cardinals' starter Kwang Hyun Kim, but thanks to injuries, the Giants lineup isn't ripe with lefty mashers. Ruf, like many of his teammates, is playing far above expectations or past history suggests, but ignoring his current .476 wOBA, 205 wRC+ and .385 ISO against lefties, paired with this price, doesn't seem wise.
Chas McCormick, HOU at CWS ($2,500): I entered this column wanting to stack Astors against Lucas Giolito, but he's been more vulnerable to righties, and the Astros top options against righties are all left-handed bats. McCormick appears to be the exception, carrying a .372 wOBA and .281 ISO in this spot. He went into the break having put up double-digit FDP in three straight and four of five. He's no guarantee to start, as he sat Friday, but if he's in the lineup, he fits well into our builds as well.
Stacks to Consider
Brewers vs. Luis Castillo: Christian Yelich ($3,300), Willy Adames ($2,600), Omar Narvaez ($2,300)
Castillo has been better of late, and his 4.81 ERA at home isn't supported by his 3.79 xFIP, and he's curiously allowed far more homers away from his small home ballpark. But the Brewers are priced so cheaply it's difficult to not load up. Adames has cooled, but still boasts a .413 wOBA, 160 wRC+ and .279 ISO. Narvaez goes .381/139/.169 and Yelich .358/124/.128, numbers that are on the rise after a very poor start. Yes, you'd like more power potential from the latter two, but it's difficult to get a 2-3-4 lineup stack at this number, and the ballpark lends itself to upside.
Rays vs. Max Fried: Randy Arozarena ($3,000), Mike Zunino ($2,500), Wander Franco ($2,500)
Fried's struggles this season have largely come on the road, but he's still in poor form, allowing nine runs and 16 hits across his last 10 innings; to the Marlins and Pirates of all teams. The Rays find ways to get runs, and we'll trust that to happen again here. Arozarena is a play simply for his price, the LvR matchup and his spot atop the lineup, as the splits aren't great. Zunino is largely a power play only, but he boasts a .478 wOBA to go along with a 212 wRC+ and .463 ISO against lefties. Franco we know carries big potential, and has a .450 wOBA, 194 wRC+ and .370 ISO in his limited exposure to lefties since his promotion. Fried has also gone only five innings in each of his last three starts, giving this group likely two opportunities at the Braves' brutal bullpen.
