This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
There are eight games on the main slate tonight and notably, there's a Coors Field game featuring an over/under of 12 with the Dodgers as a -215 favorite. You might hear a lot about that game in this column, although weather could play a factor in that one. Let's take a look at that game and the seven others going tonight.
Pitching
The safe play for cash games is going to involve building around Shohei Ohtani ($11,100). He's a -220 at home in a game with an over/under of 7.5 runs, and his over/under for strikeouts is a slate-high 8.5. It's a solid matchup for the All-Star facing the Texas Rangers, a team that's in the bottom 10 in both wOBA (.303) and strikeout percentage (23.6) when away from home and facing a right-handed pitcher. Ohtani has had much more favorable stats at home (2.05 ERA, 0.89 WHIP) than on the road (3.60 ERA, 1.11 WHIP), continuing a trend from last season.
Alex Wood ($8,400) has been consistently above average of late, scoring 24, 24, 26, 35 and 55 fantasy points over his last five starts. He's been a much better pitcher at home than on the road since joining the Giants (3.77 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) and has struck out over a batter per inning while in a San Francisco uniform. He'll get the Cubs tonight, who could end up being without Willson Contreras if he gets dealt, and the majority of the Cubs lineup has never faced Wood. That typically favors the pitcher, and as a team the Cubs strike out 23.5 percent of the time against lefties, the ninth-worst mark in baseball.
Yusei Kikuchi ($7,400) is slated to come off the IL and is worth considering for GPPs against a Tigers team that ranks in the bottom half of the league in wOBA (.311) and strikeout percentage (22.7 percent) when on the road against a southpaw.
Top Targets
Jose Urena has been a nice find for the Rockies and enters tonight's game with a 3.13 ERA. The problem is, his 1.42 WHIP doesn't support that ERA, and he's in Coors Field and pitching against the Dodgers. This makes Freddie Freeman ($4,300) a staple for cash games, and he can easily be used in a lineup with Ohtani. Freeman has a .975 OPS against right-handed pitching and that number creeps up to 1.006 on the road. He also has an excellent history against Urena, going 14-for-34 (.412) with four home runs, leading to a 1.428 OPS.
It isn't too often players from the same team end up in this space, but that's what happening today with the Dodgers and Mookie Betts ($4,200). I'm starting to think Boston wishes they had him back, as Betts comes into this contest having already matched last year's total of 23 home runs. He's been excellent recently, scoring 18.2, 18.7, 9.2, 21.7, 9.2 and 34.7 fantasy points over his last six games.
Value Bats
While the Dodgers are a big favorite, don't forget the Rockies are penciled in to score around five runs in this game too. Kris Bryant ($3,900) is the first hitter to come to mind against a lefty, but for some extra value take a look at Randal Grichuk ($2,800). Not surprisingly, Grichuk's best splits have come at home against lefties this season (.478 wOBA). While it's a small sample, he has gone 3-for-6 against Tyler Anderson with two doubles and a home run.
Getting away from the Coors Field game, the trade of Andrew Benintendi should open up a starting spot for Kyle Isbel ($2,300) toward the top of the Royals lineup. He's an intriguing fantasy prospect given his speed and power combination, and he had 15 home run and 21 stolen bases last season in 451 plate appearances at Triple-A Omaha. His salary cap hit allows for both elite pitching and hitting options elsewhere, and his matchup with Jameson Taillon isn't terrible.
Stacks To Consider
Rockies vs. Dodgers (Anderson): Bryant ($3,900), Brendan Rodgers ($3,600), Connor Joe ($3,200), Grichuk ($2,800)
The Dodgers are going to be the most popular stack on the slate and I don't mind going that route, but I'd do it with players like Cody Bellinger ($2,800), Max Muncy ($2,400) and Gavin Lux ($2,600). All of those players can be used in cash games as well as fillers around Ohtani and the top bats. However, with the Dodgers as -215 favorite, using the Rockies as a contrarian stack could pay dividends. Bryant has crushed Anderson, going 9-for-24 against him with four home runs, while Rodgers has a .472 wOBA at home against lefties this season. Connor Joe is kind of optional given his lack of power, but he does set the table at the top of the lineup.
Blue Jays vs. Tigers (Tyler Alexander): Vladimir Guerrero ($4,000), George Springer ($4,000), Teoscar Hernandez ($3,700), Alejandro Kirk ($3,500), Bo Bichette ($3,400)
Yes, I'm suggesting stacks against both left-handed Tylers. This matchup plays perfectly for the Blue Jays, who have a bunch of players who crush southpaw pitching. At home against lefties this season, Kirk has a .399 wOBA, while Bichette has a .375 wOBA. Guerrero has a .354 wOBA against lefties for his career, while Springer boasts a .379 mark. The odds are a winning GPP stack tonight will come from somewhere outside of Coors Field, and the Blue Jays likely carry the best odds of having that stack.
