This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
PITCHER
Clay Buchholz, ARI at SDP ($8,500): Buchholz has been a great story, as he has a 2.67 ERA. That's even with pitching his home games at Arizona's offense-friendly field. On the road, he has a 2.18 ERA. There is arguably no place better to pitch than San Diego's Petco Park. The fact the Padres have a .674 OPS as a team should also help Buchholz.
GPP Fade: Tanner Roark, WAS at STL ($8,600): In three of his last four seasons, Roark has had an ERA over 4.00, and the season he didn't he had a .271 BABIP, helping to give him a 3.84 FIP that year. This year, his FIP is 4.05, and in his last 10 starts he has a 4.80 ERA. The Cardinals have been surging recently, and their offense is a big reason why. Since the All-Star break, the Redbirds rank second in runs scored.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Ervin Santana, MIN vs. DET ($6,000): Yes, Santana has terrible numbers this year, but it's only four starts. Over his previous three seasons he had a 4.05 FIP, which isn't good, but is serviceable. This is about trying to save money for the rest of your lineup, though, and this is a great matchup. Since the All-Star break, the Tigers are last in runs scored. In fact, on the season they are last in runs scored on the road as well. They actually have a .284 OBP away from Detroit, which is horrendous.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Wilson Ramos, PHI vs. NYM ($2,900): Ramos has only just returned from the disabled list, and he is with a new team in the Phillies. However, with the Rays this season he slashed .297/.346/.488. Steven Matz is coming off the DL to make his own return in this game, but he was playing much worse than Ramos when he got injured. The Mets pitcher has a 4.78 ERA and has allowed 1.42 homers per nine innings.
SECOND BASE
Daniel Murphy, WAS at STL ($3,300): Murphy has been on fire over his last 30 games, as he's slashed .389/.437/.589. He's been a fantastic hitter ever since joining the Nationals, and in his last year with the Mets, and his slow start, hampered by injury, is entirely in the rearview mirror at this point. Though Jack Flaherty has a 3.22 ERA, his 3.94 FIP is less impressive. He also has given up 1.31 homers per nine innings.
THIRD BASE
David Bote, CHC at PIT ($2,900): Bote made a name for himself with his ninth-inning grand slam, but overall he actually has a .333/.417/.531 slash line. He's only a rookie, and we don't know much about him, but there is a role for him in the Cubs lineup right now. Ivan Nova has a 4.62 FIP, and he hasn't had a FIP below 4.00 since 2013. He's also allowed 1.45 home runs per nine innings. Maybe Bote has another grand slam in him.
SHORTSTOP
Adalberto Mondesi, KAN vs. TOR ($2,600): Mondesi doesn't really get on base, but he does have a .273 batting average and .439 slugging percentage. He also has legit speed, as he has 15 stolen bases in 39 games. Meanwhile, Toronto starter Sam Gaviglio has a career 5.07 FIP and has allowed 1.71 homers per nine innings in that time.
OUTFIELD
Justin Upton, LAA at TEX ($4,400): Upton has struggled against lefties, but against righties he has a .283/.371/.527 slash line. He's also hit 22 of his 26 homers against right-handed pitcher. Ariel Jurado is right handed, and he also has a woeful 6.73 FIP in his four starts this season. The fact this game is taking place in Texas in the heat of summer should also help Upton's bat produce.
A.J. Pollock, ARI at SDP ($3,600): Despite being hindered by injuries, which is admittedly not rare for Pollock, the 30-year-old is putting up some the best numbers of his career. He has a .873 slash line with 15 home runs in 74 games, and he's thrown in 10 stolen bases as well. We don't really know much about Padres starter Jacob Nix. He's only pitched 12.0 innings above the Double-A level, and only 6.0 in the majors. Maybe he'll be good, but he's young and inexperienced, and Pollock's bat is good enough not to be worried.
Shin-soo Choo, TEX vs. LAA ($3,300): Choo has had a vintage season, posting a .869 OPS with 20 homers this year. He's been particularly good against righties, as he has a .924 OPS in those matchups, and 18 of his 20 dingers have come against right-handed hurlers. Odrisamer Despaigne has gotten called back up to the majors, and is expected to start this game. The righty has a career ERA of 4.76, and he's mostly been pitching out of the bullpen the last few years.
