This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
All 30 teams are featured in Tuesday's main slate. Unfortunately, weather looks like a severe hurdle with games in at least Minnesota (vs. Houston), Texas (vs. Pittsburgh), Chicago White Sox (vs. Baltimore), and Kansas City (vs. Tampa Bay) in jeopardy.
Pitching
Trevor Bauer ($11,400) leads a five-pack of arms at five-figure pricing, and all of them are averaging better than 40 FDP. Bauer gets a light-hitting Marlins side that fans 27.5 percent of the time while ranking 29th with a .272 wOBA against righties. Given weather conditions elsewhere, he'll be a cash anchor. Blake Snell ($11,200) follows against an equally light-hitting Royals squad that has a .283 wOBA and 25.5 percent fan rate against southpaws. Gerrit Cole ($10,300) comes next, and he presents the "worst" option of the pack against the Twins, who rank third against righties with a .355 wOBA while only striking out 18.6 percent of the time. Weather, and the less than stellar matchup on paper may make him the top choice for GPPs among the expensive arms. Zack Greinke ($10,300) was a late add to the mix. He gets a Yankees team that continues to surprise despite injury. The matchup isn't perfect, but Greinke has five straight 40+ FDP outings after a rough opener. Despite the opponent, I'd trust him for cash purposes with a nice savings over Bauer. That group is rounded out by Luis Castillo ($10,000) who has gone for at least 30 FDP in all six starts, suggesting a safe floor for cash formats.
Walker Buehler ($9,400) leaps off the page in the second tier of pitching. He's alternated disastrous outings with sound showings, and if that pattern holds, he's due a nice game on the road against San Francisco, the league's worst offense against righties with a .267 wOBA and 65 wRC+. I'm a huge fan of German Marquez ($9,500), but even with the Brewers striking out 26.6 percent of the time against righties, I'm not going to recommend a pitcher against Milwaukee. He's a GPP option only. Atlanta's Julio Teheran ($8,400) looks too pricey for a pitcher who struggles with efficiency, rarely working deep into contests. But his ERA is up from last year, while his xFIP is down (slightly) and his strikeout rate is up. There could be surprising GPP potential against a Padres offense that fans 27.0 percent of the time.
The bottom wave of arms doesn't appear to offer much value. I don't trust Drew Pomeranz ($7,100) against a good Dodgers offense, but he's gone for at least 21 FDP in every start, and the Dodgers have only a .318 wOBA and 26.5 strikeout rate against lefties. The game also comes with with a low 7.5 run total. Vince Velasquez ($8,200) isn't exactly bottom-priced, but he has 14 Ks while allowing only two runs over his last 10.2 innings entering a matchup against a Tigers offense that has a .288 wOBA, .138 ISO and 26.6 percent whiff rate against righties.
Key Value/Chalk
With the full slate, there are plenty of bad pitchers to target. They start with the Reds against Jason Vargas ($5,500). Vargas has quietly allowed just two runs in his last 8.2 frames, and while he's allowing an equal .409 wOBA to either handed bats, the Reds offense hasn't been good enough to suggest a three or four man stack. Some shares against him remains wise however, given his combustibility, and Eugenio Suarez ($3,800) and Jose Iglesias ($2,300) seem to offer the right blend of success against lefties with price and current form.
Boston-Oakland looks like a great spot to target bats on both sides with a struggling Rick Porcello ($6,700) facing Aaron Brooks ($6,400). Stacking is going to be tough because of price, and despite form it's surprising to see Athletics checking in as three of the top four bats. Matt Chapman ($4,300), Khris Davis ($4,200) and Marcus Semien ($4,000) all check in at or above J.D. Martinez ($4,000) and Andrew Benintendi ($3,800). Porcello has been gashed by lefties, but the A's don't have regular options from that side of the plate, which is why I'm preferring Boston bats here. Rafael Devers ($3,100) stands out as a bargain despite his lack of power. He's hit safely in nine of his last 10, collecting 12 hits in that span, which suggests a stable floor.
All things Houston Astros should be safe to deploy against Michael Pineda ($6,500), who allowed four runs in 5.1 innings against Houston in his last start, and has given up 15 hits and 10 runs in his last 9.0 innings. Alex Bregman ($4,200), Michael Brantley ($4,100) and Josh Reddick ($3,200) look solid as they all have strikeout rates at 11.6 or less against righties. Balls in play are good things!
Pittsburgh-Texas has the day's highest total at 10 and nearly even betting odds, so getting a small slice of either lineup could be beneficial. Josh Bell ($3,700) seems to have regained his power stroke, and boasts a team-leading .344 ISO against righties, adding a .396 wOBA and 149 wRC+. Colin Moran ($2,400) hasn't started in three games, but if he's in the lineup, his .362 wOBA would come at a nice discount. The Rangers side is more pricey, but Joey Gallo ($4,500), Shin-Soo Choo ($4,100), Danny Santana ($3,900) and Elvis Andrus ($4,400) are all carrying wOBAs over .410 and ISOs over .220 against right-handers.
Stacks
Rockies vs. Jhoulys Chacin (Brewers)
Charlie Blackmon (OF - $4,400), David Dahl (OF - $3,600), Daniel Murphy (1B - $3,500)
Chacin has a 7.22 xFIP against lefties, while striking them out at only a 10.7 percent clip. Rockies bats are always far less popular on the road, and after being held to one run Monday night, I look for them to get back in a groove in this spot. Blackmon is surging, averaging 17.4 FDP in his last 10 despite Monday's zero. Dahl leads the team with a .390 wOBA against righties and Murphy just finds ways to scratch out scoring despite some relatively poor splits. Raimel Tapia ($2,700) also enters the equation if you're looking to buy in for a discount.
Diamondbacks vs. CC Sabathia (Yankees)
Eduardo Escobar (3B - $4,100), Ketel Marte (OF - $3,600), Adam Jones (OF - $3,200)
Sabathia is unblemished in two home starts, but was roughed up on the road by a light-hitting Angels squad in his last start. He had slightly worse numbers last year away from Yankee Stadium too. Arizona as a team ranks sixth against lefties with a .361 wOBA, so there aren't a lot of wrong choices here. Escobar leads the way with a .451 wOBA and .300 ISO, followed closely by Marte at .401/.361. Jones goes .379/.256 and is 26-of-90 in his career against Sabathia, with a moderate .842 OPS. Nick Ahmed ($2,800) is also in play if you're bargain hunting.
Orioles vs. Ivan Nova (White Sox)
Trey Mancini (OF - $3,600), Jonathan Villar (2B - $3,500), Renato Nunez (3B - $3,100)
Somehow, Baltimore continues to look like a positive play despite a clear lack of star players. They lit Nova up for 11 hits and nine runs in his last start, which lasted only 4.0 innings -- the third time in five starts Nova has allowed at least six runs. He's likely due some statistical correction, as his 8.42 ERA isn't supported by a 4.29 xFIP, and with rain a hurdle as well, very limited Orioles exposure is the GPP play. Mancini has a .393 wOBA and 148 wRC+ against righties, and his price is down a bit thanks to a minor hand injury. Villar and his speed also come with a .378 wOBA and 138 wRC+, while Nunez boasts a .239 ISO. If you're feeling really risky, Chris Davis ($2,500) is 12-of-38 (.316) with five homers and a 1.012 OPS in his career against Nova, which includes a 2-for-4 showing with a long ball April 23.
