This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A typical Tuesday slate awaits, with all 30 teams in action after Monday's lighter schedule. There's no shortage of decent or better pitching options to sort through.
Pitching Overview
Stephen Strasburg ($11,500) highlights what looks like a really deep slate of pitching. He's allowed two or fewer runs in four straight starts and seven of eight, fanning nine or more in five of those eight. Facing a White Sox side that fans 26.4 percent of the time with a .154 ISO against righties, the only reason to fade him is the price.
Lefties Hyun-Jin Ryu ($11,200) and Blake Snell ($11,000) follow. Ryu couldn't be in better form, having allowed two runs of fewer in every start to date, and just two total in his last 37.2 innings. He generally lacks strikeout upside and faces a D'Backs side that has only a 20.8 percent strikeout rate against lefties while ranking third with a .367 wOBA, but Ryu did fan eight while allowing one run in six innings against Arizona in his first start of the year. Maybe the D'Backs splits push his ownership down and he's overlooked. Snell against Detroit presents very similarly to Strasburg. The Rays ace has allowed two runs or fewer in four straight starts and gets an offense that fans 26.4 percent of the time with a .158 ISO.
Kyle Hendricks ($10,200) rounds out the five-figure pitching options, and seems difficult to pay up for despite recent success that has seen him post 40 or more FDP in five of his last six starts. While he's at home, he still faces a Rockies offense that ranks 10th with a .331 wOBA. GPP pivot only for me.
Noah Syndergaard ($9,000) has displayed an inconsistency that makes him a nice GPP target, but unfortunately he will have a lot of eyes on him against a woeful Giants offense. He's failed to provide 30 FDP in three straight outings, but San Fran ranks 27th with a .290 wOBA and 80 wRC+. Maybe that makes him a better cash game cap saver than a tournament upside play. Shane Bieber ($9,500) and Chris Paddack ($9,800) have been too good to ignore, but face sound offenses in Minnesota and Philadelphia, and are of little interest as such. Masahiro Tanaka ($9,200) could go overlooked on this deep slate. Toronto fans 25.5 percent of the time while posting a .283 wOBA and .163 ISO, and Tanaka has at least 27 FDP in five straight. The Angels fan only 16.7 percent of the time against righties, leaving Oakland's Frankie Montas ($8,700) with limited upside.
I think Max Fried ($8,600) is going to garner some eyes as a cheaper option, but he's a fade for me. He's fanned only five in each of his last three starts, and in spite of a .122 ISO the Pirates are putting up against lefties. They also fan just 24.9 percent of the time. Fried hasn't gone deeper than six innings in any of his last five appearances; there just seems to be little to no upside and I'd rather gamble on Madison Bumgarner ($8,900) or Devin Smeltzer ($8,300) in this price range.
Key Chalk/Value
With Coors Field not available, eyes looking for hitter-friendly environs will immediately turn to Globe Life Park, where the Orioles and Rangers have an 11.5 run total with Dylan Bundy ($7,500) and Drew Smyly ($6,000) facing off. For the Orioles, Trey Mancini ($3,800), Renato Nunez ($3,600) and Pedro Severino ($2,800) all have wOBAs over .400 and ISOs over .290 against lefties, as does Keon Broxton ($2,400), albeit in a much smaller sample size. The Texas side is a little less obvious due to injuries, but Shin-Soo Choo ($3,900), Hunter Pence ($3,900), Logan Forsythe ($2,800) and Danny Santana ($2,800) all present well and aren't cost prohibitive.
Chicago-Colorado has a somewhat surprising 10 run total, and if we believe in Hendricks for the Cubs, then we're assuming Chicago scratches often against Rockies starter Jeff Hoffman ($6,200). That's a seemingly a safe assumption given that he's allowed 12 runs in 15.0 innings. Anthony Rizzo ($4,400) has cooled off over the last two weeks, and Hoffman is allowing a .448 wOBA to same-handed bats, so a pivot to Kris Bryant ($4,200) or Javier Baez ($4,000) makes sense, as does Willson Contreras ($3,300), who has a .277 ISO and 157 wRC+ against righties.
Atlanta-Pittsburgh checks in with a 9.5 run total, largely due to the vulnerability of Pirates' starter Steven Brault ($6,100), who is allowing a .403 wOBA to righties. That makes Ronald Acuna ($4,000), Austin Riley ($4,100), Dansby Swanson ($3,600) and Ozzie Albies ($3,00) all viable options. Albies' .372 wOBA is the lowest of that group, but his splits are much better against lefties than righties, and he owns a 44.6 percent hard-hit rate and only a 6.3 percent strikeout rate. I don't prefer him to the higher-priced Braves generally, but he's affordable and this is a good situation in which to deploy him.
I personally love Reds' bats against Genesis Cabrera ($5,800) but the individual splits against lefties are dreadful, making a stack very risky. Nick Senzel ($3,700) and Eugenio Suarez ($3,600) can be a mini-stack option, as they own a .406/.415 wOBA, and .250/.292 ISO, respectively.
Stacks
Red Sox vs. Glenn Sparkman (Royals)
Rafael Devers (3B - $3,700), Andrew Benintendi (OF - $3,600), Mookie Betts (OF - $4,200)
Sparkman allowed four runs in his last appearance, lasting just one inning, and is being pigeon-holed into another start here. He may not last long enough to take advantage of the .378 wOBA he's allowing to lefties, but if we assume he does, Benintendi and Devers are great value options to build a stack around. They carry a .340 and .386 wOBA respectively. The third option is interchangeable depending on your budget. Betts is slumping but not cost prohibitive, nor is J.D. Martinez ($4,100). Xander Bogaerts ($4,300) has the best stat line to date, which includes a .386 wOBA. It's a plus matchup and BoSox bats are discounted more than usual.
Yankees vs. Clayton Richard (Blue Jays)
Gary Sanchez (C - $4,300), Luke Voit (1B - $4,100) DJ LeMahieu (2B - $3,700)
Richard has only thrown eight innings this year, but his 3.38 ERA isn't supported by his 6.19 xFIP, and he allowed a .345 wOBA to righties last season. Voit and Sanchez are clearly plays if you're gambling on long balls, as both have a wOBA under .340 but an ISO of.250 and .290, respectively. LeMahieu is the exact opposite, bringing a .401 wOBA and 153 wRC+, but just a .159 ISO. Hitting atop the lineup, the hope is LeMahieu gets on often, and scores a few thanks to Voit and Sanchez clearing the fence.
Nationals vs. Reynaldo Lopez (White Sox)
Juan Soto (OF - $4,200), Anthony Rendon (3B - $4,400), Howie Kendrick (1B - $2,700)
Lopez has been Jekyll and Hyde this year, and right now is in that bad funk, having allowed 19 hits and eight runs over his last 9.1 innings. He's being peppered by lefties, allowing a .404 wOBA and .968 OPS, vaulting a hot Soto (.384 wOBA, .230 ISO) to the top of this stack. Rendon has been better than Soto (.433 wOBA, .303 ISO), and Kendrick makes affording these two top-priced options possible. Kendrick carries a .370 wOBA and .261 ISO, and while he was quiet over the weekend in Cincinnati, he has three 30+ FDP games in his last six.
