This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Welcome to my Daily Plays article for Tuesday September 1, 2015. There are some high scoring games on the schedule, as well as some high priced aces pitching, so deciding how to allocate salary is critical for success. Let's focus on some hitters with affordable price tags to be able to afford those high-priced pitchers and hitters. Let's get onto the picks.
Pitcher
Andrew Cashner, $7,300 - Cashner is very affordable and gets the benefit of pitching at home in Petco Park. He faces a Rangers team without it's designated hitter, and has shown big time strikeout ability when pitching at home. Cashner has a 3.34 ERA at home, and has struck out 69 batters in just 62 innings at Petco Park. That is an elite strikeout rate, and the Rangers are not as potent of an offense on the road. Tyson Ross shut down the Rangers on Monday night, and look for Cashner to do the same on Tuesday night. He makes an excellent value play at his current price tag.
Tyler Duffey, $5,600 - Duffey has been very effective in his three starts, and will look to keep it going against the White Sox in Target Field. Duffey had a rough debut in a relief role, but has been very sharp as a starting pitcher, allowing just four earned runs in 19 innings, with 19 strikeouts. He allowed just one hit in his lone start at home, and faces the White Sox who have struggled for most of the year offensively. He does face Chris Sale, so run support may be a problem, but the Twins are very good at home and against left-handed pitching, so he may be able to pull out a win if he pitches well. He is the only cheap pitcher with upside, and makes an interesting tournament play for those looking to load up on expensive hitters.
Catcher
Miguel Montero, $2,500 - Montero got the night off on Monday, so will likely be back in the lineup for Tuesday night's game against the Reds. Montero has been hot since returning from injury, and has hit four home runs in August. He has hit 12 of his 14 home runs off of right-handed pitching, and is batting .275 at home (compared to .191 on the road). He faces Anthony DeSclafani, who has been prone to giving up home runs, so Montero offers a cheap source of power at a near-minimum price tag.
First Base
Greg Bird, $3,000 - Bird has been filling in for the injured Mark Teixeira, and has hits in four straight games. Bird was very productive in the minors in 2015, and has both power and patience at the plate. He has a .339 OBP and bats in the heart of the Yankees lineup. He faces Rick Porcello, who has a 5.47 ERA, so the Yankees could score plenty of runs in hitter-friendly Fenway Park. Bird offers exposure to the powerful Yankees lineup at a very affordable salary, and makes a strong value play at first base.
Second Base
Kelly Johnson, $2,300 - Johnson has been batting fifth for the Mets when they face a right-handed pitcher, and is a great salary saving option at his near-minimum price tag. The Mets face Aaron Harang, who has been awful recently, allowing 25 runs in his past five starts. The Mets could have a big night at the plate, and Johnson provides a cheap source of power at second base. Johnson has 11 home runs off of right-handed pitching in just 229 at-bats, along with a .437 slugging percentage. He has home run upside at a bare minimum price tag, making him a great value play on Tuesday night.
Third Base
Evan Longoria, $2,400 - Longoria is not only very cheap, but has a great matchup against Chris Tillman in Camden Yards. Longoria has owned Tillman in his career, with a .372 batting average and .884 slugging percentage against the veteran right-hander. Longoria hit a home run on Monday night, and clearly enjoys facing Tillman, who has allowed five home runs in his past four starts. Fire up Longoria, who not only has a great matchup, but is also incredibly cheap on FanDuel.
Shortstop
Marwin Gonzalez, $2,200 - Gonzalez has somehow found his way into the top of the Astros lineup, and is also riding a six-game hitting streak. Gonzalez switch-hits, but prefers facing left-handed pitching, and has more power when facing southpaws. He has a .336 OBP and .451 slugging percentage off of left-handed pitching, and has ten extra base hits in just 102 at bats. He faces Roenis Elias, who has recently returned from the minors, and has a 4.20 ERA in 2015. The Astros love facing left-handed pitching, especially at home, and Gonzalez offers exposure to the top of their potent lineup at the bare-minimum price on FanDuel.
Outfield
Adam Jones, $3,200 - Jones has crushed left-handed pitching in 2015, and has hit 15 home runs at home in Camden Yards. He has a great matchup, as he faces left-handed Drew Smyly in Baltimore, and is very reasonably priced. Jones is batting .306 against southpaws, including 14 extra-base hits in just 102 at bats. He is also slugging .524 at home, with .849 OPS. Smyly could be in for a long night in Camden Yards, and Jones is one of the top plays in the outfield regardless of salary.
Carlos Gomez, $2,800 - Gomez' salary has depressed to under $3k, and is a bargain at that price tag with his upside. Gomez offers both power and speed, and has been batting fifth for the Astros in recent games. He has 10 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 2015, and faces Roenis Elias at home in Minute Maid Park. His numbers versus left-handed pitching are not great in 2015, but he has had success in his career against left-handed pitching, and has a nice matchup. Look for the Astros to have a big night on Tuesday, so get Gomez in your lineup at his very affordable price tag.
Jay Bruce, $2,500 - Bruce has struggled in 2015, but has been better at the plate in recent games, with two doubles and a home run in his past three games. He is near the bare-minimum price on FanDuel, and has multi-home run upside against Dan Haren in Wrigley Field. Bruce has hit 16 of his 19 home runs off of right-handed pitching, along with 25 doubles. He has 54 extra-base hits in 2015, so the power is clearly still there. Haren has allowed at least one home run in eight consecutive starts, so look for Bruce to go deep on Tuesday night.
