This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A 12-game slate awaits Tuesday evening, going off at 7:05 p.m. EDT. Outside of the top arm, there seems to be plenty of ambiguity within the pitching options, and an absolutely loaded slate of bats to choose from. Drilling down further, targeting left-handed arms looks like a great strategy. Here's hoping I can put the right names in the right portions of this column.
Pitching
Yu Darvish, CHC vs. CLE ($11,200): The salary is exorbitant, but he appears to be worth in for cash lineups. Since an 18-point stinker in the Cubs' opener, Darvish's floor has been 40 FDP. Cleveland's offense features some big names, but they still fan 24.2 percent of the time and rank 24th with a .305 wOBA.
Jack Flaherty, STL at MIL ($9,800): Matchup over form here for Flaherty, who has only one 40 FDP outing to his credit all year. But the Brewers look ripe for the picking, fanning 26.4 percent of the time while posting a meager .290 wOBA, 76 wRC+ and .144 ISO against righties.
Dane Dunning, CWS vs. MIN ($8,000): Dunning's placement here created some angst for me. I want to argue for a Twins' stack, but not much supports it. You keep expecting regression from Dunning, but he continues to impress, and his 2.70 ERA is seemingly backed up by a 3.52 xFIP. He's allowing just 0.45 HR/9 through five starts, but the downside is he's only faced Detroit, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Minnesota's 25.1 percent K-rate should keep Dunning from imploding here, as a worst-case scenario.
Jose Urquidy, HOU vs. TEX ($6,300): Urquidy is going to be the chalky pay -own Tuesday. The key takeaway from his last outing is he threw 88 pitches and went six innings. If he can build on that, he'll return 4-6x value against a Rangers offense that ranks 29th in the league against righties with a .285 wOBA, adding a weak 68 wRC+ and .145 ISO.
Top Targets
Trevor Story, COL vs. OAK ($4,200): Eyes will naturally gravitate to Rockies bats, at home against a lefty. Story has a .468 wOBA and .318 ISO, far greater than Charlie Blackmon's .170, making him the more favorable play. But A's starter Sean Manaea has allowed one run in each of his last four starts, making this not quiet the obvious smash play you'd expect.
Anthony Rendon, LAA vs. ARI ($4,000): Fade Mike Trout at your own risk, but Rendon has been the better play against lefties this year. His .396 wOBA, .283 ISO and 61.5 percent hard hit rate speak for themselves, and he's earned a 1.000 OPS against Madison Bumgarner in limited exposure.
Freddie Freeman, ATL at BAL ($4,100): Atlanta as a team seemed to take Monday off following a solid series win in Washington D.C., except for Freeman, who went yard for the sixth time in 12 games. His recent game log doesn't have a goose egg, giving him an incredibly safe floor and an always high ceiling in a favorable ballpark setting. It's also going to be a bullpen game for the O's.
Value Bats
Michael Brantley, HOU vs. TEX ($3,300): Brantley only has three hits over his last 11 games, which makes him a prime value here as he carries a .423 wOBA and 175 wRC+ into this contest against righties. Rangers' starter Kyle Cody is due for some regression, owning a 0.93 ERA but a 4.82 xFIP.
Jeimer Candelario, DET vs. KAN ($3,000): Candelario is crushing lefties to the tune of a .490 wOBA, 216 wRC+ and .278 ISO. Maximum exposure to Danny Duffy isn't ideal despite the Tigers overall success against lefties, so Candelario offers a small piece and comes with a modest 17.5 percent K-rate.
Kole Calhoun, ARI at LAA ($2,900): You're chasing power here, but that isn't a bad thing against Julio Teheran, who's allowing 3.0 HR/9 to lefties. Calhoun sports a .300 ISO and 45.4 percent hard hit rate, clearly presenting upside in a lineup that has very little of it.
Stacks to Consider
Royals vs. Matthew Boyd: Whit Merrifield ($3,300), Hunter Dozier ($3,200), Adalberto Mondesi ($2,800)
Boyd has labored all year and is allowing a whopping .447 wOBA and 1.087 OPS to opposite-handed bats. The Royals haven't had great splits against lefties this season, but we can rely a bit more on BvP than usual, with Merrifield being an obscene 20-of-39 and Dozier 10-of-17 against Boyd in their careers. Mondesi rounds this out as a value stack. His .339 wOBA against lefties isn't great, but its far better than his .223 wOBA against righties, and he's on a heater, averaging 22.7 FDP over his last seven games entering Monday.
White Sox vs. Randy Dobnak: Jose Abreu ($4,000), Eloy Jimenez ($3,700), Nick Madrigal ($2,700)
This is a tough stack to back up, as the Sox bats fare better RvR, where as Dobnak struggles in matchups with lefties. Ultimately, I'm going to trust Chicago's positive splits, and pair them with the fact that Dobnak has allowed 11 runs over his last three outings spanning 12.0 innings. Madrigal continues to come into his own and balances out salary here, while Abreu and Jimenez bring the power upside. All three have a wOBA of .394 or better, while the two sluggers have ISOs of .287 and 46.9 percent hard hit rates or better.
