This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A loaded 14-game slate awaits on Tuesday's main contest, with only the White Sox and Cleveland omitted. There appears to be a plethora of pitching depth, with only two options priced in five-figures but 12 going for at least $8,000.
Pitching
Robbie Ray, TOR vs. MIA ($9,100): I'm not here to sell you on the five-figure guys, Tyler Glasnow ($10,700) and Aaron Nola ($10,100), but rather I'm trying to present alternatives. Ray's appeal is his ability to miss bats, something he's doing 10.4 times per nine innings, while the Marlins counter with a 27.8 percent K-rate. Ray's allowing long balls (a career-high 2.42 HR/9) but the Marlins bring just a .164 ISO to the table. It seems to set Ray up for success.
Max Fried, ATL vs. WAS ($8,800): Fried's nearly month-long stint on the IL seems to have served him well. He's allowed one run or none in four straight outings, fanning 20. The Nats aren't exactly targetable against lefties, bringing a .336 wOBA and 23.6 percent K-rate, but Fried seems stable at a nice discount compared to the slate's top arms.
Michael Pineda, MIN at BAL ($7,500): Pitching in Camden Yards isn't always safe, but this looks like a smash spot for Pineda. He's coming off a 49 FDP outing against these Orioles, fanning eight across six innings. He's whiffed at least five in all seven of his appearances, suggesting a stable floor, and the Orioles come in with a league-worst .280 wOBA, adding a .138 ISO and 25.6 percent K-rate.
Top Targets
Adolis Garcia, TEX at COL ($4,300): It's likely going to be hard to avoid Garcia in Coors Field. He brings a team-leading .411 wOBA and .311 ISO again righties to the table, and is by far the most stable Ranger bat. It's not an ideal matchup against German Marquez, who's been tough on righties but is still allowing 1.4 HR/9 to them at home.
Austin Meadows, TAM at NYY ($4,100): Meadows is white hot, homering in three of his last four, collecting seven hits and eight RBI in that stretch. Mix in a .414 wOBA and .363 ISO against righties, and the appeal is clear against Domingo German.
Freddie Freeman, ATL vs. NYM ($3,700): Freeman is priced as a bargain under $4k, although his .371 wOBA and .248 ISO aren't superb and are far below his usual MVP form. He's enjoyed success against Nats' starter Stephen Strasburg, hitting .339 (20-of-59) with four homers and a 1.050 OPS, and that's a large enough sample size to trust. Strasburg has oddly allowed three homers on the road in just 4.0 innings.
Value Bats
Whit Merrifield, KC vs. PIT ($2,900): We want to target a right-handed bat against Wil Crowe, who is allowing a .414 wOBA and .968 OPS to them. Merrifield has just a .273 wOBA in this spot, but that's .50 lower than his career numbers, and with a mere 9.4 percent soft-hit rate, he's been a bit unfortunate. I like him setting the tone atop the Royals lineup.
Charlie Blackmon, COL vs. TEX ($2,900): Blackmon is starting to show his age and his bat is not performing up to his career expectations. As such, he can offer some value and a cheap buy-in to Coors Field, which could be overlooked in a battle of bad teams Tuesday. Rangers starter Dane Dunning is allowing a 7.97 ERA on the road, giving up a .376 wOBA to lefties in the process.
Jake Cronenworth, SD at CHC ($2,700): If you're not spending all the way up for Fernando Tatis, Cronenworth looks to be set up for success. Cubs' starter Kyle Hendricks is being hit hard by lefties (something the Padres don't have a lot of) to the tune of .518 wOBA and 1.240 OPS at Wrigley. Cronenworth counters with a decent .363 wOBA and can benefit from hitting behind Tatis and a warming Manny Machado.
Stacks to Consider
Twins vs. Bruce Zimmermann: Nelson Cruz ($3,500), Miguel Sano ($2,900) Josh Donaldson ($2,800)
Zimmermann is being knocked around by righties, allowing a .398 wOBA to them in Camden Yards, adding a .945 OPS and 6.60 FIP. Cruz is always in play against lefties, while we can chase power a little here in Sano despite his known contact issues. Donaldson gives us an option likely hitting in front of Cruz, and his .368 wOBA is stable enough to think he can reach for Cruz to bring him around to score.
Giants vs. Andrew Heaney: Buster Posey ($3,400), Evan Longoria ($3,100), Austin Slater ($2,400)
We're going to trust the stats here, and they say these three are crushing left-handed pitching. Posey has a .570 wOBA, 269 wRC+ and .400 ISO, Longoria a .526/240/.419 and Slater a .408/163/.296 line. Heaney has allowed at least three runs in three straight starts, 12 total in just 14 innings. Keep an eye on Longoria's availability however, and should he sit, there's standalone appeal in Posey.
