This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A somewhat light 12-game main slate awaits Tuesday evening. Only two pitchers have salaries in five figures, and there aren't a ton of juicy matchups atop the arms, so we're going to see some different lineup styles. Some different names are priced up offensively as well.
Pitching
Blake Snell, SD vs. LAA ($10,100): For a $1,200 discount, I'm happy to target Snell as my top pitching choice over Gerrit Cole. It's all about form for Snell, as the Angels fan only 21.7 percent of the time against lefties and rank 13th with a .321 wOBA. For all his season-long inconsistencies, Snell has been far better at home (2.49 ERA, 2.67 xFIP against 6.18/4.19). Pair that with at least nine strikeouts in four of his last five, and there's ample upside.
Max Fried, ATL vs. WAS ($9,300): Since July 17, Fried has only had two starts with less than 40 FDP. That alone works great at this salary. This will remarkably be his sixth start against the Nationals this season, and while they got the best of him earlier in the year, since their trade deadline selloff Fried has allowed two runs and fanned 12 across 12 innings against them, winning both starts. Likely staked to decent run support, he'll have a chance to replicate those numbers.
Zac Gallen, ARI vs. TEX ($7,900): The Rangers are always a viable opponent to target for your pitching needs, ranking 26th with a .296 wOBA against righties. Maybe the 23.9 percent K-rate caps the upside of whoever they're facing, but we don't need a ton of that for Gallen to return 4x value. He's averaged 32 FDP across his last seven starts, which is exactly what we need at this salary.
Jackson Kowar, KC at BAL ($6,000): Kowar is obviously a GPP guy only, as his floor could be negative points, but he's long on talent and harnessed some of that in his last start against Cleveland. Baltimore fans 24.7 percent of the time while ranking 24th with a .298 wOBA against righties. Camden Yards won't do him any favors, but there aren't many better matchups for the rookie than facing the O's, and he just needs five serviceable innings for 4x value.
Top Targets
Fernando Tatis, SD vs. LAA ($4,400): Tatis has surged in the second half against lefties after some less than inspiring early-season splits. He's all the way up to a .315 ISO and 46.7 percent hard-hit rate against opposite-handed arms and should be plenty active Tuesday against Packy Naughton.
Giancarlo Stanton, NYY vs. TOR ($3,900): Stanton has cooled since a torrid August, but we'll still give him a slight nod Tuesday at a $400 discount over Aaron Judge, who is also in a minor slump. Stanton's hot August got him up to a .373 wOBA and he's had great success against Steven Matz, homering twice in 15 at-bats against him while posting a 1.145 OPS.
Adalberto Mondesi, KC at BAL ($3,900): Pick your Royal as you see fit, with both Mondesi and Salvador Perez ($3,900) profiling favorably against lefty Alexander Wells. Mondesi is just so dynamic when in the lineup, and Monday he reached double-digit FDP without the luxury of a hit. Those 12 FDP were his lowest since returning from injury, and while it's an incredibly small sample size, he brings a .551 wOBA and .556 ISO against lefties into Tuesday.
Value Bats
Chris Taylor, LAD at STL ($3,400): There are many, many paths to go down with this Dodger lineup against a lefty. Taylor lands here simply because of the way the other pieces in this column played out. His .377 wOBA is very serviceable for the salary, and gets you a cheap piece of a loaded lineup against soft-tossing J.A. Happ.
Mike Zunino, TB at BOS ($3,200): Far be it for me to dissuade you from using Wander Franco ($4,200), but he's not the only Ray to consider Tuesday. By now, if you're playing DFS baseball regularly, you know the drill with Zunino. He's an option every time a lefty is his adversary, and here we are with Eduardo Rodriguez. Zunino has a .515 wOBA, 239 wRC+ and .500 ISO against lefties to date.
Pavin Smith, ARI vs. TEX ($2,700): Rangers' starter Spencer Howard hasn't proven up to the big-league test, having allowed 27 runs and 35 hits in 35.2 innings. Arizona doesn't have many terrific options in its lineup, with Smith's less than stellar .332 wOBA against righties ranking second amongst regulars. The thought here is that mark plays up in this matchup, with Howard's LvR struggles adding appeal.
Stacks to Consider
Braves vs. Paolo Espino: Freddie Freeman ($3,900), Austin Riley ($3,700), Jorge Soler ($3,400)
Atlanta got to Espino for five runs and eight hits in four innings in an earlier meeting, and we're banking on similar success here. Freeman boasts a .389 wOBA, 142 wRC+ and .219 ISO in this spot, but it's Riley who leads the way at .412/157/.263. Soler has been much improved since joining this lineup, currently sporting a .373 wOBA and 132 wRC+ in 86 ABs against righties since coming over from Kansas City.
Giants vs. Chi Chi Gonzalez: LaMonte Wade ($3,400), Brandon Belt ($3,300), Brandon Crawford ($3,300)
We're surprisingly not finding Giant bats priced up here despite their presence in Coors Field, or a juicy matchup with Gonzalez and his 1.47 WHIP. Be sure to check their lineup and adjust accordingly, but three of their top bats could be priced very favorably. This is largely a power play, with Wade sporting a .290 ISO and Belt a .306 ISO. Crawford adds some stability with a .383 wOBA, paired with a .229 ISO. There truthfully aren't many wrong answers across this lineup given the favorable price points, so you can pick and choose based on your needs.
