This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A somewhat reduced 11-game main slate awaits Tuesday evening. We've only got one arm with a five-digit salary, and Atlanta, Baltimore and Philadelphia had not made their pitching plans known when this was submitted. As such, we'll need to choose carefully from the available pitching before building a lineup, which is easier said than done as the back end of the arms look difficult to trust.
Pitching
Alek Manoah, TOR at TB ($9,600): It's all about the strikeout upside with Manoah. He is only at 9.87 Ks per nine overall, but this will be his fourth time facing the Rays and he's dominated them thus far, fanning 29 across 18.2 innings and allowing just seven hits and two runs. The strikeout potential suggests a stable floor with elite upside.
Jordan Montgomery, NYY vs. TEX ($8,800): Truthfully, it's difficult to get past the salary on Montgomery; he isn't a high-K guy nor is he a huge innings eater. The slumping Yankees need this game though, and we expect Montgomery will limit damage for as long as he's allowed to remain out there. The Rangers rank dead last with a .285 wOBA against lefties and Montgomery has allowed one run or less in four of his last five starts. 30.8 FDP would represent 3.5x value, and that seems a reasonable expectation.
Jake Woodford, STL at MIL ($6,200): Perhaps this is a huge reach, but save for a few big names atop this slate, I'd argue most of the middle-tier pitchers are priced as such by default. A volatile Eduardo Rodriguez at $8,400? Marco Gonzales at $8,100? Antonio Senzatela at $8,400 in Coors Field against the Dodgers? No thank you. Woodford hasn't worked deep enough into a game to sniff a quality start, but we're banking on him limiting the Brewers over four to five innings and keeping the Cards in it against Brandon Woodruff. Woodford's only allowed three runs across his last 13.1 innings, and he shut down Milwaukee across 5.1 innings previously, allowing just two hits while striking out five. That added up to 31 FDP without a win, which works terrifically at this salary.
Top Targets
Bryce Harper, PHI vs. BAL ($4,400): All three of the top bats are in great spots, so we have to figure out what we're hoping to get out of them. Trea Turner ($4,300) in Coors Field probably has the safest floor. Vladimir Guerrero ($4,500) probably has the highest upside thanks to his robust power potential. I'll argue Harper is right in the middle as the upside may not be as high as Guerrero, but it's likely higher than Turner with a somewhat lower floor. Harper doesn't have a hit in two straight after seeing a 14-game hitting streak snapped. He'll bounce back Tuesday.
Mookie Betts, LAD at COL ($4,100): Betts seems priced too low given this matchup. First, there's Coors Field, where Betts has gone 12-for-23 with a homer, six doubles and nine runs scored this season. Then there's his 11-game hitting streak during which he's collected 16 hits and hit .372 with a .432 wOBA and 175 wRC+. He's also had limited exposure to Senzatela, but has gone 5-for-11 with two homers. There are four Dodger bats hitting .400 or better against the Rockies' starter. Stacking will be challenging, but not out of the question.
Value Bats
Frank Schwindel, CHC vs. MIN ($3,500): There may not be a hotter hitter right now. Schwindel brings a nine-game hitting streak into Tuesday, going 16-for-41 (.390) with three homers, four doubles, six RBI and eight runs. He'll carry a season-long .416 wOBA and .258 ISO against righties into a matchup with Griffin Jax, who has allowed at least three runs in five straight starts.
Austin Riley, ATL at ARI ($3,400): Riley is a dark horse MVP candidate who hits in the heart of a potent lineup and has 10 hits in his last six games, but somehow he Atlanta's fourth-priciest bat? His .396 wOBA and .246 wRC+ should play well here against Luke Weaver, and runs could come easily for both teams. A contrarian stack with Adam Duvall ($3,500) and a surging Eddie Rosario ($2,800) is certainly appealing.
Stacks to Consider
Athletics vs. Gonzales: Matt Olson ($4,300), Starling Marte ($3,800), Matt Chapman ($3,500)
Gonzales has been solid against the A's, allowing just six runs across 15.2 inning while surrendering 12 hits, but four of those have left the yard, in line with the 1.88 HR/9 he's allowing this season. Paired with Gonzales' inability to miss bats (6.8 per nine), and I'll take Oakland to put balls in play. Olson has a solid .396 wOBA, 157 wRC+ and .330 ISO against lefties, and is 10-for-36 (.278) with five homers against Gonzales. Champan is 13-for-30 (.433) with a homer against him, adding a .278 ISO against lefties, while we can buy a dip on Marte, who hasn't been brilliant against lefties with Oakland but has positive career splits in this spot.
Astros vs. Packy Naughton: Alex Bregman ($3,900), Yordan Alvarez ($3,800), Yuli Gurriel ($3,000)
Houston bats are always targetable against lefties, and we've got a little bit of a buying opportunity with all these guys carrying salaries below $4,000. Bregman has cooled a little since an early September power surge, but he's still (narrowly) leading Astro regulars with a .387 wOBA against lefties. Alvarez has a .386 wOBA, 150 wRC+ and .267 ISO against lefties, and Gurriel has a .382 wOBA and great current form with multiple hits in six of his last eight. Naughton has kept the ball in the yard, but he's walking almost as many as he's fanning (4.3 walks per nine, 5.9 Ks per nine). Bregman and Gurriel rarely swing and miss, so expect them to reach a few times, with Alvarez providing some power potential.
