This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
On the one hand, there are 14 games on the slate for MLB. On the other hand, most of them are in the afternoon. The main docket for MLB contests on FanDuel consists of only five games, and that's with a 6:40 p.m. EDT game in the mix. You can play an all-day slate, but you'd have to get your lineup in by 12:35 p.m., and contests are limited. As such, I am focusing on the evening slate for my recommendations.
Pitching
Braxton Garrett, MIA at CIN ($8,200): Garrett has possibly turned a corner in his career, and given that he's in his age-24 season that makes sense. He has a 3.46 ERA through nine starts, and over his last four starts he has an 1.80 ERA. The Reds have admittedly been better than I expected, but they still rank 17th in runs scored.
Drew Rasmussen, TAM at BAL ($7,300): Last year, the Rays dealt for Rasmussen, and he ended up joining the rotation for 10 of his 20 appearances and had a 2.44 ERA. This year he's been a starter from the get-go and has a 3.13 ERA. The Rays' and Orioles' offenses are separated by one run this year, and they are both in the bottom 10. They also have roughly the same team OPS. Rasmussen is a better pitcher than Tyler Wells, though, so I'm going with him.
Top Targets
He's stepped down a bit from last year, but George Springer ($3,800) is still enjoying his time with the Blue Jays. The former Astro has 18 home runs and 10 stolen bases, and he has an .835 OPS against righties as well. Despite his advanced age, 40-year-old Adam Wainwright has still been strong at home, but he has a 4.81 ERA on the road. He's also coming off a start in which he allowed seven runs in 5.1 innings.
Few players hit for average as reliably as Xander Bogaerts ($2,900). He's hit .291 for his career, and this year he has a .317 batting average. Cal Quantrill has a 4.41 FIP, in part because he's struck out a mere 5.71 per nine innings. He allows a lot of contact, and obviously Bogaerts is a guy who makes a lot of contact.
Bargain Bats
I recommended Garrett as a pitcher, but at this salary and in this matchup I also like Kyle Farmer ($2,800). He likes to face lefties, which is what Garrett is. Since 2020, the shortstop has an .891 OPS versus southpaws, and this year it's up to 1.025.
In his first season with the Rays, Isaac Paredes ($2,600) has been all-or-nothing at the plate. He's only batting .224, but he's slugged .506 with 14 home runs. In his first season as a starter, Wells has a 4.28 FIP, and in his career he's allowed 1.28 home runs per nine innings. Wells has also been better against lefties than righties, which is why I went with a right-handed hitter.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Yankees (Domingo German): Pete Alonso ($4,100), Starling Marte ($3,500), Brandon Nimmo ($2,900)
German has made one start this season. He went three innings and allowed five runs. In his career he has a 4.63 ERA, and he also has allowed 1.70 home runs per nine innings. In other words, German has issues with the long ball, and the Mets have a lineup that can take advantage.
Alonso has as much power as anybody in MLB. He has a .541 slugging percentage this season, which is the same as his career SLG. Alonso has also hit 25 home runs. Marte is hitting .299 with nine home runs and 12 stolen bases. He also has a .920 OPS at home. Since 2020, the lefty-hitting Nimmo has an .852 OPS versus righties. He often leads off and has leadoff hitter skills, as he has a .348 OBP this year, which is also his career number.
Guardians at Red Sox (Nathan Eovaldi): Jose Ramirez ($4,100), Amed Rosario ($3,300), Steven Kwan ($3,100)
Eovaldi's last two starts have been a disaster, raising his ERA to 4.30. He also has a 4.73 FIP and has allowed 2.15 home runs per nine innings. Since 2020, righties have hit .282 against him, so looking for typical lefty-vs.-righty matchups wasn't as big a priority for this stack.
Ramirez has been, once again, one of the best hitters in baseball. He's slashed .289/.367/.567 with 19 home runs and 14 stolen bases. Rosario is hitting .295 with four home runs and 10 stolen bases. Additionally, over the last three weeks he has an .865 OPS. The lefty Kwan often leads off, and he's hit .295 with a .370 OBP and seven stolen bases. While he doesn't have much power, he's slugged a useful .399 against righties.
