This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
As the NHL and NBA playoffs prepare to kick off, the MLB regular season is starting to get into gear. There are nine MLB games starting at 7:07 p.m. ET or later. Here are my DFS recommendations for Monday. Hopefully the work week starts with success!
Pitching
Sonny Gray, STL at OAK ($9,700): Gray's first start with the Cardinals went smoothly. He went five innings and allowed five hits, but also allowed zero runs and zero walks while striking out five. That was against the Phillies, this is against the Athletics. You know, the team that finished last in runs scored last season and are 29th to start 2024.
Seth Lugo, KC at CWS ($9,600): Through three starts with the Royals, Lugo has an 1.45 ERA. Maybe he won't keep that going, but last season the Padres made him a starter after years in the bullpen and he posted a solid 3.57 ERA, acceptable for a mid-rotation starter to be sure. There's a chance the Athletics won't finish last in runs scored in 2024, but it's not because they've gotten any better. No, it's because the White Sox have gotten even worse.
Frankie Montas, CIN at SEA ($9,000): There are two questions to be asked here. Can Montas remain a viable starter for the Reds? He has a 2.16 ERA through three starts, but a career 3.85 ERA. Will the Mariners remain so futile offensively? They've started the year in the bottom five in runs scored and team OPS, but that wasn't necessarily expected heading 2024. Well, for now, I think it's worth taking a shot on Montas in this matchup.
Top Targets
Patience is called for when it comes to Corbin Carroll ($3,800). His average and his power are down early, but he still has one homer and five stolen bases. Even off to a slow start, Carroll's wheels are still getting it done. You know, the speed and skill that led to 54 steals and 10 triples as a rookie? The lefty will pick things up, Ben Brown may help. He has a 6.10 ERA to start him MLB career, and he had a 5.33 ERA at Triple-A in 2023.
For the third season in a row, Bryan Reynolds ($3,400) hit at least 24 homers last year. Among the uptick in steals, he had 12 of those as well, his first double-digit season on that front. Since 2022, the switch hitter has an .810 OPS versus righties, but also an .859 OPS on the road. Reynolds has seen former Brewer Adrian Houser plenty of times before, and he will likely be happy to see the righty as a Met. Over the last three seasons, Houser has a 4.46 ERA.
Bargain Bats
Second baseman Brendan Donovan ($3,300) has started the season by slashing .273/.388/.491. He showed promise in limited action in 2023, mostly against righties. The southpaw had an .831 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Ross Stripling is right handed. Last year lefties hit .289 against him, and to start 2024 they've hit a whopping .362.
He doesn't have as much power as your typical first baseman, but last season Vinnie Pasquantino ($2,900) slugged .468 against righties, and .486 on the road. Monday he will be in Chicago to face the homer-happy Erick Fedde. He has a career 5.37 ERA, and his 4.30 through three starts in 2024 is belied by a 7.18 FIP. Why is his FIP so high? In part, it's because he's allowed a whopping five home runs in 14.2 innings.
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta at Houston (Spencer Arrighetti): Matt Olson ($3,900), Marcell Ozuna ($3,900), Michael Harris ($3,200)
Arrighetti has earned a second start for the Astros because…a lack of options? Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez aren't ready to return just yet? In his MLB debut, Arrighetti allowed seven runs in three innings to Kansas City. Now he faces Atlanta? Since the Astros hurtler is a righty, I have two lefties in this stack.
Olson has hit at least 34 homers in each of his last four full seasons, including 54 last season. Also, since 2022 he has a whopping .949 OPS versus righties. Ozuna's power resurged in 2023 with 40 homers and a .558 slugging percentage. This year, he's come out of the gate even stronger with seven homers and a .780 slugging percentage through 14 games. Harris didn't experience a sophomore slump in 2023, but more something like sophomore stagnation. After a 19/20 season he had an 18/20 season, and his average dipped slightly from .297 to .293. That being said, those numbers from a lefty are well worth investing in with a questionable righty on the mound.
Brewers vs. Padres (Joe Musgrove): Willy Adames ($3,300), Jackson Chourio ($3,200), Rhys Hoskins ($3,100)
Through four starts, Musgrove has a 6.87 ERA. That is concerning, even though he had a 3.05 ERA last season. The thing is, last year the right hander held lefties to a .215 average, while his fellow righties hit .282 against him. Given all that, I'll take a shot stacking a trio of righties from the Brewers in this one.
Adames is never going to win a batting title, but he's hit at least 29 doubles and 24 homers in each of his last three seasons. For a shortstop, that's still legitimate power. He also has shown more power against righties and at home. Since 2022, he's slugged .450 versus right handers and .471 at home. Chourio debuted as one of the two-or-three best prospects in baseball. He has two homers, two stolen bases, and massive upside. After missing all of 2023, Hoskins joined the Brewers. He's slugged .493 in his career and hit three homers for Milwaukee thus far.
