This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Most Mondays tend to be light, but that's not the case on the first Monday back after the break. We have 13 games in total, with all but one happening at night. We'll zone in on those other 12 games, which should give us plenty of options to discuss. With that in mind, let's get started with one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Pitching
Tarik Skubal, DET at CLE ($10,300)
It's challenging to face Cleveland, but we would use Skubal against anyone right now. The Tigers lefty is one of the frontrunners for the American League Cy Young, compiling a 2.41 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. He's also scored at least 18 DraftKings points in 16 of his last 19 starts, providing a 2.08 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and 12.1 K/9 rate across his last four fixtures. Despite how dominant the Guardians have been, Skubal has scored at least 16 DraftKings points in four straight matchups against them.
Cole Ragans, KC vs. ARI ($9,000)
Ragans is right behind Skubal in the American League Cy Young race, registering a 3.16 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 rate. It's only two seven-run duds that have kept his ERA above 3.00, with Ragans recording a quality start in 15 of his other 17 starts. That looks even better since Ragans has a 12.3 K/9 rate at home this year and it's not like the Diamondbacks are a daunting matchup. Arizona ranks 18th in xwOBACON, with Ragans entering this matchup as a -170 favorite.
Michael Lorenzen, TEX vs. CWS ($7,600)
Lorenzen isn't the best DFS option with his lack of strikeout stuff, but he's still an effective arm below $8,000. The righty has a 3.52 ERA and 1.22 WHIP this season but should go off against the White Sox. We say that because Chicago sits last in runs scored, on-base percentage (OBP), OPS, wOBA and xwOBA. That will have Lorenzen entering this home matchup as a -180 favorite. Also of note, he has a 3.12 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in Texas this year. In their two matchups last season, Lorenzen had a 0.66 ERA and 0.37 WHIP.
Top Targets
Jose Altuve, HOU (vs. Hogan Harris) $5,400
Many of the top options have challenging matchups today, but Altuve is not one of them. We're going to talk about Harris later on, but we love that it gives Altuve the platoon advantage in his favor. The second baseman has a .395 OBP, .552 slugging rate (SLG) and .947 OPS against left-handers over the last three years. He also comes into this matchup scorching, sporting a .378 OBP, .496 SLG and .874 OPS over his last 32 outings. The speedster also has seven steals in that span. We can't overlook that he has a .375 career OBP and .837 OPS against the A's.
Corey Seager, TEX (vs. Erick Fedde) $5,000
Seager has been one of the best shortstops in baseball since the start of last season, tallying a .375 OBP, .561 SLG and .937 OPS in that span. That's scary when you see how hot he is right now, registering a .402 OBP and .980 OPS over his last 19 outings. He's also crushed right-handers, compiling a .402 OBP and 1.011 OPS against them in those two years. That's fantastic against a guy like Fedde, posting a 4.93 career ERA and 1.45 WHIP. Stacking Texas is a tremendous idea against Fedde, with Marcus Semien ($4,700), Adolis Garcia ($4,400) and Wyatt Langford ($4,000) looking like the best options.
Bargain Bats
Mitch Garver, SEA (vs. Tyler Anderson) $3,700
Don't look at Garver's .170 batting average (AVG) because that's going to keep most DFS managers away. What we care about is that he's slaughtered southpaws throughout his career, collecting a .410 OBP and .923 OPS against them over the last three years. We love that when seeing his recent mini-power surge, homering in seven of his last 32 games. He's also facing a lefty with some negative regression right around the corner, accruing a 5.02 xFIP. If you want to stack Seattle, we'd be happy to use Julio Rodriguez ($4,800) and Mitch Haniger ($2,800) with the platoon advantage in their favor.
Lawrence Butler, OAK (vs. Spencer Arrighetti) $3,500
I didn't even know who Butler was at the beginning of the season, but he's made a name for himself with his recent play. The outfielder has been skyrocketing up the A's order, amassing a .373 AVG, .863 SLG and 1.270 OPS across his last 15 fixtures. That makes the $3,500 price tag shocking, especially since almost all of that damage has come against right-handers. This is a righty who has struggled all season, providing a 5.63 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. Stacking Oakland can be tricky, but Brent Rooker ($5,300), JJ Bleday ($3,800) and Zack Gelof ($3,700) would be the best pairings with Butler.
Stacks to Consider
Boston Red Sox at Colorado Rockies (Austin Gomber): Rafael Devers ($6,300), Tyler O'Neill ($5,700), Rob Refsnyder ($4,400)
Sadly, we put Colorado pitchers in here every day, but that's the nature of DFS. The Rockies rank last in ERA and WHIP while playing in the highest-scoring park in baseball. Coors Field always has the opposition projected to score six-plus runs. Gomber is going to have a difficult time slowing down this top-10 Boston offense. The lefty has a 7.24 ERA and 1.59 WHIP across his last eight starts, after posting a 7.05 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in Coors Field last season.
Devers doesn't have the platoon advantage against Gomber but that doesn't matter with the way he's swinging the lumber. The third baseman has a .420 OBP, .792 SLG and 1.211 OPS across his last 19 outings. O'Neill is one of the guys who has the advantage against Gomber, generating a .427 OBP And 1.046 OPS against lefties this year. Refsnyder is right there with O'Neill, providing a .423 OBP and .894 OPS against southpaws since 2021.
Houston Astros vs. Oakland A's (Hogan Harris): Jose Altuve ($5,400), Alex Bregman ($4,200), Yainer Diaz ($4,000), Jeremy Pena ($3,900)
We foreshadowed we want to use bats against Harris, so let's start there. The Oakland lefty is simply another arm filling in for this rebuilding ballclub, totaling a 5.53 career ERA and 1.48 WHIP. He's also got a 5.79 xERA this season and could be hit with some negative regression against a Houston team ranked third in runs scored over the last month.
We already talked about Altuve as our favorite bat of the day, but the rest of these guys should pair beautifully with the All-Star. Bregman has quietly been turning his season around for the last two months, producing a .374 OBP, .523 SLG and .897 OPS across his last 44 games. He's also got a .369 career OBP and .862 OPS against southpaws. Diaz has been one of the best catchers over the last month, accumulating a .338 AVG, .500 SLG and .860 OPS over his last 35 games. Pena also has his ways with lefties, providing a .301 AVG and .807 OPS against them since 2021.
