This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We have our typical full schedule on Tuesday, though a few games have a first pitch scheduled before 7:05 pm ET. That leaves us with 12 games to work with on the main slate. It's a strong day for pitching, which likely means that rostered hitters will cluster primarily around a few teams. Meanwhile, focusing on pitchers with strikeout upside and the best matchups can help us shoot for the upside likely necessary to separate ourselves Tuesday night.
Pitchers
Pablo Lopez ($10,800) is the highest-priced pitcher for the day, and he deserves that status. He owns both the highest strikeout rate (29.3 percent) and lowest SIERA (3.41) of all available arms, and he draws a great matchup against a Guardians lineup that has a 79 wRC+ and .282 wOBA across the last month.
We can drop out of the five-digit price range to highlight George Kirby ($9,700). On a night with so many good pitchers, he profiles more as an SP2 due to his safe floor but relatively limited ceiling, as he has a mediocre 23 percent strikeout rate. It'll be hard to use him that way given his high price point, but he has the chance to produce toward the top of his range of outcomes thanks to a matchup against the Athletics.
After that duo, we should be willing to dip into the mid and low-range of price points. Seth Lugo ($7,900) hasn't gotten the attention he deserves for the season he's had, likely because the Padres have underachieved. He's topped 23 DK points in three of his last five starts, which would represent excellent value even with his price tag on the way up. The Cardinals are capable of doing damage, though they've been quite mediocre across the last month.
There are two nice punt options. The first is rather obvious, as Cole Ragans ($6,000) is set to square off against Pittsburgh. Somehow, his price hasn't risen meaningfully despite posting 28.7, 32, 23.5 and 38.3 DK points in four of his last five starts. He'll be extremely popular, as a hot pitcher in a good matchup at a reasonable cost.
Another interesting option is Zack Thompson ($5,600). He's on the opposite end of the matchup against Lugo, so it makes sense to only roster one of the pair. Thompson certainly has the lesser track record, but he's shown the ability to pitch to at least mid-teen points during his time as a starter.
Top Hitters
The Royals are among the worst teams in the league, but Bobby Witt Jr. ($6,500) is a bright spot. He and the rest of the lineup draw a matchup against Luis Ortiz of the Pirates, who has allowed 1.7 HR/9 and has only a 3.0 K-BB%.
Ozzie Albies ($5,700) is back from the injured list and checks in at a cheap price, at least relative to the top hitters in the Atlanta lineup. Peter Lambert is among the Rockies' best pitchers, but Atlanta in Coors Field is a target too good to pass up.
Value Bats
The Mariners underachieved for a significant portion of the season, but not of late. That's a good enough reason to get exposure to the lineup, but another is the team's matchup against Ken Waldichuk, whose 4.84 SIERA is fourth-highest on the slate. Dylan Moore ($3,200) is a good option, as he has a 118 wRC+ and .334 career wOBA across 467 career plate appearances against lefties.
Ryan O'Hearn ($3,300) is among the cheaper regulars in the Baltimore lineup, and he typically hits fifth against right-handed pitching. That's a good place to be at his price, particularly in a matchup against Jesse Scholtens.
Stacks to Consider
Texas Rangers vs. New York Mets (Jose Quintana): Corey Seager ($6,700), Nathaniel Lowe ($4,600), Mitch Garver ($3,800)
The Rangers are on a slide at the worst possible point in the season, but the majority of their lineup remains intact. Aside from Seager, there are some value options such as Ezequiel Duran or Robbie Grossman. Quintana has gotten decent results, mostly because he's maintained an unsustainable 0.2 HR/9. Texas has the pop in their bats to change that.
Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics (Ken Waldichuk): J.P. Crawford ($4,400), Julio Rodriguez ($6,200), Cal Raleigh ($4,800)
As was noted, the Mariners are among the best lineups in the league as measured by wRC+ and wOBA across the last month. That's obviously a good place to start for a stack, as is the matchup against Waldichuk. He's served up 1.7 HR/9 and also has an 11.6 percent walk rate, a good combination to end up giving up a lot of runs.
