This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Monday is a laidback day for MLB, a lighter schedule after the weekend series have concluded. There are seven games starts at 7:10 p.m. ET or later. Here are my DFS recommendations to start the work week on a high note.
Pitching
Zach Eflin, TAM at OAK ($10,800): Eflin's first season with the Rays is going well, as he has a 2.97 ERA and an 8-1 record. Now, he has an 1.85 ERA at home compared to 5.09 on the road, but I still like him in this matchup. One, Oakland has a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Two, the Athletics are 29th in runs scored and team OPS. At the very least, I expect Eflin to pick up the win Monday.
Bryce Miller, SEA vs. MIA ($9,000): Miller started off his rookie campaign great, and he still has a 3.11 FIP through seven starts. Now, his last two outings have been bad, but they came against the Yankees and Rangers. The Marlins are in the bottom six in runs scored, so I think Miller can get back on track with this one.
Top Targets
After having 28 homers and 25 stolen bases as a rookie, Julio Rodriguez ($3,700) has 12 home runs and 12 swiped bags. He's also picked up his average to .245 after posting a .347 average over the last three weeks. The lefty Jesus Luzardo has a 5.13 ERA on the road, though since joining the Marlins he has admittedly not had consistent home/road splits. Nevertheless, that is a poor performance, and the lefty has also allowed righties to hit .274 against him.
Speaking of sophomore players who are counting-stats aficionados, Bobby Witt ($3,300) has 10 homers and 20 stolen bases, plus four triples already. He hits better at his home park, where he has a .787 OPS in his career. Luke Weaver has returned to starting, and he has a 6.27 ERA and has allowed 2.28 home runs per nine innings. He's also allowed righties to hit .324 against him.
Bargain Bats
It's been an intriguing campaign for Ezequiel Duran ($2,900), one perhaps overshadowed by all the bats excelling in the Rangers' lineup. The righty has slashed .310/.359/.510, and in his career he has an .854 OPS versus lefties. Last year southpaw Tyler Anderson got away with a low strikeout rate with the Dodgers, but that hasn't happened with the Angels. He's struck out a mere 5.93 batters per nine innings and has a 5.62 ERA.
Bryson Stott ($2,900) has a .292 average, five homers and nine stolen bases, and since he is a southpaw, you might think that he's done a lot of his damage against righties. However, his .776 OPS versus left-handed pitchers in his career surpass his numbers against right-handers. Meanwhile, Tommy Henry also has an atypical experience as a lefty pitcher. In his career, southpaws have hit .333 against him. That's partially why he has a career 5.71 FIP.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. Rockies (Connor Seabold): Rafael Devers ($3,700), Masataka Yoshida ($3,600), Alex Verdugo ($3,200)
Seabold brings a 5.10 ERA into a start against his former team in Boston. However, don't chalk up that ERA to the move to the Rockies. In six starts with Boston, Seabold posted a 10.55 ERA. While righties have hit .322 against Seabold in his career, lefties have hit .292, which is also great. As such, I'll go with three lefties and play that matchup, especially since the Red Sox lack impact right-handed bats.
Devers' average has taken a huge dip – his .254 BABIP is largely responsible – but he's still brought the power and hit 15 home runs. Since 2021, the southpaw has a .923 OPS versus righties, and an .892 OPS at home. In his first MLB season, Yoshida has slashed .300/.375/.467. He has an .890 OPS against right-handers, and he also happens to have an .898 OPS at home. Fenway is kind to lefties. Verdugo was benched for not hustling a couple days ago but drew right back into the lineup. Unsurprisingly, his .871 OPS versus righties is much better than his performance against lefties, but he also has a .960 OPS at home. His struggles, such as they are, have come on the road.
Rays at Athletics (James Kaprielian): Wander Franco ($3,900), Josh Lowe ($3,700), Luke Raley ($3,100)
Kaprielian wasn't exactly good in his first two seasons – he posted a 4.16 ERA in 50 appearances – but this year his ERA has soared to 7.21. Don't think he'll benefit all that much from Oakland's park either. The righty has a 7.18 ERA at home in 2023, and last year his home ERA was actually 5.09. Lefties have hit .300 against him, so I made sure to get two southpaws in my lineup.
Franco is a switch hitter, so he can hit lefty, though he has done much better when facing southpaws. That being said, his .803 OPS versus righties is still good, and he's already stolen 22 bases and hit two triples this year. His speed could play well in this ballpark. The lefty Lowe has enjoyed a breakthrough season, having slashed .298/.342/.548 with 11 homers and 14 stolen bases. In his career he has an .832 OPS versus righties, and an .838 OPS on the road. Raley has slugged .583 with 11 homers, but he's also added seven swiped bags. He has a .920 OPS against right-handed pitchers, and also a .983 OPS in away games.
