This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
This is a rough day for MLB. We say that because the NFL season kicks off tonight, and that's a competition baseball won't win. In any case, we're still baseball nerds and will keep grinding away for DFS profits. The start of the NFL season has left us with a tiny card, with only nine games in total. They're also spread throughout the day, with five making up the main slate beginning at 640 p.m. EDT. With that in mind, let's dive into the pitchers we love between those 10 teams!
Pitching
Reynaldo Lopez, ATL vs. COL ($10,900)
Lopez is amid a breakout season in ATL, sporting a 2.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. He's also allowed two runs or fewer in all but four starts, surrendering just three total runs across his last four outings! He also has a 1.72 ERA and 1.16 WHIP at home, and facing the Rockies on the road might be the best matchup in baseball. Colorado always ranks near the bottom in every offensive statistic on the road, sitting 26th in xwOBA and 29th in K rate this season! That's why Lopez is a -300 favorite!
Ranger Suarez, PHI at MIA ($10,500)
Suarez hasn't been the Cy Young candidate we saw in the first half, but this guy is still a stud. The lefty had a 1.83 ERA and 0.92 WHIP through his first 16 starts and still has a 3.02 ERA and 1.08 WHIP for the year. The best part is that he faces Miami on the road, with the Marlins ranked 29th in runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA. LoanDepot Park is also one of the best pitcher's parks in baseball, which is phenomenal since Suarez has a 2.79 ERA and 1.00 WHIP on the road this season. In a road start against Miami earlier in the year, Suarez struck out nine batters across seven scoreless innings en route to 58 FanDuel points!
Top Targets
Marcell Ozuna, ATL (vs. Austin Gomber) $3,700
We have Atlanta as our favorite stack of the day, and Ozuna is our favorite play on the board. The outfielder is having an MVP-type season, collecting 37 homers and 98 RBI en route to a .378 OBP and .949 OPS. He has a .974 OPS across his last 53 games and should slice through a southpaw like Gomber. We'll dive into his numbers later on, but Ozuna has a .377 OBP and .951 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor since the start of last season! Ozuna also has an eight-game hitting streak against Colorado, flirting with a 1.200 OPS against this rubbish Rockies rotation.
Manny Machado, SD (vs. Casey Mize) $3,500
Machado got off to a slow start but he's been one of the best hitters in the NL over the last two months. The All-Star has a .311 AVG, .362 OBP, .588 SLG and .950 OPS across his last 37 games. He's done that damage without Fernando Tatis, and we only expect Manny to get better with that lineup protection back in the lineup. He's also got a .400 OBP and 1.035 OPS in that span and should keep that hot streak against Mize. We'll talk about the Tigers pitcher in the stacks section!
Bargain Bats
Andy Ibanez, DET (vs. Martin Perez) $2,700
Ibanez isn't in the lineup every day, but he's always a sneaky DFS option whenever the Tigers face a lefty. The second baseman has a .429 OBP and .974 OPS across his last eight games, with almost all of those against lefties. That's easy to understand when you see Ibanez's .381 OBP, .524 SLG, and .896 OPS against southpaws this season. Good luck finding splits like those from another player in this price range, especially since he faces Perez's 4.71 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. Riley Greene ($3,400) and Spencer Torkelson ($2,900) are the best pairings with Ibanez.
Rowdy Tellez, PIT (vs. Jake Irvin) $2,500
It's hard to believe that Tellez remains this cheap. This first baseman has quietly been crushing it, collecting a .295 AVG, .524 SLG and .853 OPS across his last 55 outings. That's two months of raking, and it looks even better since he has a .944 OPS at home in that span. Tellez is typically only in the lineup when he faces a righty, but this one doesn't scare us. Irvin has just two quality starts across his last 10 outings, providing a 6.55 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in that span. We love to stack Tellez with Oneil Cruz ($3,400), compiling a .874 OPS across his last 58 games while totaling a .820 OPS against righties.
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta vs. Colorado Rockies (Gomber): Ozuna ($3,700), Jorge Soler ($3,100), Adam Duvall ($2,300)
Using any team against Colorado is profitable, with the Rockies ranked last in ERA and WHIP. Gomber has actually been one of their best pitchers but that's not saying much. The lefty has a 6.01 ERA and 1.43 WHIP since June 1. He's also one of the few guys with subpar splits on the road, registering a 6.35 ERA and 1.51 WHIP outside Coors Field in that span. In addition, Gomber has allowed 11 runs across eight innings in his three matchups with ATL!
We already discussed Ozuna as our top option of the day, but Soler is right there with him. He's been hitting second for Atlanta, accruing a .365 OBP and .930 OPS against lefties over the last three years. In addition, Soler has a 1.246 OPS in 58 at-bats against the Rockies this year. Duvall is one of the best punt plays out there, providing a .347 OBP and .871 OPS against lefties this year.
San Diego Padres vs. Detroit Tigers (Mize): Fernando Tatis ($3,500), Machado ($3,500), Jackson Merrill ($3,400), Jake Cronenworth ($2,900)
It wasn't easy to figure out a second stack we wanted to recommend, but San Diego is a safe option. This team has been Top 5 in OBP and runs scored in the second half, doing that damage without Tatis. They have the superstar back, and we're not worried about a matchup with Mize. The Detroit pitcher has a 4.37 ERA and 1.43 WHIP since the start of last season.
Machado was an easy pick in the top targets section, but Tatis is right there with him at the $3,500 salary. Tatis has been one of the highest-scoring players in DFS since his call-up, averaging 10.8 FD points per game this year. Merrill has been majestic for months, maintaining a .308 AVG, .586 SLG, and .922 OPS across his last 62 games. The rookie also has a .907 OPS against righties. Cronenworth also has the platoon advantage against Mize, amassing a .341 OBP and .804 OPS against right-handers.
