This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We have a full MLB schedule Tuesday, and there are three particularly appealing pitchers toeing the rubber in the early-evening games that can be found on the all-day slate. We also have a good combination of viable hitters across the salary scale to consider.
Pitching
Jesus Luzardo, PHI vs. SFG ($10,600): Luzardo is averaging an impressive 46.7 FD points in his first three starts thanks to a 2-0 mark, 1.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP, along with back-to-back quality starts and a career-best 36.2 percent strikeout rate. The talented southpaw has an impressive 13.5 percent swinging strike rate as well, and his last two opponents have been the dangerous lineups of Atlanta and the Dodgers. The Giants shape up as a much softer matchup, considering their 26.6 percent strikeout rate, .192 average, .279 wOBA and -3.3 wRAA against left-handed pitching.
Nick Lodolo, CIN vs. SEA ($9,600): Lodolo has gotten the season off to a rousing start, furnishing a 2-1 record, 0.96 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 0.5 HR/9 and issuing just one walk across 18.1 innings over three starts. Lodolo has furnished quality starts in all three turns (Giants, @Brewers, @Giants) and hasn't allowed an earned run since his first outing. His matchup Tuesday could certainly lead to more success, as the Mariners check in with a 29.9 percent strikeout rate, .188 average, .121 ISO, .262 wOBA and -6.8 wRAA versus southpaws.
Merrill Kelly, ARI at MIA ($8,100): Kelly's numbers are significant skewed by a nightmare showing against the Yankees in the Bronx on April 3, when the veteran righty allowed nine earned runs on nine hits, including three homers, over just 3.2 innings. However, he's been rock solid in his other two turns versus a pair of quality lineups in the Cubs and Orioles, posting a 2.38 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while not allowing a home run over the 11.1 frames covering those starts. He now gets a premium matchup against a Marlins squad that has a 26.0 percent strikeout rate, .117 ISO and middling .307 wOBA against right-handed pitching thus far this season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Spencer Schwellenbach, ATL at TOR ($10,800)
Top Targets
Juan Soto ($3,900) clocked his second homer of the season Monday night in a performance that netted 22.2 FD points, the highest total of his nascent Mets tenure. Soto's .250 average certainly still has a long way to go, but his .400 OBP is a reminder of how safe a fantasy floor baseball's most well-compensated player offers. Soto has a golden opportunity to keep raking Tuesday, as Twins starter Bailey Ober has allowed a .316 average, .424 wOBA and 2.1 HR/9 to the 23 left-handed bats he's seen thus far this season.
Brent Rooker ($3,400) carries a .188 average and .233 OBP that make his salary appear pretty excessive, but this is the same player that just posted back-to-back 30-homer seasons, including a career-best 39-homer, 112-RBI campaign in 2024. Rooker's underlying metrics point to some pretty bad luck early this season, as he boasts a .260 xBA, .552 xSLG, .360 xwOBA, along with a career-high 16.7 percent barrel rate and co-career-best 50.0 percent hard-hit rate per Statcast. The matchup against White Sox starter Sean Burke (1-2, 6.08 ERA, 2.0 HR/9) is a very enticing one, especially considering Rooker's career .348 wOBA, .814 OPS, .240 ISO and 29.7 wRAA against right-handers over his career.
Bargain Bats
It's surprising to see Josh Jung ($3,000) carrying the salary he does given his upside and hot start, making him a very viable option against the inconsistent Yusei Kikuchi. Jung owns a .407 average and 1.111 OPS in his first 27 plate appearances, and a .308 average, .923 OPS, .392 wOBA, .265 ISO and 155 wRC+ versus left-handed pitching in his career. Meanwhile, Kikuchi has allowed at least three earned runs in each of his first three starts, leading to a 5.00 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, and he's already served up four homers in his first 18 innings.
Gabriel Arias ($2,600) is averaging a solid 8.9 FD points per game, an eye-catching number for a player of his salary. The 25-year-old infielder carries an impressive .267/.333/.489 slash line over his first 51 plate appearances, already surprisingly having belted three homers that equals his total from last season over 153 PAs. Arias' career-high 10.0 percent barrel rate, .468 xSLG and career-high 48.4 percent hard-hit rate (per Statcast) all support the notion the newfound pop isn't overly flukey, and the matchup against a struggling Charlie Morton (0-3, 8.78 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, 2.0 HR/9) makes Arias (.280 average, .865 OPS, .373 wOBA vs. righties) a value play worth considering.
Stacks to Consider
Athletics at White Sox (Sean Burke): Rooker ($3,400), Tyler Soderstrom ($3,400), Shea Langeliers ($3,200)
As enumerated in Rooker's entry, Burke is off to a ragged start in 2025, and in addition to the numbers cited previously, he's also allowed three homers in his first 13.1 innings. The right-handed Burke has been particularly taken to task in same-handed matchups, pitching to a .333 BAA, .416 wOBA, 1.57 WHIP and 5.72 xFIP in that split. Soderstrom is the one left-handed hitter in the stack, but he's off to a blistering start (.305 average, 1.032 OPS, eight XBH) and has a .476 wOBA and .396 ISO in 56 plate appearances versus righties. Finally, Langeliers has a .269 xBA, .356 xwOBA and career-high 50.0 percent Statcast hard-hit rate, and he's striking out at a career-low 11.9 percent clip.
Rangers vs. Angels (Kikuchi): Jung ($3,000), Adolis Garcia ($3,300), Jake Burger ($2,600)
Some of Kikuchi's early-season struggles were elaborated on in Jung's entry above, and the left-hander, who's always had control issues to varying degree, also sports a 4.0 BB/9 in his first three starts. He's also given up a .378 wOBA, seven extra-base hits (out of 14 total) and 6.34 FIP to right-handed batters, making this Rangers trio one to target him with.
In addition to Jung, whose case was already made, Garcia is an integral component of a Rangers stack due to his .333 average (including two homers) in nine plate appearances versus Kikuchi, and his .779 OPS against southpaws since the start of the 2023 season. Meanwhile, Burger is starting to pick things up a bit at the plate (four-game hitting streak) after a very slow start, and he owns a .778 OPS against lefties since the start of '23 as well.
