This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A slightly smaller than usual nine game slate is featured Tuesday at FanDuel, getting started at our typical 7:10 p.m. EDT. That gives us 18 pitchers to sort through, four of which are priced in five figures with just two more in the $9,000 tier. Run lines are all over the place. Coors Field is present, giving us the slate's high point at 11.0, while Boston-Toronto is flirting with 10 runs depending on the book as it features two sub $7k pitching options. Conversely, Seattle-Tampa has a minuscule 6.5 run line.
Overall, weather does not look likely to impact that slate. Some minor rain chances in Chicago, light inbound winds in Minnesota and outbound in Los Angeles and Denver exist, but aren't fierce enough to concern ourselves with.
Pitching
Logan Gilbert, SEA vs. TB ($10,200): This stands out as too obvious, so if you're in a tournament and prefer to pay up, consider any of the other options. The Rays have an expected run total of just 2.9, come with a 24.3 percent strikeout rate off righties and a below average 92 wRC+. Gilbert has six quality starts in his last eight, striking out six or more in seven of those. The Rays have scored three runs or less in six of their last eight as well, setting Gilbert up for a stable floor with a 4x ceiling at this elevated price.
Andrew Heaney, TEX at CWS ($8,000): When in doubt, target the White Sox! Chicago enters Tuesday with a league-worst 73 wRC+ and .272 wOBA off lefties while striking out 24.8 percent of the time. Heaney has worked more than five innings just once in his last eight starts, so we're not expecting a quality start bonus, but he's also upped his strikeouts of late, collecting 16 across his last 9.1 innings. We'll need that trend to continue for him to return more than a 3x value at this price, as if he only records 15 outs and a quarter of them are strikeouts, there's not enough upside.
Cal Quantrill, COL vs. MIA ($7,500): I wish this price was slightly lower, but if there's ever a time to target an arm in Coors Field, this is it. Miami has an 86 wRC+ and 23.3 percent strikeout rate off righties. Quantrill has been marginally better at home with a 4.06 ERA and 4.66 xFIP. He has allowed five runs across his last 9.1 home innings, so we're not going to get a clean sheet. And there will be Marlins mentioned below to consider as bargain bats. But if we can get five or six innings here and two or three runs allowed, something Quantrill has done in four of his last six starts, that's likely enough to justify his price and allow offensive spending.
Top Targets
The pitcher pricing in Boston suggests we want shares on both sides, which likely makes this game too obvious to stack. Rather, take a big piece or two on both sides and be different elsewhere. Blue Jays starter Yariel Rodriguez doesn't have targetable splits for hitters, but has been more vulnerable on the road. Jarren Duran ($3,800) has been in much better form, which could lead to lower usage on Rafael Devers ($3,800). On the Toronto side, it's set it and forget it with Vladimir Guerrero ($3,800), who is hot again, with six hits, five runs, four RBI and four walks in his last three and hits in 10 of his last 13.
This looks like as good of a day as possible to fade Shohei Ohtani at $4,800, as he has just a .345 wOBA off lefties, but the Dodgers have the slate's second-highest run expectancy at 6.0 so we'll want shares. Mookie Betts ($3,900) makes the most sense with a .385 wOBA off lefties, but Teoscar Hernandez ($3,400) and Will Smith ($3,100) make this lineup surprisingly stackable against Cole Irvin. Hernandez sits with a .388 wOBA and .298 ISO off southpaws, and Smith at .381/.260.
Bargain Bats
The price has unfortunately gone above $3,000, but Connor Norby ($3,100) still feels like an automatic play in Coors Field. He's riding an eight-game hitting streak, scoring in five straight while homering in two of his last three. In the other dugout, the Rockies are banged up so we'll need to see their lineup card before confidently targeting their offense. But from a price standpoint, Jordan Beck ($2,500) stand outs.
While we don't expect White Sox starter Garrett Crochet to throw a plethora of innings, Wyatt Langford ($2,900) is the Rangers' second-best hitter off lefties statistically with a .367 wOBA, and at a sub $3k price, can help round out lineups.
Triston Casas ($2,900) has two hits in three of his last four and four of his last six, homering twice, making for a cheap entry point into a lineup I'm favoring, also making them a stackable option.
Stack to Consider
Padres vs. Miles Mikolas (Cardinals): Jurickson Profar ($3,500), Jackson Merrill ($3,200), Jake Cronenworth ($2,900)
There appears to be multiple paths to stacking the Padres Tuesday, and this likely doesn't set up as a traditional stack where they're hitting completely next to each other in the lineup, so feel free to mix and match with Manny Machado ($3,300) or Xander Bogaerts ($2,900) if you want a more traditional construction. But Mikolas' worst split is against lefties at home, allowing a .356 wOBA and .509 slugging percentage. That thrusts Merrill and Profar to the top of my interests, as they sit with a .376 wOBA, 148 wRC+ and .222 ISO and .362/138/.175, respectively. I'll target Cronenworth as my third piece to give us another lefty that will hit atop the order, offer price relief and positional flexibility.
