This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
11 games are featured in Tuesday's main slate. Just two of the 22 listed pitchers come in with five-digit price tags, with only four more in the $9,000 range. Given the lack of aces, it's a little surprising we have only two games with double-digit run totals with only one more sitting at 9.5. Those two things don't jive to me, so this should be an interesting evening of baseball.
Early indications are weather is clean across the board, with Boston being the only potential wet spot. Wind looks favorable in Pittsburgh, New York and Oakland.
Pitching
Max Scherzer, TEX at OAK ($10,500): This is the most obvious answer on the mound by a long shot. Scherzer was roughed up early in his Rangers debut but settled in nicely and earned his third quality start in his last four outings overall. He's earned at least 39 FDP in seven of his last nine starts, which we need for this price. The only reason to not use him here would be if you're trying to differentiate; he's surely coming with massive roster percentages.
Wade Miley, MIL vs. COL ($8,300): Miley isn't a workhorse, nor is he a big strikeout guy, so while that limits his upside, the matchup and the lack of ideal options on this slate have me targeting him for a modest amount of fantasy points with a low salary point to open spending on bats. The matchup is king here; Colorado is woeful against lefties, posting a 27.2 percent K rate, .293 wOBA and 67 wRC+.
Clarke Schmidt, NYY at CWS ($7,200): I like Lucas Giolito at his low-ish price too, but if we're really trying to save on the mound, Schmidt looks like the best option. The White Sox have a weak 83 wRC+ off righties, offering a .283 wOBA and .150 ISO. Their 23.5 percent strikeout rate isn't massive, but it should be enough to help Schmidt some here. He allowed three runs across six innings against them earlier in the year, which is fine for this price. He only got one strikeout though, and we'll need more for a fair return on investment. Schmidt has compiled 23 strikeouts across his last 26.2 innings as a starter, offering hope he can get us to what we need.
Top Targets
I like Ronald Acuna ($4,800) a great deal coming off of an 0-for-5 Monday, but the price is too high. Pirates starter Mitch Keller has been more vulnerable to lefties, too, and with the wind blowing out, Matt Olson ($4,400) makes for a nice anchor. He's driven in a run in 10 straight games.
Pete Alonso ($3,600) is priced favorably enough that we can chase power at this number, especially with winds potentially aiding him again as they did Monday. But Francisco Lindor ($3,700) looks to be the safer play. Cubs starter Jameson Taillon is allowing a .394 wOBA to lefties.
For as obvious as Scherzer is on the mound, Rangers hitters against lefty JP Sears are equally straightforward Tuesday. Texas has six bats with a wOBA of at least .391. Adolis Garcia ($4,100) is that lowest option, but that's still a fine number. It comes with a .240 ISO and just an 8.2 percent soft contact rate. He's getting it done in a variety of ways, and only has one single-digit fantasy showing in his last eight games.
Bargain Bats
Staying with Texas, the splits suggest we don't have to pay up for their lineup's potential. Mitch Garver ($2,900) has a .451 wOBA and 194 wRC+ off lefties, while Ezequiel Duran ($2,800) sits at .397/157. The former is hot, the latter is not, making Duran a potentially forgotten option.
William Contreras ($3,000) has hit safely in nine of his last 11 and brings a .423 wOBA, 169 wRC+ and .296 ISO off lefties into a plus matchup Tuesday against Kyle Freeland.
The Royals offense has been surprisingly decent of late but faces a starter in Kutter Crawford that has allowed one run or none in three of his last four starts. If we're targeting just a hot bat, Maikel Garcia ($2,900) has an 11-game hitting streak. If we're targeting a statistical weakness, which has been lefties in Boston for Crawford, MJ Melendez ($2,700) had three hits last night and homered the night before, while Drew Waters ($2,500) has three double-digit fantasy point games in his last five. Don't go overboard here, but a piece to round out lineups on the cheap can work.
Stacks to Consider
Cubs vs. Carlos Carrasco: Cody Bellinger ($4,200), Ian Happ ($3,300), Jeimer Candelario ($3,300)
Carrasco has been pummelled of late, allowing at least four runs in four straight starts and 21 total across just 15.1 innings, surrendering a whopping 32 hits along the way. He's been worse at home, allowing a .400 wOBA and .915 OPS to lefties and .406/.974 to righties, seemingly opening up the entire Cubs offense for selection Tuesday. That's a good thing, as the Cubs adjust their lineup often. It makes sense to wait until it's released and try to grab some guys that will work off each other, but for now, this is my preferred trio. Bellinger gives us some power upside while Happ and Candelario a touch of contact that should hit near each other. Happ's .355 wOBA is the lowest of these three off righties.
Pirates vs. Yonny Chirinos: Bryan Reynolds ($3,200), Jack Suwinski ($2,800), Connor Joe ($2,500)
Atlanta's pitching is starting to look like an issue, and Chirinos isn't likely the option to stall their recent struggles. He's allowed 10 runs and 16 hits in his last three starts, spanning just 13.1 innings. He's unlikely to go deep here, and the Atlanta bullpen had to absorb 5.1 innings Monday night. The Pirates on the other hand aren't an offensive juggernaut, so this stack isn't likely to pop off and win slates. But they're all cheap and can all at least contribute. Reynolds is the safest option with Suwinski giving us power potential. Joe is the wildcard. He's homered in two straight and hit leadoff Monday, potentially giving us a traditional top of the order stack. Keep an eye on our the lineup card reads. There are interchangeable parts here.
