This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Eleven games are included in Tuesday's main slate at FanDuel. Cincinnati is currently without a listed starting pitcher, giving us 21 arms to sort through, with only a third of them being priced at $9,000 or greater. Three games come with run totals of 7.5 or less, low-lighted by Angels-Mariners, while three games feature run totals of 9.0 or greater, unsurprisingly led by Red Sox-Rockies in Coors Field.
Rain looks like a serious concern in Atlanta, and to a lesser degree Chicago. It's warm in Denver which can aid in ball flight, and wind looks like it will provide minor assistance in Los Angeles.
Pitching
Logan Gilbert, SEA vs. LAA ($10,800): Generally, I try to target pitchers cheaper than this, but the $9k tier doesn't interest me Tuesday. As such, it's a toss up between Gilbert and Zack Wheeler, who is $200 cheaper, but the matchup for Gilbert seems worth the extra dollars. The Angels come with a 23.0 percent K rate, .299 wOBA and 91 wRC+ against righties. Gilbert's fresh off seven shutout innings against them in which he fanned nine, and current Angels are hitting .242 with a .765 OPS and 26.5 percent K rate against him. Gilbert has seven quality starts in his last eight trips to the mound.
Jose Soriano, LAA at SEA ($8,100): Can we stay in the same game and consider both starters? Perhaps, but not without some angst as it comes to Soriano. He's off six innings of one-run ball against the Mariners, but he did allow four runs in six frames in an earlier meeting. We feel like we can safely target the M's regularly due to their 28.8 percent K rate, but Soriano is getting just 7.4 K/9 and has been hit hard by the likes of the Cubs and Athletics prior to his last sterling outing. That drove the price up for this rematch to an uncomfortable level, but he has some GPP potential.
Jon Gray, TEX vs. CWS ($7,500): This is likely to be everyone's default paydown target. The options below Gray are pretty gross. So is Gray's current form however, having allowed 14 runs over his last 15.0 innings. It's strictly a matchup play, with the White Sox having a league-worst .273 wOBA and 74 wRC+ while striking out 24.0 percent of the time. If you want to get really weird in a GPP format, consider Tyler Alexander ($7,100) whose yet to be recalled from Triple-A but is expected to be the Rays' bulk reliever following an opener.
Top Targets
Rafael Devers ($4,500) isn't super priced up for the Coors Field setting, but he also has just one hit since the break. I don't enjoy this price, but Tyler O'Neill ($4,200) may be the better play. He has multiple hits in three of his last four, and Rockies' starter Ty Blach is allowing a .426 wOBA and .994 OPS to righties.
Bobby Witt ($4,500) has four straight three-hit games, driving in six and scoring seven times. He boasts a .385 wOBA and 148 wRC+ off lefties entering a matchup with a returning Jordan Montgomery, who previously allowed a .400 wOBA to righties. This game has a 9.5 run total, so Witt seems like a set-it-and-move-along piece.
You can stay in Coors Field for a few Rockie bats that are hot, and while priced up, they aren't at the very high end. Brenton Doyle ($3,700) has nine hits, seven RBI and four runs scored during a seven-game hitting streak. Ezequiel Tovar ($3,700) has been better, riding a nine-game hitting streak where he's amassed 18 hits, 10 RBI, and eight runs.
Bargain Bats
If you're out on O'Neil given the juiced price, there aren't many other right-handed Boston bats to get cheaper shares of this game. Ceddanne Rafaela ($3,300) has a modest four-game hitting streak going and is the best choice.
I have great interest in Oakland on Tuesday against Jake Bloss, who is only 11.2 innings removed from Double-A. The Athletics lineup is one of the higher-scoring units in July and has averaged 7.5 runs in four games since the break. Lawrence Butler ($3,200) is white hot with 14 hits in his last five games. Miguel Andujar ($2,700) isn't far behind and is a better bargain, with nine hits over his last four, scoring and driving in one in each game.
Yankees-Mets has a 9.0 run total, and if we can't afford the big options, there are some secondary pieces to consider. Anthony Volpe ($2,900) has seven hits during a five-game hitting streak, four of which went for extra bases. Oswaldo Cabrera ($2,400) comes with eligibility at five positions and has four hits in the last two days. Even DJ LeMahieu ($2,300) can be looked at for salary relief.
I'm largely out on Atlanta's bats as we don't have a confirmed opposing pitcher, there's weather threats and they are in a season-long malaise. But Nacho Alvarez ($2,200) is nearly minimum priced, has multi-position eligibility and was immediately inserted into the two-hole in the batting order in his debut.
Stacks to Consider
Astros vs. Osvaldo Bido (Athletics): Yordan Alvarez ($4,100), Jose Altuve ($3,600), Alex Bregman ($3,200)
Bido hasn't made a start since being recalled, and given that he is averaging 5.4 BB/9, it's reasonable to assume he won't make it too deep into Tuesday's game. And his 3.44 ERA comes with a 5.72 xFIP, so I look for the Astros' top of the order to get to him early. Bido also has a 47.9 percent fly ball rate, but is yet to allow a homer. That's changing here, and thanks to a slow start to the second half from Altuve and Bregman, we've got a reasonable price break. This is one where we don't overthink too much and just snag the top three of this order, though if you need additional salary relief, swapping out Altuve for Yainer Diaz ($2,900) works as well.
Diamondbacks vs. Alec Marsh (Royals): Ketel Marte ($3,700), Christian Walker ($3,600), Corbin Carroll ($3,100)
The more this column evolved, the more strongly I believe in an A's stack Tuesday for both upside and price reduction. But this game has the second-highest total, and I believe there's more depth within the Diamondbacks' lineup than the Royals, so I'll back them to stack. Marsh has been up and down, but when he's bad, he's been really bad. It's converging splits, as Arizona's lefty bats are better against righties, but Marsh has been hit harder by same-handed bats. So we can alternate that with Marte and Walker, while Carroll gives us some salary relief and has shown signs of life. For additional savings, Joc Pederson ($2,600) figures to slot into the three-hole, though that would be bucking Marsh's splits off lefties with Arizona possibly running three straight out atop their attack.
