This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The MLB schedule tips toward the evening slate. There are eight games starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later. You have some intriguing options for your DFS lineups, but here are my recommendations to try and help you with your decision making.
Pitching
Bryce Miller, SEA vs. OAK ($10,900): Miller's call-up has helped bolster Seattle's rotation. The rookie pitcher has an 1.42 ERA through four starts, and his 1.78 FIP is quite encouraging for good measure. What is perhaps the most encouraging thing, though, is this matchup. The Athletics, as expected, are in the bottom five in runs scored, and are as close to an easy win as MLB is offering up in 2023.
Ryan Weathers, SD at WAS ($6,100): Weathers has made four starts and two bullpen appearances, but three of those four starts have gone well. The one that didn't was against the Dodgers, and the Nationals are an easier matchup than that. Washington is in the bottom eight in runs scored and has shown meager power, with only Cleveland having fewer home runs as a team.
Top Targets
Though Charlie Blackmon ($3,300) doesn't rack up a lot of homers, particularly for a guy who plays his home games at Coors Field, he hits for average and takes advantage of the fact Coors is also good for doubles and triples. The lefty hit 16 home runs in 2022, but with 22 doubles and six triples as well. Since 2021, he has a .284 batting average at home to go with a .452 slugging percentage. It's been a strange season for Sandy Alcantara, and he has yet to turn things around. He has a 5.05 ERA even though he still isn't allowing home runs. Of course, that doesn't mean he won't allow hits in Denver.
Ian Happ ($3,000) has four home runs, four stolen bases, and a .407 OBP. While he's a switch hitter, he definitely prefers to face a righty. Since 2021 he has an .809 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Kodai Senga is starting to get the hang of pitching in New York, but on the road he has a 6.30 ERA and has served up five of the six homers off him.
Bargain Bats
Even with a new team, Justin Turner ($3,000) remains a steady bat, having posted a .267 batting average and .360 OBP. While he doesn't have a ton of power, he does have a .900 OPS versus lefties in 2023. The Red Sox are a lefty-heavy lineup, which is tricky against the likes of Tyler Anderson. The lefty has a 5.83 FIP though, and righties have hit .298 against him. Turner is the clear choice.
Wherever he has played, Teoscar Hernandez ($2,800) has never walked but has shown a lot of power. His career .492 slugging percentage speaks to the latter. The righty also has mashed left handers, and since 2021 he has an 1.025 OPS versus southpaws. Ken Waldichuk is a lefty, and in his career he has a 6.02 ERA and has allowed 2.01 home runs per nine innings.
Stacks to Consider
Padres at Nationals (Trevor Williams): Juan Soto ($3,400), Xander Bogaerts ($3,000), Jake Cronenworth ($2,800)
On a rebuilding Nationals team, Williams is in the rotation on a regular basis. Mostly pitching out of the bullpen for the Mets in 2022, he had a 3.88 FIP, so it's not a surprise that in a role that requires longer outings, Williams has a 4.70 FIP. Lefties have been an issue for the journeyman, as since 2021 he has allowed them to hit .294. That's why I have two southpaws in this stack.
Soto's numbers have dropped off since he left Washington, but he still has a .408 OBP with nine homers and five stolen bases. His primary issue, though, is that he has been struggling with lefties. Against righties Soto is still stellar, and since 2021 he has an 1.005 OPS in those matchups. Bogaerts has seven home runs and four swiped bags, and his issues have been versus lefties, which is unusual for him. He also has been better at home than on the road, but considering that he has a career .813 OPS and this is his first season as a Padre, that likely doesn't tell us much. Cronenworth has five homers, but also three triples. The lefty doesn't have a ton of power, but he has a .765 OPS against righties since 2021.
Marlins at Rockies (Karl Kauffmann): Jorge Soler ($3,500), Luis Arraez ($3,300), Bryan De La Cruz ($3,300)
Kauffmann has made one MLB start. He allowed five runs and seven hits in 4.1 innings at the Rangers. This will be his first start at Coors Field. Over the last two seasons, Kauffmann has a 6.68 ERA at Triple-A. I doubt his first start in the Mile High City will go well.
Soler is a power guy. He once hit 48 home runs in a season. This year he's slugged .526, and that kind of power tends to work out well at Coors. Arraez doesn't have much power, though he has slugged .431 against righties since 2021. What he is, though, is an elite hitter, as he has a .371 batting average this year and a .321 average for his career. De La Cruz doesn't walk, but he has hit .302 with five homers. Additionally, since 2021 he has a .281 average and a .455 slugging percentage versus right-handed pitchers.
