This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Monday brings a fairly limited slate in baseball with only nine games, but at least all of them have evening start times. There are also plenty of top-tier starting pitchers available. Let's dive into the matchups and highlight some of the top players to consider when working your way through the options.
Pitching Overview
It's pretty safe to say that Chris Sale's ($59) slow start is firmly in his rearview mirror. He's been mowing down opposing lineups down of late, including in his last start when he recorded 12 strikeouts in a complete game shutout of the Royals. His FIP is all the way down to 3.16 while his strikeout rate is up to 34.9 percent. He'll take the mound against the Rangers in this matchup, who are still missing Joey Gallo (oblique) and are in the bottom third in the league in terms of wRC+ against left-handed pitchers, so look for him to continue his run of dominance.
Speaking of dominant forces, Hyun-Jin Ryu ($52) has been just that for the Dodgers. His sparkling 1.35 ERA is supported by his 2.53 FIP and he's only allowed six home runs over 80 innings. That's not all that surprising since he's allowed 0.9 HR/9 for his career. Add in his excellent control and it's hard for opposing teams to get much going against him and his 0.78 WHIP. Even though the Angels have some imposing hitters, Ryu is still one of the better pitchers available for this slate.
As far as viable cheap options go, it's hard to get excited about any of the pitchers available. If you are open to taking a risk on a player who likely won't be highly rostered in tournament play, Joe Musgrove ($37) might be someone to consider. He's facing the Braves for the second time in as many starts and finally got back on track against them in his last outing, allowing three runs across eight innings. Had it not been for him giving up a couple of home runs in the ninth inning when he was going for a complete game, his line could have been even more impressive.
Key Values/Chalk
The Braves made a big move by adding Dallas Keuchel in large part because of the inconsistent contributions from a few of the members of their starting rotation, including Monday's starter Kevin Gausman. The Pirates crushed him for seven runs across five innings in his last outing. Josh Bell ($27), Starling Marte ($20) and Colin Moran ($18) are all worth considering.
Anibal Sanchez will take the mound for the Nationals and is facing the White Sox for the second time in as many starts. He pitched well against them at home, allowing one run across 5.1 innings. However, the White Sox will now have the benefit of the DH with this game being in their home park. Left-handed hitters have a robust .384 wOBA against him this season, leaving Yoan Moncada ($18) with plenty of upside. He's also swinging the bat well having hit 14-for-35 (.400) with two home runs and two doubles across his last eight games.
Stacks
Rockies vs. Yu Darvish (Cubs)
Nolan Arenado (3B - $26), Daniel Murphy (1B - $17), David Dahl (OF - $24)
Darvish pitching at Coors Field has the potential to be a disaster. He's been extremely wild this season, leaving him with a 5.12 FIP and a 1.52 WHIP. He's particularly struggled by allowing a .353 wOBA versus left-handed hitters. Murphy and Dahl could provide plenty of value while Arenado is also someone to target despite him now having the platoon advantage. With a .456 wOBA at home this year, he's on pace to record at least a .422 wOBA at home for the fourth straight season.
Cubs vs. German Marquez (Rockies)
Anthony Rizzo (1B - $25), Kyle Schwarber (OF - $20), Carlos Gonzalez (OF - $10)
Marquez has the ability to be a dominant strikeout pitcher, but having Coors Field as your home park certainly isn't ideal. His last start against these same Cubs didn't go well with him allowing eight runs over 5.1 innings. Rizzo hasn't hit a home run in eight straight games, but this might be just the park that he needs to play in to get back on track. Schwarber also brings plenty of power to the table with his .239 career ISO. Gonzalez is a cheaper option to consider in his return to his old stomping grounds since he has a career .993 OPS at Coors Field.
Rays vs. Tanner Anderson (Athletics)
Austin Meadows (OF - $23), Brandon Lowe (2B - $13), Ji-Man Choi (1B - $15)
While a lot of the attention surrounding this slate will likely be focused on Coors Field, the Rays shouldn't be overlooked against Anderson. He's struggled at Triple-A, recording a 7.27 FIP and a 1.68 WHIP across 54.2 innings. He also has just a 14.5 percent strikeout rate, so he's not an overpowering force. Meadows has the highest ceiling on the Rays while Lowe has three straight multi-hit games, which included him launching two home runs against the Red Sox on Sunday. Choi has done plenty of damage himself lately, hitting 15-for-40 (.375) with two home runs and two doubles over his last 12 games.
