This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
As is typically the case on a Tuesday, all 30 teams are in action. However, in something of an uncharacteristic scheduling quirk, five games are set with a first pitch scheduled before 7:05 pm ET, the beginning of the main slate. As a result, we're left with 10 games and a relatively uninspiring group of pitchers. There also aren't a ton of obvious advantages in terms of park factors, though both Atlanta and Yankee Stadium are nice parks to target for home runs.
Pitchers
Gerrit Cole ($12,000) typically performs more as a floor than ceiling play, meaning there's a good chance he'll turn in a solid performance every time he takes the mound but the results are steadier than spiked. That's flipped a bit of late, but he should be in for a solid outing against the Tigers, who have punched out at 27.4 percent clip across the last 30 days. It's mostly a matter of deciding if his salary is worth jamming in with the rest of the roster.
For our next choice, let's compare two team stat lines across the last month: Team A – 23.5 K%, .234/.300/.415; Team B – 23.9 K%, .243/.314/.427. Team A is the Athletics, Team B is the Rangers. It has to be acknowledged that the talent of the Rangers' lineup can show through at any point, so it isn't quite as simple as those numbers indicate. But, when the choice is between Framber Valdez ($10,100) against the Rangers or Chris Bassitt ($9,700) against the A's, those numbers should enter the equation. Roster rate will likely go to Bassitt, but I'd prefer Valdez.
On a night with stronger pitching, Dylan Cease ($8,800) wouldn't have even entered the conversation. However, he also gets a matchup against the Royals, a middling offense by most measures. Cease is a tournament-only option and there's a huge degree of risk, but there's also decent potential that he posts the highest score of the night relative to his price.
For a pitcher in a similar price range with the near exact-opposite profile, Kyle Hendricks ($8,300) is the consistency to Cease's volatility. He's a fairly safe bet for at least 14 points in a matchup against the Giants, which should be a decent number on this slate.
There aren't many great true punt plays but Brandon Pfaadt ($6,900) is one. He struggled his last time out while squaring off against the Dodgers, which is forgivable. Otherwise, he's delivered performances if 16.2, 23.4 and 19.6 DK points in his three most recent starts. A matchup against the Rockies in Arizona enhances his outlook.
Top Hitters
Kyle Freeland is a disaster whether he's pitching at home or on the road, so even away from Coors Field we should target him. Christian Walker ($4,500) has demolished southpaws to the tune of a .353 ISO this season, so he's an easy choice here.
Vladimir Guerrero ($5,100) has had a relatively disappointing season, but he's hit for extra bases more of late and averaged 10.8 DK points per game across his last 10 starts. A matchup against Ken Waldichuk (1.7 HR/9) helps his case and the rest of Toronto's lineup.
Value Bats
The Mets season took a surprising negative turn, but at least they're using the chance to get a look at some of the top prospects in their system. One of those players is Mark Vientos ($2,500), who has picked things up of late after a slow start to the season. He's day-to-day with a sore foot, but projects to be back in the lineup against Patrick Corbin, who has only a 16 percent strikeout rate and has allowed 1.6 HR/9. If Vientos isn't in the lineup, Ronny Mauricio ($3,000) is also a good option.
We'll stick with the recent prospect callups and highlight Jasson Dominguez ($3,000). He hasn't looked overmatched (two home runs in his first three games) and will be hitting in one of the better parks for homers of the night in a matchup against Alex Faedo (1.7 HR/9).
Stacks to Consider
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Oakland Athletics (Ken Waldichuk): George Springer ($4,700), Cavan Biggio ($2,500), Vladimir Guerrero ($5,100)
Waldichuk gets plenty of whiffs, which gives him the potential to outperform his stats to this point in any given start. Still, both his walk rate (12.1%) and homer rate (1.7 HR/9) make him vulnerable to blowup outings, and we've seen that recently as he gave up five homers across a two-game span in mid-to-late August. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are in the midst of a playoff race and the top of their lineup is getting hot at the right time.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies (Kyle Freeland): Corbin Carroll ($5,800), Ketel Marte ($5,000), Tommy Pham ($3,500)
Rockies pitchers are typically expected to perform worse at home, but he's struggled on the road even more so than at Coors Field. Examples include an 8.7 K% and 2.00 HR/9. That makes any lineup appealing to stack against him, and the Diamondbacks have a number of hitters capable of taking advantage.
