This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's a light Monday of MLB action. There are only six total games on the slate, and the first game starts at 6:40 p.m. ET. That means I am going to look at the full slate for DFS purposes. Here are my lineup recommendations for this breezy day of baseball.
Pitching
Cristian Javier, HOU vs. SEA ($9,000): Javier has been in and out of the bullpen, but he does have a 2.41 ERA. That's largely because he has a 0.38 ERA at home. The Mariners started the year well, but they are down in the bottom 10 in runs scored now. If Javier goes five innings to quality for a win, I think he'll get it.
Ross Stripling, TOR at KC ($6,300): This is about the matchup, and also the fact the Blue Jays offense has been picking up, increasing the chances of Stripling getting run support. Stripling has also been pitching out of the bullpen, but he's back in the rotation for now. At least he gets to step into a matchup with a team in the bottom five in runs scored.
Top Targets
Pete Alonso ($4,200) has so much power I'm not worried about him at Petco Park. Anybody who can hit 53 home runs in a season can hit the ball out of any stadium. Alonso also has a .953 OPS against lefties in 2022, and lefty Blake Snell has a 4.80 ERA through three starts.
While Alex Verdugo ($3,400) is off to a slow start, usually he does just fine against righties. Since 2020 he has an .844 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Noah Syndergaard started the season off well, but over his last five starts he has a 5.40 ERA and has allowed four home runs.
Bargain Bats
The lefty Josh Naylor ($3,100) is having a career year with a .277/.333/.491 slash line. Over the last two years he has an OPS over .800 against righties as well. Pitching his entire career with the Rockies, Jon Gray came into this season with a career 4.59 ERA. Well this year he has a 4.83 ERA with the Rangers.
Gray's move to Texas hasn't worked out thus far, but things have been different for Kole Calhoun ($2,600). He's also been on fire recently, with an 1.038 OPS over the last three weeks. Additionally, since 2020 he has an .820 OPS against righties. Meanwhile, Cal Quantrill has a 3.87 FIP and a career 3.97 FIP.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays at Royals (Daniel Lynch): Vladimir Guerrero ($4,200), Bo Bichette ($3,800), Santiago Espinal ($2,800)
I mentioned the Blue Jays' offense has picked it up recently, and that doesn't bode well for Lynch. The lefty had a 5.69 ERA as a rookie last year, and this season he has a 4.81 ERA. Lynch has actually done well against his fellow southpaws, although do the math and you won't be surprised that he's allowed righties to hit .299 against him in his career.
After a home run drought, Guerrero has five home runs in his last 11 games. Given that he's slugged .512 in his career and went yard 48 times in 2021, Vladito could keep this power level up. I kept the faith in Bichette when he got off to a slow start, and sure enough he has a .901 OPS over the last three weeks. He has eight homers and four stolen bases after he had 29 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 2021. Espinal has a career .291/.352/.398 slash line, and this year he has four homers and three stolen bases. He has an .843 OPS against lefties in his career as well.
Diamondbacks at Reds (Hunter Greene): Ketel Marte ($3,400), Josh Rojas ($3,200), David Peralta ($2,900)
Greene strikes out a ton of batters. The problem is what happens when he isn't striking guys out. Through the first 10 starts of his career he has a 6.19 ERA. When hitter make contact, they do a lot of damage, as Greene has allowed 2.81 home runs per nine innings.
Marte has a career .286/.345/.455 slash line, and he once had 32 homers and 10 stolen bases in a season. He got off to a slow start, but over the last three weeks he has a .936 OPS. In his first season of real MLB action last year, Rojas posted a .341 OBP with 11 home runs and nine stolen bases. He also has a .948 OPS against righties this year. Peralta has eight home runs in 2022, and like many southpaws he greatly prefers a righty on the mound. He has a .778 OPS against righties since 2020 and an .892 OPS this year.
