Only a couple days here left in June, so let's try and bring this month in for a rewarding landing. Maybe because we're heading toward a holiday weekend, this is a busier Monday than usual. There are 11 games on the MLB slate starting at 7:00 p.m. ET or later. No need to Garfield it up on Monday, and side note I'm a little surprised that Garfield still stands as pop culture's top Monday hater. Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Eduardo Rodriguez, ARI vs. SFG ($9,800): At the very top of the salary scale for pitchers there are some bold gambles, so I'd steer clear of any of those, and I'm dropping down to Rodriguez. He may have a 4.06 FIP through 16 starts but he also has a 2.27 ERA, not to mention an 1.84 ERA at home. Though the Giants have climbed out of the bottom of the league in runs scored, they are now part of a morass of clubs between roughly 22nd and 27th that all seem like strong bets to finish in the bottom 10 when all is said and done.
Trey Yesavage, TOR vs. NYM ($9,200): The Yesavage hype train hasn't quite been able to get out of the station, because as much as he popped last postseason, if you continuously walk over four batters per nine innings, it's going to be an issue some days. That being said, a 3.56 ERA is far from poor, and he has managed to hold both lefties and righties below the Mendoza Line. The Mets, as a team fighting to simply get their OBP over .300, may be the right matchup for Yesavage.
Shota Imanaga, CHC vs. SDP ($8,800): To offer a variation on, "It's not what you know, it's who you know," sometimes it's just about who you're facing. Imanaga's 4.40 ERA does not excite, but the Padres have the worst offense in baseball. They are last in runs scored and last in OPS and have effectively hit one homer per game. Imanaga's biggest issue is allowing home runs, and that's less of a concern against a team such as the Padres. Don't think of it as trusting Imanaga. Think of it as not trusting the San Diego offense.
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Top Targets
I wish that Corbin Carroll ($3,800) had one more stolen base so I could say he already has double-digit stolen bases, doubles, homers and triples. Alas, he's swiped a mere nine bags. Of course, his numbers are still great, and he still has an OPS over 1.000 at home. Tyler Mahle has an 8.88 ERA on the road. Carroll might be too busy hitting homers to steal any bases Monday.
He's been a bit cold recently, but maybe all Shea Langeliers ($3,800) needs to do is face a lefty, given that over the last two seasons he has an OPS over 1.000 in those matchups. Also, being back at home should help, as he has a .904 OPS there on the campaign. Eric Lauer, a southpaw, has a 6.27 FIP, and while his 2.23 HR/9 rate may not sustain, his career HR/9 rate is 1.49, so he's not exactly a stranger to the long ball.
Bargain Bats
Over the last three weeks, TJ Rumfield ($3,000) has an 1.126 OPS, and that's with plenty of that stretch being on the road. Rumfield actually doesn't have much in the way of home/road splits, with his issue being facing lefties wherever he goes. Fortunately for the rookie, Sandy Alcantara is right-handed, and he has a 4.97 ERA on the road as well. Also, sure, it doesn't hurt that this game is at Coors Field.
Given the general hitting skills the Mariners have displayed, Cole Young ($2,800) having a .253 average makes him appealing for a bargain bat on the team. It also helps that he is eligible at second base and shortstop. Young doesn't have much power, but he has seven homers and doubles in 85 games. On the flip side, though, while Ryan Johnson has only pitched 34.0 innings in MLB, he's been as hittable as anybody. Lefties and righties have both hit more than .325 against him, and his career ERA is 8.21.
Stacks to Consider
Astros vs. Twins (Zebby Matthews): Yordan Alvarez ($4,100), Christian Walker ($3,200), Isaac Paredes ($2,900)
Zebby Matthews has a fun name. What he lacks, unfortunately for him, is the ability to hang at the MLB level. Or, arguably, the Triple-A level, where he has a 3.70 ERA over 19 starts. That is decidedly better than what he's done with the Twins, though. Matthews has made 33 MLB starts and he has a 5.52 ERA and an 1.79 HR/9 rate. Time to stack some Astros!
Lefties have hit .302 against Matthews in his career, but of course the only lefty the Astros have of any note is Alvarez. He has an OPS over 1.000 against righties, but he also has an 1.132 OPS at home, so returning to Houston will certainly appeal to him. Walker was on a bit of a cold streak, but he just hit his 19th homer of the season Sunday, so hopefully that helps. Even while struggling last season, Walker hit 27 homers, so that power combined with Matthews' issues with homers could be a fruitful combination. Paredes also hit a homer Sunday, but it was only his 11th. However, he has a .350 OBP, so he has more skills on that front. On top of that, since joining the Astros last season, his numbers against righties have actually outpaced what he's done against lefties.
Marlins at Rockies (Sean Sullivan): Otto Lopez ($3,500), Xavier Edwards ($3,100), Heriberto Hernandez ($2,800)
Since there is a series going on at Coors, it's a good time for a stack. Sullivan has an 8.25 ERA to start his MLB career. That is only over three starts, but two of those starts have been on the road. Plus, while he's pitched in Triple-A in some hitter-friendly parks at high elevation as well, a 5.76 ERA at Triple-A isn't exactly encouraging. Sullivan is a southpaw, and the Marlins are pretty heavy on the left-handed bats, but I did find a good stack.
Lopez has hit .332, putting him in the batting title conversation. He doesn't hit a lot of homers, but he has hit 21 doubles and four triples, and he has stolen 16 bases. Those are all things that Coors Field is also conducive to. With a .380 OBP, Edwards gets on base at an even better clip than Lopez. He has five triples and 12 swiped bags, and on top of that his six homers are a personal best already. Hernandez is a righty, and he has eight homers and five stolen bases in 55 games. That makes hit the righty with the most power the Marlins have.
