This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Tuesday is when the MLB week kicks into gear. Monday had most, but not all, of the teams in action, leaving you with single-digit games worth of players to pick from. This time around, there are 13 games on the slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET or later. Here are your DFS recommendations. Let's make it a successful day of contests!
Pitching
Bailey Ober, MIN vs. DET ($10,200): Ober has had a few iffy starts recently, but his 3.03 ERA at home is plenty encouraging to me. So is, and I say this as a Tigers fan, this matchup. I feel locked in conceptually to the Athletics being MLB's worst offense, and the Tigers being second from the bottom. Detroit's runs scored total and team OPS agree with me.
Yusei Kikuchi, TOR vs. PHI ($9,000): It's a gamble, absolutely, because Kikuchi was having a mediocre season until a few weeks ago. However, over his last five starts he has an 1.24 ERA. I would still be hesitant, even with that, but since 2021 lefties have hit .179 against the southpaw pitcher. This fact, given the key Philadelphia bats who are lefties, makes me willing to take a shot on Kikuchi.
Emerson Hancock, SEA at KC ($5,500): The Mariners called up promising pitching prospect Hancock, threw him out there against the Padres, and saw him go five innings allowing only two hits and one earned run. That earned him another go, this time in an easier matchup. In addition to the Royals being 28th in runs scored, the fact they are starting Jordan Lyles in this one makes me quite confident that if Hancock pitches deep enough to qualify for a win, he'll get one.
Top Targets
Somehow, Adolis Garcia ($5,700) has managed to slug .519 and hit 30 homers in 116 games, even though he's had a brutal year on the road. Of course, do a little deductive reasoning, and you might not be surprised to find that he has an 1.016 OPS at home. The Angels, in a desperate swing at making the playoffs, traded for Lucas Giolito, and through three starts he has a 9.00 ERA. He's allowed five homers in Angels red, and given that he has allowed 1.65 homers per nine innings this season, that isn't surprising.
I mentioned Jordan Lyles earlier, so why not get to taking advantage of this matchup? Julio Rodriguez ($5,600) needs to work on getting on base more, but 19 homers and 28 stolen bases are still enough to keep DFS players happy. Lyles has pitched over 1,450 innings in MLB and has a career 5.19 ERA. 5.19! This year he has a 6.13 ERA, and since 2021 righties have hit .274 against him.
Bargain Bats
Though he is a lefty, Brandon Nimmo ($4,200) has a .781 OPS against lefties since 2021. He's better at on the road, but his .752 OPS at home isn't terrible. New to the Pirates, Bailey Falter has a career 4.61 ERA and has allowed 1.63 homers per nine innings. On top of that, lefties have hit .288 against him as well.
As we have grown accustomed to, Eloy Jimenez ($3,600) has missed significant time this season. However, in his 83 games he's hit .278 with 14 homers. He also has a .794 OPS against righties. Kyle Hendricks has a 5.50 ERA at home in 2023, and that's not a fluke. Over the last three seasons he has a 5.21 ERA at Wrigley Field.
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta vs. Yankees (Luis Severino): Matt Olson ($6,100), Austin Riley ($5,900), Michael Harris ($4,100)
The Yankees are giving Severino another start, but for the second start in a row this had to be stated for the record, given the terrible season the pitcher is having. He's posted an 8.06 ERA and has allowed 2.54 home runs per nine innings. Righties have hit .294 against Severino, but lefties have hit a staggering .373 against him. Thus, I have two southpaws in this stack.
Olson's southpaw power is perfect for this matchup. He has 43 homers, and he also has an 1.039 OPS versus righties and an 1.068 OPS at home. In the end, Riley is going to have the kind of season we expected, even after a slow start. He's slashed .281/.340/.518 with 29 homers. The righty also has a .943 OPS at home. Harris has racked up 11 homers and 16 stolen bases in 96 games. This year he's also been stellar at home, as he's posted an .897 OPS in Atlanta.
Diamondbacks at Rockies (Ty Blach): Christian Walker ($5,400), Lourdes Gurriel ($4,700), Geraldo Perdomo ($4,400)
A guy with a career 5.03 ERA – having pitched over 75 percent of his career with teams other than the Rockies – is starting at Coors Field. Need I say more? Since Blach is a lefty, I have gone righty heavy, but beyond that, this is an obvious matchup to target.
Walker has 25 home runs, and his power should play at Coors (and he picked up a homer and a double Monday). Specifically, he has a .971 OPS against lefties. Gurriel has hit 19 home runs in his first season with the Diamondbacks. He's also playing well, as he has an .861 OPS over the last three weeks. The shortstop Perdomo has a .368 OBP with six homers and 13 stolen bases. While the switch hitter is better against righties, he has an .846 OPS on the road.
Dodgers vs. Brewers (Adrian Houser): Will Smith ($5,600), Max Muncy ($5,000), James Outman ($3,500)
Since 2021, Houser has a 4.64 ERA on the road. On top of that, he's been struggling quite a bit recently, as he's posted a 5.74 ERA over his last five starts. Usually, Houser struggles against lefties (.281 average allowed since 2021) and does well against righties. This year, though, righties have hit .311 versus Houser, so I have one righty in this stack.
The righty in this stack also happens to be one of the best hitting catchers in Smith. He's slashed .275/.379/.471 with 15 homers. Smith also has an .872 OPS at home. Muncy make little contact – he's likely to hit below the Mendoza Line again – but he's smashed 28 homers in 96 games. He's slugged .522 against righties, unsurprisingly, but he's also slugged .503 at home. Outman has 14 homers and 14 stolen bases. On top of that, the outfielder has been hot, as he has an 1.026 OPS over the last three weeks.
