This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
On this particular Monday in May, we're looking at eight MLB Games starting at 7:05 p.m. ET or later. It feels like eight matchups is kind of the usual number for DFS purposes, which is a solid number that gives you some options. However, sometimes you want some help with those options. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Zac Gallen, ARI vs. MIA ($11,300): Gallen is an early Cy Young favorite, as he has not only a 2.53 ERA, but an 1.72 FIP. In fact, so far he has a pristine 0.00 ERA at home. The Marlins are actually last in runs scored, yes lower than the Tigers, so Gallen's resume should get a boost.
Anthony DeSclafani, SF vs. WAS ($10,200): You can effectively write off DeSclafani's 2022 season, when an ankle injury limited him to five starts and 19.0 innings. In 2021, his first season as a Giant, he had a 3.17 ERA, and this year through six starts his ERA is 2.13. The Nationals have arguably been better offensively than expected, but are still in the bottom four in runs scored.
Dylan Cease, CWS at KC ($9,100): Cease got off to a great start to the season, which was expected after he posted a 2.20 ERA in 2022. Now, his last few outings have been dicey, but two of them were against the Rays, MLB's best offense. The Royals have been a poor offense with a sub-.300 OBP that has them down in the bottom 10 in runs scored. Cease should bounce back.
Top Targets
If baseball was hoping that "Three True Outcomes" players would be eliminated by the rule changes, Max Muncy ($4,400) is flying in the face of that. Basically, he's either walking or hitting home runs, with 12 homers on the year so far. The lefty already has three 30-homer seasons to his name, and he should get there again. Freddy Peralta doesn't allow a lot of home runs, but he has a 3.63 ERA this year and a career 3.80 ERA.
We know that Joc Pederson ($3,000) has power, at least against righties. Since 2021, the lefty has slugged .484 when facing a right hander. Jake Irvin has made exactly one MLB start, and while he has a 2.08 ERA, he has a 5.43 FIP. Plus, down in Triple-A he had a 5.64 ERA in five starts.
Bargain Bats
The Yankees have a lot of injury issues, but Gleyber Torres ($2,800) is out there with four homers and five stolen bases. Since 2021, he has an .826 OPS versus southpaws as well. JP Sears, a lefty, has a 5.11 FIP, and he's really struggled away from Oakland's ballpark. In his road starts he's posted a 7.63 ERA and has allowed 2.3 home runs per nine innings.
Andrew Benintendi ($2,700) will face his former team Monday, and while he hasn't hit any homers, he has a .268 average with four home runs. The southpaw has shown some power versus righties in the past, having slugged .428 against them in 2022. Zack Greinke allows a ton of contact. Last year the veteran allowed left handers hit .286 against him, and this year that number is up to .313.
Stacks to Consider
Cubs vs. Cardinals (Miles Mikolas): Cody Bellinger ($4,200), Nico Hoerner ($3,700), Ian Happ ($3,100),
Mikolas' first season back in MLB was impressive, but since then he's been decidedly mediocre. In 2023, his strikeouts are up, but so are his home runs. He has a 5.79 ERA and his line-drive percentage is a staggering 31.3. Mikolas hasn't really shown a clear weakness, or strength, against lefties or righties, but righties have hit .257 against him since 2021, so I did lean toward two guys who can hit right handed.
Personally, I'm rooting for Bellinger's resurgence to be legitimate. The one-time MVP fell off the map, but this year he's slashed .300/.368/.567 with seven homers and nine stolen bases. Even last season, when he had an .265 OBP, Bellinger managed to notch 19 homers and 14 swiped bags. Hoerner's strengths are hitting for average and stealing bases, and it is easier to swipe a bag against a right-handed pitcher traditionally. He's also been better at Wrigley Field, posting an .832 OPS at home since 2021. Happ is a switch hitter, though so far this year (a fine year, to be clear) his splits are larger than ever. However, he's long leaned toward being better against righties, and since 2021 he has an .814 OPS in those matchups. Also, an .821 OPS at home.
Mariners vs. Rangers (Jon Gray): Julio Rodriguez ($3,400), Jarred Kelenic ($3,400), J.P. Crawford ($2,600)
Gray's first season away from Coors Field went fine, as he posted a 3.80 FIP with the Rangers. However, this year his FIP is up to 6.23, he's allowing a ton of home runs, and he's struck out a mere 5.58 batters per nine innings. Last year, lefties did better against Gray than righties, as they had a .248 average. This year, though, southpaws have averaged .322. That's why I have two left-handers in this stack.
Rodriguez is a righty, but he also had 28 homers and 25 stolen bases as a rookie in 2022. This year he's not hitting as well, but still has six homers and six swiped bags. He's also been better at home in his career, sporting an .856 OPS in those games. Kelenic is enjoying a breakthrough season, as he's slashed .298/.357/.570 with seven home runs and five stolen bases. The southpaw revamped his approach at the plate, so he could be a left-handed Austin Riley in that sense. Crawford has never been a great hitter, and he has little power, but he has a .378 OBP this season. He is also left handed, and since 2021 he at least has a .262 average and .356 OBP against righties.
