This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's hard to believe that we only have two night games since the NBA just ended, but MLB is always doing strange things with its scheduling. In any case, we still have seven games during the day, and that should give us plenty to talk about. The pitching pool is one of the worst I've seen all year, but that should open up the door for some exciting games! With that said, let's go ahead and get started with those arms.
Pitching
Seth Lugo, KC at OAK ($10,500)
Lugo has quietly been one of the best pitchers in the AL this season, posting a 10-2 record. A win-loss record is far from important when evaluating a pitcher, but his 2.40 ERA and 1.05 WHIP are hard to overlook. His consistency is his most valuable asset right now, scoring at least 28 FanDuel points in 14 of his 15 starts. There aren't many pitchers on this slate close to a 28-point average, and he should add to that streak against Oakland. The A's rank 28th or 29th in runs scored, OBP, K rate and wOBA. That was on full display when Lugo scored 40 and 47 FD points in their two most recent matchups!
MacKenzie Gore, WAS vs. ARI ($9,600)
Gore was once one of the top prospects in baseball when he was traded for Juan Soto and the Nats are finally reaping some of those rewards. The lefty has scored at least 25 FanDuel points in 11 of 14 starts, generating a 3.24 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 rate. That WHIP is nothing to write home about but that strikeout stuff is hard to overlook since he has a 3.14 ERA and 11.6 K/9 rate across his last five outings. We also don't mind that he has a home start against Arizona, with the D'Backs ranked 21st in xwOBACON.
Top Targets
Julio Rodriguez, SEA (vs. Logan Allen) $3,300
J-Rod got off to a horrific start this season, but the superstar is starting to find it. The outfielder has a .289 AVG, .347 OBP, and .814 OPS across his last 23 outings while collecting five dingers and seven steals in that span. That's the stud we saw at the end of last season, with J-Rod ranked as a Top 3 player in the second half of last year. This resurgence is awesome since he has the platoon advantage against Allen, with the southpaw sporting a 5.30 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. Mitch Haniger ($2,500) and Ty France ($3,000) are also good pairings with J-Rod since they have the platoon advantage against Allen.
Giancarlo Stanton, NYY (vs. Cole Irvin) $3,300
Stanton has one of the ugliest swings in the history of baseball, but this beast can hit bombs. He's amid one of his torrid stretches right now, providing 12 homers and 27 RBI over his last 35 games. That power stroke is even more sublime against a southpaw, with Stanton tallying a .838 OPS against them since the start of last season. The sample size is minuscule, but we also don't mind that Stanton is 3-for-6 with a dinger against Irvin. Stacking NY is always expensive, but Aaron Judge ($4,700) and Juan Soto ($4,400) are obvious plays if you want to ride the Bronx Bombers.
Bargain Bats
Alex Bregman, HOU (vs. Chris Flexen) $3,100
Bregman also got off to a terrible start, but this guy is slowly creeping closer to what we've become accustomed to. The All-Star has a hit in 17 of his last 19 games, generating a .390 OBP and 1.023 OPS in that span. It's not like facing a guy like Flexen is a frightful matchup, and we'll dive into his numbers later on. We also love AB's BvP numbers against Flexen, posting a .444 OBP and .844 OPS against him in 18 career at-bats.
Jesse Winker, WAS (vs. Ryne Nelson) $3,000
Not enough people are talking about how special Winker has been this season. The outfielder has been the everyday three-hole hitter for the Nats, collecting seven homers and 11 steals en route to a .383 OBP. He's been even more dominant against righties, posting a .401 OBP and .849 OPS against them this year. That's bad news for a gas can like Nelson, amassing a 5.49 ERA and 1.64 WHIP. Given Nelson's poor performance, we'd be happy using Luis Garcia ($2,900), CJ Abrams ($3,600) and Lane Thomas ($3,300) in a Nats stack.
Stacks to Consider
Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies (Ty Blach): Shohei Ohtani ($5,300), Teoscar Hernandez ($4,300), Will Smith ($4,100) and Andy Pages ($3,400)
We rode the Dodgers in Coors Field in Monday's article and were obviously going right back to the well. They were the highest projected offense every game this week, scoring 26 combined runs in this series. That's no surprise since the Rockies rank last in ERA and WHIP. Blach hasn't been helping those nightmarish numbers, with the lefty posting a 6.27 ERA and 1.62 WHIP since 2019. That has LA projected to score nearly seven runs, the highest projected total once again.
Not much needs to be said when recommending a guy like Ohtani, with the slugger ranked third among all position players with 15 FanDuel points per game while scoring at least 28 FD points in four straight fixtures! Hernandez has been just as hot, totaling a 1.143 OPS across his last 12 outings. Smith is projected to bat second, accruing a .449 OBP and 1.115 OPS against lefties this year! Pages is the one value, but he's been just as scalding as the rest of these guys. The outfielder has a .440 OBP and .971 OPS across his last 19 fixtures.
Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox (Flexen): Yordan Alvarez ($3,800), Jose Altuve ($3,900), Bregman ($3,100)
The 'Stros have struggled at times this season, but this talented offense is starting to get going. They rank 12th in runs scored since the start of June and are nearly fully healthy for one of the first times all year. That's fabulous in a fantastic matchup against Flexen, with the righty registering a 5.35 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. That's on par with what we've seen throughout his career, compiling a 4.99 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.
We already discussed Bregman as the best value play in this stack, but he's an excellent pairing with Alvarez and Altuve. The DH has never posted an OPS below .800 in any year of his six-year career and has a .429 OBP and 1.092 OPS across his last 26 outings. Altuve has been crushing it, too, compiling a .395 OBP and .978 OPS over his last 26 outings.
