This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Mondays can sometimes be quiet across baseball, but that won't be the case this week with 13 games on the schedule. The problem is, there aren't exactly a ton of exciting series. Some potentially lopsided games include the White Sox taking on the Royals, the Rays hosting the Tigers and the Yankees facing off with the Orioles. There aren't a ton of aces set to take the mound either, so we could be in line for some high-scoring affairs. With that in mind, here are some pitchers and hitters to consider for your Yahoo lineups.
Pitchers
To say that the Angels bringing in Noah Syndergaard ($44) has worked out well so far would be an understatement. He's recorded three wins over his five starts, posting a 2.45 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP along the way. His 3.40 FIP is also impressive, and he's allowed just two home runs over 29.1 innings. He's set up nicely to potentially have another strong outing when he faces the Rangers, who have the third-worst OPS in baseball.
The Diamondbacks have a winning record, but their lineup has still struggled, ranking inside the bottom-third of baseball in OPS and runs scored. They'll face an uphill battle against the Dodgers, who will send Tony Gonsolin ($41) to the mound. While his 3.46 FIP isn't as sparkling as his 1.33 ERA, it's hard to argue with his 1.07 WHIP. He's also holding batters to a 22.2 percent hard-hit rate.
Chris Archer ($33) hasn't been great for the Twins. He hasn't logged more than 4.1 innings in any of his six starts and he has a 1.48 WHIP. So why are we even considering starting him? Well, he has a matchup against the Athletics, who have the worst OPS in baseball. The game will also be played at the A's pitcher-friendly home park, so Archer might be worth a look in tournament play.
Top Targets
With Tylor Megill (biceps) hitting the IL, the Mets will turn to Trevor Williams ($25) to start against the Cardinals. Williams hasn't logged more than 3.2 innings this season while making four of his five appearances in relief, so this could be a bullpen game for the Mets. That might make it a great time to roll with Nolan Arenado ($20), who is sporting a 175 wRC+.
Left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi ($30) will face his former team when the Blue Jays play the Mariners. One hitter who could do some damage against him is Ty France ($18). Not only does France have a .388 wOBA this season, but he had a .370 wOBA versus lefties last season.
Bargain Bats
Staying with the Mariners, Julio Rodriguez ($13) could also be a viable target. He's turned things around after a slow start, hitting 13-for-34 (.382) with a home run, a double and a triple over his last nine games. He had a 1.007 OPS at Double-A last season, so this is more like the talented young hitter that many were expecting him to be.
Starting for the Cubs will be Wade Miley ($26), who will try to get right against the Pirates. He's only made one start because of an injury, and in that outing, he allowed three runs over three innings to the Padres. It could have been even worse given that he allowed 10 base runners. The Pirates don't have a ton of talented hitters, but with Miley still trying to find his way into a grove, Diego Castillo ($10) could be worth considering. He only has a 37 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers, but he has a 132 wRC+ versus lefties.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Chris Flexen ($32), Mariners: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($16), Bo Bichette ($13), Teoscar Hernandez ($12)
Flexen was lit up by the Phillies in his last start, allowing six runs over five innings. He's not an overpowering pitcher, posting just a 16.0 percent strikeout rate for his career. Not having much of a margin for error could spell trouble against the Blue Jays, especially this dangerous trio. Part of the reason why Hernandez's numbers are down is his 33.3 percent strikeout rate. With Flexen's general inability to miss bats, that might not be a problem in this matchup.
Angels vs. Jon Gray ($28), Rangers: Mike Trout ($27), Shohei Ohtani ($20), Jared Walsh ($17)
Gray departed with a knee issue in his last start against the Yankees, but he came through a Saturday bullpen session with no issues, so he's expected to start this game. It will be a rough matchup, though, since the Angels have scored the most runs in the league. Gray has already been unable to throw more than five innings in any of his four starts. Walsh might not generate the headlines that Trout and Ohtani do, but he's started to heat up, hitting 14-for-49 (.286) with four home runs and three doubles over his last 12 games.
Giants vs. Antonio Senzatela ($26), Rockies: Brandon Belt ($23), Joc Pederson ($16), Mike Yastrzemski ($17)
Senzatela only has a career 15.2 percent strikeout. It's been even worse this season at 6.2 percent. Combine that with a career 1.43 WHIP and pitching at Coors Field can be problematic for him. This could be a great spot to deploy a Giants stack, with Yastrzemski being an interesting option for one. He's cut his strikeout rate down to 16.8 percent, which is nearly eight percentage points lower than his career mark.
