This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
While there are only nine games across baseball Monday, there is no shortage of excellent pitchers scheduled to take the mound. One marquee matchup features Shane McClanahan and the Rays hosting Gerrit Cole and the Yankees. Logan Webb and Max Fried will also face off when the Giants take on the Braves. Other noteworthy starters include Corbin Burnes, Yu Darvish and Jose Berrios. Let's dive into the main slate on Yahoo and highlight some pitchers and hitters to consider for your lineups.
Pitchers
Cole ($55) will be facing the Rays for the second time in as many starts. They couldn't get anything going against him last time, which helped Cole record seven strikeouts over six scoreless innings. The Rays have scored the sixth-fewest runs in baseball, so look for Cole to have success against them in their rematch.
The Diamondbacks have struck out the third-most times in baseball, so rolling with pitchers against them is often a sound strategy. Looking to exploit their lineup will be Darvish ($45), who surprisingly only has a 20.5 percent strikeout rate this season. Still, he has a 3.35 ERA and a 3.39 FIP. With the potential for additional strikeouts coming his way in this game, he's an appealing option.
Josh Winckowski ($30) was hit hard by the Orioles in his first start, but he rebounded in a great matchup against the Athletics to throw five shutout innings. He only allowed five total baserunners, while recording three strikeouts. He had a 0.97 WHIP at Triple-A before being called up, so he certainly earned his promotion. Another valuable stat line could be coming against the Tigers, who have scored the fewest runs in baseball.
Top Targets
Mike Trout ($22) is on a power surge that has seen him amass seven home runs over his last nine games. He's homered in three straight games, and in four of his last five, overall. His OPS is now up to 1.048, putting him on pace for an OPS of at least 1.000 for the fifth time over the last six seasons. More success could be coming in a matchup versus Kris Bubic ($27), who has a 5.66 FIP and 1.89 WHIP this season.
An inability to make contact has limited Ian Happ ($21) since he entered the majors. For his career, he has a 29.5 percent strikeout rate. However, he's lowered that number to 20.2 percent this season, which may be a big reason why he has a 134 wRC+. Strikeouts might not be a problem for him when he faces JT Brubaker ($31), who only has a 22.3 percent strikeout rate this season.
Bargain Bats
Taylor Ward ($8) has cooled off after a hot start. He was so hot to begin the season, though, that he still has a .417 wOBA. With how bad Bubic has been, Ward has the potential to provide significant value.
Left-handed pitchers have held Daniel Vogelbach ($10) to a .175 wOBA this season. However, he has a .343 wOBA versus righties, while all eight of his home runs have come against them. At this cheap of a salary, he's at least worth considering versus Caleb Kilian ($27), who has allowed eight runs over his first nine innings with the Cubs.
Stacks to Consider
Padres vs. Zach Davies ($29), Diamondbacks: Luke Voit ($19), Jake Cronenworth ($20), Ha-Seong Kim ($10)
The Padres will likely be playing this game without Manny Machado, who suffered an ankle injury Sunday. Still, they could be productive against Davies, who has a modest 20.0 percent strikeout rate. That's actually a slight improvement over his career 17.5 percent mark. One of the Padres' hottest hitters has been Cronenworth, who is 26-for-61 (.426) with three home runs and 10 doubles over his last 16 games.
Blue Jays vs. Lance Lynn ($37), White Sox: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($19), Teoscar Hernandez ($17), Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ($14)
Making his season debut last week, Lynn did not look like himself against the Tigers. Despite the favorable matchup, he allowed three runs and 10 hits over 4.1 innings. He didn't pitch well in the minors while coming back from his knee injury, so it might take him some additional time to reach his stellar form from last season. A matchup against a Blue Jays team that has the third-highest OPS in baseball might not help his cause.
Red Sox vs. Alex Faedo ($27), Tigers: Rafael Devers ($26), J.D. Martinez ($21), Alex Verdugo ($14)
Prior to this season, Faedo had never pitched above Double-A. He only made one start at Triple-A this season before being called up to the majors. He hasn't been great, allowing a 4.28 ERA and a 4.41 FIP. If he can't get his 1.40 WHIP under control, things could get even worse. This has the potential to be a great spot to roll with a Red Sox stack, with Devers being a key option to build one around. He's on pace to set career highs in both wOBA (.420) and wRC+ (176).
