This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
There are some cloudy skies across the country, but rain may not be a factor come game time. However, that doesn't help that most of the top pitching options are in tough situations. You can either hope Justin Verlander has another 30-point outing or go further down the list and bank on a better matchup.
PITCHING
A lot of people were questioning Justin Verlander ($11,400) going into the All-Star break, but then he burned everyone who didn't use him, striking out 30 in his next three starts. Yet, once again, he'll be a popular pitcher to fade because the Indians have a decent 18.6 K% and .353 wOBA in the last month against righties. It's the same situation for Charlie Morton ($10,900) against a hot Red Sox team, who have a .376 wOBA against righty arms since the beginning of the month.
The best combination of pitcher and matchup is probably Noah Syndergaard ($10,300). He's gone seven innings in each of his last three, hitting at least 18 fantasy points in each of them and he should do that again. The White Sox haven't done many things well, striking out a bunch (27.7 K%) and not getting on base (.284 OBP) against righty hurlers over the last month. Jake Odorizzi ($9,400) also has a nice matchup, but hasn't reached 17 fantasy points in his last six starts. Some of that has to do with opponent, though his strikeout numbers have dipped, leading to lower fantasy totals. His lone positive is that the Marlins have a 27.7 K% and .260 wOBA against righty arms since July 1. David Price ($9,000) might be the better route because of a better K% (28.0), as well as a familiar Tampa team, who he's faced four times (23 IP, 35 K).
For a second pitcher, Griffin Canning ($7,900) could be chalky against the Tigers. While there are few positives from his last couple starts, Detroit has rarely shelled opposing pitchers, sporting a 28.0 K% and .270 OBP against righties in the last month. The Tigers had also failed to score more than two runs in their last six games prior to Monday's surprising win. Otherwise, this is a reasonable spot for Adam Wainwright ($7,500) and J.A. Happ ($7,300) to get back on track. It helps that Wainwright has been much better at home, allowing a .294 wOBA compared to .367 on the road. In addition to Happ being a large favorite, the Diamondbacks are subpar in most categories against southpaws with a 24.0 K% and .299 wOBA since the middle of June. And while Ariel Jurado ($5,700) is inconsistent, he went seven innings last outing and the Mariners are boom-or-bust with a 25.0 K% against righty pitchers in the last month.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
There are a few games that will get more attention for bats Tuesday night, but the one at Coors Field has to be considered for all cash lineups. Kyle Freeland has an ugly .385 OBP and .418 wOBA allowed at home while Tony Gonsolin gave up six hits (2 2B, 1 HR) in his four-inning MLB debut a month ago. Given the pitchers, any of the hitters are in play. Cody Bellinger ($5,900) has been useful in lefty-lefty matchups, but if you don't want to spend that much, Alex Verdugo ($4,600), A.J. Pollock ($4,500) and Will Smith ($4,500) are all in play. Due to injuries, a couple other new options could be in the lineup like Kris Negron ($3,600) and Tyler White ($3,500). It's a little trickier for the Rockies because Julio Urias, a lefty, will probably get more time than Gonsolin. While Daniel Murphy ($5,000) has decent lefty-lefty numbers, cheaper plays like Raimel Tapia ($4,300) and Chris Iannetta ($4,000) could be more useful if this game ends up coming close to the total (14 runs).
The Yankees-Diamondbacks could be just as popular because the over/under opened at 11.5 and the bats are somewhat cheaper. I mentioned Happ in the pitching section, yet it's hard to ignore his .369 wOBA allowed at home, while Taylor Clarke has been worse than that against both sides of the plate. Eduardo Escobar ($4,900) and Carson Kelly ($4,100) lead Arizona in terms of OBP against southpaws, both above .400 in the last couple months, and Ketel Marte ($5,000) isn't far behind with a .381 OBP in his last 42 plate appearances. The numbers are iffy for everyone else, but Christian Walker ($4,300), Tim Locastro ($4,200) and Adam Jones ($4,000) at least provide righty bats.
The Mariners-Rangers game has the same over/under and also has two questionable pitchers. Mike Leake has given up 30 hits and 15 earned runs in 17 innings against the Rangers this year, sporting a .381 wOBA allowed on the road. Jurado has conveniently been worse at home and has a .356 wOBA allowed to righty bats. Hunter Pence ($4,600) is a bit steep, though most are looking at his 18-for-45 career line against Leake. Almost everyone on the Rangers has had success against Leake, so that's not a major selling point. Shin-Soo Choo ($4,400) and Nomar Mazara ($4,200) both have OBPs above .400 against righties since the middle of June, while also providing some power. Delino DeShields Jr. ($3,700) and Asdrubal Cabrera ($3,700) are the better value plays, yet you're not getting much power from them. Unfortunately, the Mariners are full of lefty bats, which Jurado is better against. Because of that, Domingo Santana ($4,600) could sneakily be the best play, while Austin Nola ($4,200) and Tim Beckham ($4,100) save a few bucks.
STACKS
Yankees vs. Taylor Clarke (Diamondbacks)
(2B/SS Gleyber Torres - $4,600), (3B Gio Urshela - $4,600), (OF Mike Tauchman - $4,300)
Clarke has a 6.43 xFIP against lefty bats and is allowing 2.35 HR/9 to righties so you can go either side of the plate. This stack is as cheap as it gets for the Yankees, but all three are plenty viable. Tauchman and Torres both have OBPs above .400 in the last month against righties, while Urshela has a .293 ISO in his last 61 PA. Austin Romine ($3,500) is also in play and could be the most popular catcher due to price and a .452 OBP in his last 31 PA against righties.
Angels vs. Drew VerHagen (Tigers)
(OF Shohei Ohtani - $4,800), (OF Justin Upton - $3,600), (3B/OF David Fletcher - $3,700)
VerHagen gave up six runs in his first start of the season last week and there's no reason to trust him against the Angels. If you don't want to spend all your money on Mike Trout ($5,700), this is a reasonable stack, with all three fairly consistent at getting on base. Fletcher doesn't have power, but he has a solid .368 OBP in his last 125 PA against righty arms, while Ohtani has a .302 ISO (last 108 PA) and Upton has a .230 ISO (last 84 PA).
Giants vs. Drew Smyly (Phillies)
(2B/SS Donovan Solano - $4,000), (OF Austin Slater - $3,900), (3B Zach Green - $3,100)
Since the other stacks will be chalk, I wanted to mix it up with the Giants in more of a GPP route. Smyly was good in his first start with the Phillies, but his overall numbers this year have been bad, allowing a .411 OBP to 56 lefties faced and a .378 wOBA to 218 righties faced. The Giants don't have a ton of power, but they still get on base, led by Solano's .420 OBP in his last 50 PA against southpaws. Green could be one of the better value third basemen on the slate as he starts for Pablo Sandoval whenever a lefty is on the mound.
