This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The picture for MLB on Monday is simple. There are only seven games, but they are all in the evening. That means they all make the cut for DFS purposes. The whole slate is in play, even if the number of games is limited. I'm kicking off a new work week with some lineup recommendations to help you find DFS success.
Pitching
Zac Gallen, ARI vs. PIT ($9,600): It is not a good day for pitchers, but I have muddled through. While Gallen is striking out the fewest batters of his career, he has bounced back from a mediocre 2021 with a 3.31 ERA. The Pirates are all but locked into finishing 28th in runs scored and team OPS, giving Gallen a good opportunity for his seventh win.
Cole Irvin, OAK vs. LAA ($9,100): The Athletics have a pitcher-friendly ballpark, but Irvin has particularly taken advantage of that in 2022. The lefty has an 1.74 ERA in home games this year. The Angels, meanwhile, are 24th in runs scored, and Mike Trout is not currently in the lineup.
Jose Suarez, LAA at OAK ($6,600): Suarez has not been as good as Gallen, but the Athletics have not been as good as the Pirates. Oakland is 29th in runs scored and team OPS, and it has the worst team average and team OBP. Suarez has a 4.55 ERA, but he hasn't allowed a run in his last two starts.
Top Target
While the addition of Juan Soto and the nearing return of Fernando Tatis are getting people excited in San Diego, don't forget about Manny Machado ($3,800). After all, Machado is a guy with a .289/.363/.505 slash line, with a .923 OPS at home as well. Alex Wood has been struggling, as he has a 4.84 ERA over his last nine starts, in part because he's allowed seven home runs.
Ty France ($3,400) is a steady presence at the plate, with a .298 average and .371 OBP over the last three seasons. This year he's added more power, though, especially at home. France has a .957 OPS in Seattle. Since joining the Yankees, Jameson Taillon has had an issue with home runs. It's not his new home park either, as he has a 5.12 ERA on the road in that time.
Bargain Bats
The recent play of Anthony Santander ($3,300) has drawn my attention, as he has an 1.065 OPS over the last three weeks. While he's a switch hitter, this year he has an .879 OPS versus lefties. Yusei Kikuchi is a lefty, and he has a 5.50 FIP as well.
While he hasn't shown a ton of power, Josh Rojas ($3,000) has hit .271 with a .344 OBP, six homers and 13 stolen bases. Also, while he is a lefty, he doesn't show any real platoon splits. That's encouraging, because Tyler Beede is expected to start for the Pirates, and in his one start this season he went 1.1 innings. This could be a bullpen game, intentionally or not, and so the fact Rojas performs against righties and lefties is a positive.
Stacks to Consider
Cubs vs. Nationals (Anibal Sanchez) : Patrick Wisdom ($3,100), Ian Happ ($2,800), Rafael Ortega ($2,200)
Obviously, the Nationals have waved the white flag on this season, and Sanchez on the mound is effectively the living embodiment of a white flag. He's made four starts this season and posted a 7.65 ERA. Sanchez has allowed 2.70 home runs per nine innings as well. The Cubs are in line to tee off Monday.
Wisdom is all about power. Since joining the Cubs he's only hit .226, but he's slugged .483 with 48 home runs in 209 games. Happ, a switch hitter, has hit .275 with a .356 OBP. While he's been better against lefties, he has a .919 OPS at home so it's all good. The lefty Ortega has five home runs and eight stolen bases and definitely prefers facing a righty. With the Cubs he has a .799 OPS versus right-handed pitchers.
Blue Jays at Orioles (Jordan Lyles): Teoscar Hernandez ($3,800), Bo Bichette ($3,400), Alejandro Kirk ($3,000)
In his first season with the Orioles, Lyles has a 4.40 ERA, which is actually below his career 5.13 ERA. He's a profoundly-hittable pitcher, and since 2020 he's let righties hit .286 against him. The Blue Jays don't start a single lefty regularly, which is why I point that out.
Hernandez is having a down year, but he's still hit .275, slugged .500, and posted 16 home runs and six stolen bases. He's looked more like himself recently with a .926 OPS over the last three weeks. Bichette is having a down year, but he's a career .289 hitter facing a pitcher who gets hit a bunch in Lyles. Plus, Bichette has 15 home runs and seven stolen bases anyway. Kirk has hit .298 with a .383 OBP. This year he has an .868 OPS versus righties as well.
Mets vs. Reds (Justin Dunn): Pete Alonso ($4,200), Francisco Lindor ($3,900), Jeff McNeil ($2,800)
Dunn will be making his first MLB start of the season, and also his first start as a Red. Across 25 starts as a Mariner he posted a 5.52 FIP. Dunn didn't exactly excel at Triple-A either, posting a 6.92 ERA before his call up. Now, he makes his first MLB start in nearly a year on the road against a formidable Mets lineup.
Alonso has racked up a .930 OPS at home, and he's been hot recently, even by his standards. Over the last 21 days he has an 1.188 OPS. Lindor has looked more like his old self, having slashed .270/.346/.461 with 19 home runs and 10 stolen bases. While he's a switch hitter, he has an .841 OPS versus righties. The lefty McNeil has hit .304 with a .359 OBP. He's not a power hitter, but he's slugged .467 versus right-handed pitchers.
