This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Are you a big baseball fan? Awesome, me too! Monday…is not for us. There are only four games total on the MLB slate. It's a respite before the home stretch of the regular season. Yes, options are limited, but I have DFS recommendations for you! First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. ET. Good luck!
Pitching
Bryce Elder, ATL at WAS ($8,900): With Spencer Strider on the IL, the Braves need somebody to step into the rotation. Elder stepped in for a spot start against these same Nationals last week, going 5.2 innings and only allowing one run. I could see him doing that again versus a Washington team that is 26th in runs scored.
Roansy Contreras, PIT vs. CIN ($8,200): As you can likely tell from these recommendations, it's a tough day for pitchers. Contreras has a 3.22 ERA at home, which is a solid starting point. Also, prior to getting smashed on the road by the Yankees in his last start, the Pirates pitcher had an 1.65 ERA over his previous five starts. The Reds are 22nd in runs scored, and they also have a .306 OBP as a team.
Top Target
Even though he began the season in Triple-A, Michael Harris ($4,100) has 19 home runs and 19 stolen bases and could win the NL Rookie of the Year without even hitting 120 games on the season. He also has a .974 OPS versus righties and a .993 OPS on the road. Cory Abbott has a career 6.93 FIP, and he's also let lefties hit. 282 against him as well.
Bargain Bat
Over the last three weeks, Bryan Reynolds ($3,000) has a .935 OPS. While he's a switch hitter, his .823 OPS against righties is the strong half of his split in 2022. Chase Anderson, a righty, is on his third team in as many seasons. Perhaps because in that time he has a 6.62 ERA? Yeah, that probably plays a role.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. Orioles (Jordan Lyles): Rafael Devers ($3,800), Xander Bogaerts ($3,500), Alex Verdugo ($2,700)
Lyles' last start was quite good, but it was also against Detroit. Oh, and it only dropped his ERA to 4.50. Granted, for a guy with a career 5.12 ERA, that's relatively good. On the other hand, this year he has a 5.48 ERA on the road and has allowed 1.9 home runs per nine innings.
Devers will be in his element Monday. He has a .920 OPS versus righties and a .924 OPS at home. Bogaerts and his .314 average are vying for the batting title, and since 2020 righties have hit .284 versus Lyles. Meanwhile, since 2020, Bogaerts has an .898 OPS at home. Verdugo has a .283 average and is a career .287 hitter. Additionally, since joining the Red Sox, the lefty has an .828 OPS against righties.
Orioles at Red Sox (Connor Seabold): Cedric Mullins ($3,000), Anthony Santander ($3,000), Gunnar Henderson ($2,900)
I'm flipping this one around for my second stack. Seabold has made five career MLB starts. He has a 9.78 ERA in that time. Sure, he has a 6.09 FIP, which is a better number, but it's still brutal. Seabold has only ever made one start at home, but he allowed seven runs in 2.2 innings.
Mullins' drop in statistics is mostly owed to him regressing back to his prior level against his fellow lefties. His .797 OPS versus righties has helped him to 15 homers and 31 stolen bases. Santander has replaced the power the Orioles needed when Mullins' numbers dipped. He has 29 home runs, a personal best, not to mention 23 doubles. Henderson was called up as perhaps the best prospect in baseball. So far, he's held his own, and while the sample sizes are not really relevant, the southpaw does have an .898 OPS versus righties.
