This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Nine games await us Saturday evening. Eight arms sit in the 9k+ tier, giving us ample options on the bump, all of which are right handed, potentially creating some spots we can fade the top pitchers in favor of hitters at lower usage. It falls off rapidly, however, afterward, so Saturday does not present as a day to skimp on pitching.
Pitching
A case can easily be made for and against each of the slate's top six arms. But picking and choosing; Joe Musgrove ($10,500) is in poor form, but gets lowly Washington, who has moved into nightly target-against territory. Logan Gilbert ($9,800) profiles identically. He's put up 29 FanDuel points (FDP) total in his last three outings, but gets an Oakland lineup we love to pick on. These seem like our stable floor options simply based on opponent.
If we're seeking upside, the options appear to be Spencer Strider ($9,600) or Dustin May ($9,500). It's hard to faithfully target an arm against the Astros, but Atlanta shut them down last night, and we know what Strider's potential is. He's averaging 13.5 Ks per nine and has a 40.4 percent ground ball rate, not leaving much room for damage. May's upside is seemingly only limited by how long he'll be allowed to work in his season debut. Miami's strikeout rate (22.3 percent) is far lower against righties, but they're not a lineup we fear.
As noted in the intro, things really fall off after the upper echelon of arms. If bargain shopping for a hope at 3x-plus, some options to consider include Dakota Hudson ($7,300) or James Kaprielian ($7,000). Hudson is another option seemingly limited by his workload or rather inability to work deep, having lasted more than five innings just once in his last four outings. But he faces an Arizona lineup with a meager 92 wRC+ and .305 wOBA, and likely will see ample run support, putting him in line for a potential win. Kaprielian is in continued solid but unspectacular form. He's had a 24 FDP floor across his last five, going at least five innings in all outings while allowing seven runs total. He's not a strikeout guy at just 6.4 per nine, but Seattle doesn't K much either at 22.5 percent. The hope is he continues his mediocre run against a lineup with a .307 wOBA and returns 3x or better. It will be his fourth start against the Mariners, going for 37, 31 and nine FDP previously.
Top Targets
With Coors Field on the docket, it's certainly fine to roll with C.J. Cron ($4,000) as an anchor and move on, despite his current poor form, with only two singles in his last 25 at bats. He still leads the Rockies with a .371 wOBA, 126 wRC+ and .235 ISO against righties, and is 8-for-21 (.381) with three homers and a 1.286 OPS against Giants' starter Alex Cobb.
Kyle Tucker ($4,000) is often overlooked in the Astros' lineup, but is in terrific form presently, riding an 11 game hitting-streak into Saturday that's seen him collect six hits in his last 10 at bats. With Yordan Alvarez ($4,100), he and Alex Bregman ($4,200) will share the offensive onus in Atlanta. Tucker sits with a .386 wOBA, 158 wRC+ and .244 ISO, while the surging Bregman, who has 13 RBI in his last seven games, goes .391/162/.236.
Bargain Bats
The slate's two worst pitchers face two of the slate's worst offenses, so it's hard to just drag to the bottom of the pitching prices and target against. And truthfully, Pittsburgh's Tyler Beede hasn't been awful. Cincinnati's Justin Dunn has been, however, particularly to same-handed bats, allowing a whopping .628 wOBA and 1.500 OPS. Kevin Newman ($2,600) flirts with a must play here as a result. He's been on base 11 times in the last five games, scoring nine times. I would feel relatively confident grabbing Bucs to round out your lineup regardless of handedness, as Bryan Reynolds ($3,200) is their most expensive option.
San Francisco bats are priced up in Coors Field, unlike they were Friday night. Still, facing Ryan Feltner and his 6.56 home ERA and 5.18 FIP, we need some shares. He's allowing 2.16 HR/9 to lefties, so if we chase that, Joc Pederson ($3,400) homered for the first time since late June last night and is enjoying a fine August thus far. Meanwhile, LaMonte Wade ($3,000) is the definition of a power chase, with his last three hits all leaving the yard.
In the same game, Randal Grichuk ($3,100) is 9-for-17 (.529) off Cobb, with two homers, three doubles, eight RBI and a 1.588 OPS.
Stack to Consider
Carindals vs. Diamondbacks (Madison Bumgarner): Paul Goldschmidt ($4,800), Nolan Arenado ($3,900), Albert Pujols ($2,500)
It's pretty rare I can cut/paste from the prior evening, but here we are as the Cardinals get a lefty for the second straight night. Goldschmidt and Arenado held up their end of the bargain Friday with two hits each. The splits for all three are simply ridiculous against southpaws, with Goldschmidt sitting with a .576 wOBA, 282 wRC+ and .427 ISO. Arenado goes .430/183/.407, and Pujols .449/196/.333. Bumgarner is limping to the finish, too, allowing at least four runs and eight hits in each of his last four outings, and there's ample BvP success here. Pujols has the smallest sample, going 4-for-12 with a homer. Goldschmidt has gone 25-for-73 (.342) with four homers and a 1.055 OPS, and Arenado 17-for-65 (.262) with three homers and a .801 OPS; large enough sample sizes to trust.
Mets vs. Phillies (Bailey Falter): Pete Alonso ($3,800), Francisco Lindor ($3,600) Starling Marte ($3,500)
This is perhaps one of my favorite spots of all time, so fingers crossed they don't bust. Falter is allowing a 5.89 home ERA, 5.91 FIP and a .404 wOBA and .963 OPS to righties. We can stack the heart of the Mets order all each under $4,000 here and hopefully really reap some rewards. Alonso and Marte both have a 371 wOBA against lefties, boasting a 146 and 145 wRC+ respectively. Lindor's 106 wRC+ isn't quite as nice, but he's seeing it well presently with eight hits in his last four games. This is the second game of a double header, however, so just make sure all pieces on both sides line up accordingly.
