This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
13 games await Tuesday evening's main slate. Despite all teams having listed pitchers, it's not the deepest pool of options on the bump as only two pitchers are priced in the $10,000 tier, with five more at $9,000 or above. Matchups reign supreme in making the decision on who you'll spend your budget on.
Pitching
It goes without saying Gerrit Cole at $10,600 is worth paying up for in a soft matchup against a Reds' lineup that fans 24.1 percent of the time. But where might we find similar upside at a discount? Luis Garcia ($9,500) looks like a candidate in a matchup with the free-swinging Angels, who strikes out a whopping 26.8 percent of the time. Josiah Gray ($9,300) has better swing and miss stuff, but the matchup isn't quite as friendly against Seattle. Still, both seem to offer 40 FDP potential.
Chris Flexen ($8,500) jumps out in the next tier of arms as someone who can match Gray in a potentially low-scoring game. The Nationals don't strike out a lot (19.8 percent), but that's not Flexen's game, as he averages just 6.6 per nine. Sure, that zaps his upside, but a quality start with a handful of Ks can get us towards a 4x return.
Mike Clevinger ($7,400) gets a name drop as the talent doesn't match the low price tag. That's due to pitching in Coors Field, which surely will have most ignoring the Padres' starter, thus making him a consideration for GPPs. If you're interested in going against Detroit or Oakland, as we routinely mention, Glenn Otto ($7,200) is the preference over Kris Bubic at $6,200. Otto has gone for 22 FDP or better in five of his last seven starts.
Top Targets
Manny Machado ($4,500) boasts a .410 wOBA and .342 ISO against lefties and is playing in Coors Field with Austin Gomber on the bump for the Rockies, making him the most obvious offensive building block Tuesday.
Corey Seager ($4,000) has seen his price surge thanks to his current heater, in which he's homered in four straight and five of six. His lone hit off A's starter James Kaprielian left the yard, and Oakland's starter offers a 5.30 FIP coming into Tuesday.
Austin Riley ($3,900) checks a lot of boxes on this slate. He leads Atlanta with a .458 wOBA, 196 wRC+ and .381 ISO against lefties. He's homered in three straight and has 23 hits in his last 12 games, and is 5-for-10 in his career against Mets' starter David Peterson.
Bargain Bats
I certainly don't recommend stacking Tigers, but their offense has been somewhat better of late and all their options remain cheap. You can pick and choose one or perhaps two to round out lineups, and we know we want to target bats against Bubic. Javier Baez ($3,100) is the most expensive Tiger and boasts a .392 wOBA and .250 ISO against lefties. If you're willing to roll the dice on a small BvP sample, Willi Castro ($2,300) is 4-for-11 (.364) with two homers off Bubic.
Jorge Alfaro ($2,800) has a solid .277 ISO against lefties on the year, offering a cheaper in to the Padres lineup in Coors Field.
Dallas Keuchel is allowing a .403 wOBA to lefties, something the Giants have plenty of, and a .385 wOBA to righties, giving the San Francisco lineup a few favorable splits to consider. Austin Slater ($2,600) likely gets to hit leadoff, has a .372 wOBA in his split and has multiple hits in four of his last seven. Darin Ruf ($2,600) offers more power but a lower floor.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Cardinals (Matthew Liberatore): Mookie Betts ($4,200), Trea Turner ($3,900), Will Smith ($3,400)
Liberatore is allowing a .406 wOBA and .968 OPS to right-handed bats, allowing us to comfortably target the top portion of the Dodgers' lineup. Smith leads the team with a .411 wOBA and 170 wRC+ against southpaws, adding a .237 ISO. His splits and spot in the cleanup spot at a marginal discount make this stack doable from a budgetary standpoint. Betts sits a .397/157/.250 against lefties, and while Turner's season-long body of work isn't up to his normal standards, he's still had prolonged success. Justin Turner ($2,900) offers a second cheap option if you need to pivot, and he's hit safely in eight straight and 10 of 11.
Phillies vs. Blue Jays (Jose Berrios): Kyle Schwarber ($4,200), Darick Hall ($3,100), Nick Castellanos ($2,700)
I'm anticipating the Blue Jays offense being a popular stack Tuesday with the Phillies likely going with a bullpen game. So to be a tad contrarian, I'll hope the Phillies offense responds accordingly and makes this game competitive. Berrios has been better at home, so this is certainly a risk, but he's allowing a .377 wOBA to lefties, putting Schwarber and Hall's power on the radar. The Phillies are going to be a tad depleted here due to player vaccination statuses, so keep an eye on how they line up for additional value within the lineup. Castellanos' price has plummeted thanks to a power outage, but he'll still hit in a run-producing spot, and is a fair 6-for-16 (.375) in his career against Berrios.
