This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A somewhat reduced 11-game slate is on tap Tuesday evening. The pitching options are further reduced, with only one arm priced in five figures. Favorable hitters parks in New York, Denver and Atlanta should give us ample bats to feel confident about, however.
Pitching
Dylan Cease headlines at $10,600, and he's been great in two outings against Cleveland, but given his salary the only reason I see to use him is to be different. Luis Castillo ($9,700), Nestor Cortes ($9,500) and Charlie Morton ($9,200) are all in terrific spots at a pretty substantial discount. Castillo will surely seek revenge against Oakland here, as the A's got him for four runs and eight hits in five frames last time he faced them. He still got five Ks, and Oakland whiffs 24.3 percent of the time. Cortes hasn't been terrific in the second half, but he faces a Pirates lineup with a 26.9 percent K rate against lefties and which is posting just an 81 wRC+. Finally, Morton has been inconsistent and prone to homers, but that's something the Nationals are unlikely to exploit. He posted 46 FDP against them in an earlier meeting.
Given the plethora of options in the $9k tier, I don't see a lot of reason to flirt with the next group of arms, as their upside isn't nearly as great when factoring in the moderate discount. If we just jump over the bulk of the mid-tier and go bargain hunting, I'm curiously intrigued by both arms in the Baltimore-Detroit matchup. The Tigers are turning to Joey Wentz ($7,400), who has averaged 30.0 FDP across his last three with a 45 FDP ceiling. He boasts a 2.99 FIP, and Baltimore's 25.0 percent K rate could allow his 7.8 per nine to play up. Baltimore is countering with Austin Voth ($5,800). He hasn't been particularly efficient in September but has averaged 29.8 FDP across six prior starts. That works tremendously at this salary, and facing the Tigers lineup should only aid his potential to reach value.
Top Targets
Mike Trout ($4,300) is about as set it and forget it as can be when facing a lefty, as he is Tuesday in Texas' Cole Ragans, who is allowing a .389 wOBA to righties. Trout counters with a .454 wOBA, 202 wRC+ and .340 ISO.
I'm assuming Dodgers are going to be popular against Drey Jameson, who surely can't replicate the success he had in his debut against the Padres. As such, I'll build around Freddie Freeman ($4,100) and look to differentiate elsewhere. Freeman has a .410 wOBA against righties, .049 more than the next closest Dodger.
C.J. Cron ($4,000) has been good enough of late to target in Coors Field and then move on from the Rockies lineup, though the rest are priced favorably in a matchup against the Giants' bullpen. If we assume the bulk of that pen is right-handed, Cron should feast. He has a .401 wOBA and 146 wRC+ at home against same-handed arms.
Bargain Bats
As noted above, I'm thinking Dodger bats will come with heavy usage, so I'm trying to avoid stacking them in my builds. If we assume Jameson will struggle against lefties though, Max Muncy ($3,000) is appealing. He's hit safely in 12 of 13, collecting 17 hits in that span including four homers.
Kyle Freeland has been pretty darn good over his last four starts, allowing just four runs and 21 hits across 23.1 innings, but I don't think we should completely ignore the Giants in Coors Field. J.D. Davis ($2,800) has put up some crooked numbers lately, and has a .420 wOBA, 175 wRC+ and .302 ISO against lefties since coming over from the Mets.
The Mariners are really banged up, so see what kind of lineup they trot out. They are also very cheap across the board as a result, so there could be a ton of value against JP Sears, who has allowed 11 runs and 15 hits in his last 6.0 innings. Dylan Moore ($2,300) has a .371 wOBA and 150 wRC+ against lefties, better numbers than star rookie Julio Rodriguez.
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta vs. Nationals (Patrick Corbin): Austin Riley ($3,800), Ronald Acuna ($3,800), Dansby Swanson ($3,600)
Atlanta's bats are hitting .309 (60-for-194) off Corbin but only have seven homers. Given that they haven't been piping hot as a unit, we can enjoy some price breaks and simply target the top three in the order, all of whom hit well off lefties. Riley snapped a six-game homerless streak last night and has hit safely in seven of 10 while having a .996 OPS against Corbin. Acuna has shown some power of late and could finally be rounding into pre-injury form. Swanson gives us the third piece atop the lineup. He's not in good form, but he is priced accordingly. This lineup is due for a breakout.
White Sox vs. Guardians (Aaron Civale): Eloy Jimenez ($3,500), Luis Robert ($3,000), Yoan Moncada ($2,500)
Civale has been up and down all year, and may not last too long in his return from injury. He's also allowing a 6.43 road ERA (4.44 xFIP) on the road, where he's been hit hard by same-handed bats. Eloy Jimenez has stand-alone value thanks to his team-leading .396 wOBA and 162 wRC+ against righties. Robert meanwhile could not be colder, with just one hit in his last 23 at-bats, but perhaps Civale's presence gets him out of that funk as he's 5-for-12 (.417) off him with a homer and three walks. Moncada also has had some success against Civale, going 7-for-16 (.438), and while he's had a dreadful year, he's also quietly collected eight hits in his last four games.
