This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We always tend to have lighter cards on Monday but to see just four games on the final Monday of the regular season made me furious. I was looking forward to a big slate, but it's clear MLB wants to give these teams a nice travel day before closing out the season later in the week. We still have four interesting games to discuss, so let's get started with some of the arms.
Pitching
Aaron Nola, PHI vs. CHC ($8,600)
It's wild how many good pitchers are taking the mound with only eight teams in action, but Nola is the best of the bunch. The Phillies pitcher has a 3.54 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 8.7 K/9 rate so far this season. The peripherals indicate he's been even better than that and we can't overlook the fact he has a 3.38 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 9.8 K/9 rate at home since 2022. The Cubs have been clobbering the baseball recently, but Nola has scored at least 17 DraftKings points in seven of his last eight meetings with Chicago, entering this matchup as a -180 favorite.
Hunter Brown, HOU vs. SEA ($9,000)
Brown got off to a rough start this season, but he's been one of the best pitchers since the opening month. The righty has allowed two runs or fewer in 16 of his last 20 starts, registering a 2.34 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in that span. We love that since he has better home splits, squaring off with a subpar Seattle lineup. The Mariners rank 22nd in wOBA, 24th in on-base percentage (OBP), 25th in runs scored and are dead-last in strikeout rate. That was crystal clear when Brown held them to just one run across 12 innings while striking out 14 batters in their two matchups in that same stretch.
Top Targets
Trea Turner, PHI (vs. Justin Steele) $5,700
The fact we're using someone against Steele should show you how stacked this slate is from a pitching perspective. In any case, Turner is our favorite option outside of Arizona in terms of the expensive players. The shortstop is finishing the season strong, sporting a .278 batting average (AVG) and .794 OPS across his last 71 games while recording 16 homers and nine steals in that span. His biggest asset here is that he has the platoon advantage against Steele, amassing a .375 OBP and .903 OPS against southpaws this season. Steele is also on a pitch count, so Turner might get some cracks at one of the worst bullpens in the National League.
Joc Pederson, ARI (vs. Hayden Birdsong) $4,600
Pederson has quietly had a sensational season in Arizona, batting third whenever they face a right-hander. Batting third for the highest-scoring lineup is a massive boost on its own, but it's no surprise since Pederson has a .394 OBP and .936 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. He also comes into this matchup rolling, registering a .438 OBP and 1.038 OPS across his last 43 games. He's the most affordable piece of a Diamondbacks stack, which we'll dive into later.
Bargain Bats
Matt Chapman, SF (vs. Eduardo Rodriguez) $4,500
The Chapman signing looked strange in the offseason, but he has had a superb debut season in San Francisco. The third baseman has earned that deal, totaling 26 homers and 15 steals in one of the best years of his career. A good amount of that damage has come recently, with Chapman accruing a .991 OPS across his last eight games. The best part is that he gets to face a lefty, with the third baseman tallying a .359 OBP and .837 OPS against them since the start of last season. It's not like Rodriguez has been remarkable, accumulating a 5.09 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. In 15 at-bats against Rodriguez, Chapman has collected a .467 OBP and 1.181 OPS. We also love to use Heliot Ramos ($4,000) with Chapman, compiling a .444 OBP and 1.190 OPS against left-handers this season.
Masataka Yoshida, BOS (vs. Bowden Francis) $3,500
Playing anyone against Francis right now is horrifying, but Yoshida has been balling for months. The outfielder has a .372 OBP and .872 OPS across his last 40 fixtures while posting a .935 OPS on the road in that span. He's also done much better against righties, producing a .376 OBP and .839 OPS against them this year. That's all you can ask for from a player in this price range. We're willing to use him against Francis since he had a 5.03 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in Triple-A between 2022-2024. If you want to stack the Sox, Jarren Duran ($5,500) and Triston Casas ($3,900) would be the optimal pairings with Yoshida.
Stack to Consider
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants (Hayden Birdsong): Ketel Marte ($6,000), Christian Walker ($4,900), Corbin Carroll ($5,300) and Joc Pederson ($4,600)
To say Arizona's lineup is the best in baseball would be a drastic understatement. They're lapping the field in every offensive metric and have been even more dominant in the second half of the season. That won't bode well for a pitcher like Birdsong, who has been blasted to the tune of a 6.40 ERA and 1.55 WHIP across his last eight starts. Pitching in San Fran is the only thing that's saved him, posting a 7.20 ERA and 1.65 WHIP on the road in that same stretch.
If you want to stack the Diamondbacks, Marte needs to be one of the first players in your lineup. The All-Star starter has a .374 OBP and .937 OPS for the season and a .430 OBP and 1.155 OPS across his last 45 fixtures. Walker has an OPS above .800 in three straight seasons and will bat cleanup. Carroll is the final piece along with Pederson, providing a .357 OBP and .965 OPS across his last 59 outings.
We hate to say it, but Arizona is the only team we want to stack on this slate. It's easy to understand why when evaluating the pitchers, especially since we only have four games in total. Mixing and matching these lineups is the best approach because you can pair individual players with an Arizona stack.
