This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
After a few days in Boston, I am back in my Detroit domicile. I'm happy to be back, and given the fact the Red Sox did not win a single game the entire time I was there, Boston sports fans may also be happy I am back. Monday there are eight games on the MLB slate for DFS purposes. The first pitch is at 7:10 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Luis Gil, NYY at CWS ($10,800): Gil has been the pleasant surprise in the Yankees rotation, posting a 3.06 ERA over 22 starts. He's been no slouch down the stretch, as he has an 1.93 OPS across his last five outings. If that wasn't enough, now he gets to face the White Sox. Chicago is games away from reaching 400 runs as a team. Miami, in 29th, already has 440 runs.
Brandon Pfaadt, ARI vs. COL ($9,200): At first, it seemed like Pfaadt's postseason play last year was a fluke, but as the year has gone on, the young pitcher has indeed taken a step forward. He has a 3.55 FIP and has held righties to an .183 OPS. The Rockies are just below average in terms of runs scored, but given that they play their home games at Coors Field, that's worse than it looks on the surface.
Top Targets
He already has a 20-20 season on the docket, plus 11 triples, but on top of that Bobby Witt ($4,500) has hit .347, putting him in line to win the batting title. He also has an 1.019 OPS against his fellow righties. Pablo Lopez doesn't allow many walks, but Witt isn't necessarily looking to walk to first as is. What does stand out is that Lopez has a 5.17 ERA at home, and on the season he's allowed 1.47 homers per nine innings.
Though his 21-game hit streak ended Sunday, Vladimir Guerrero ($3,900) still has an 1.532 OPS over the last three weeks. The Angels bumped Davis Daniels' planned start from Sunday to Monday, but that should prove to be to Vladito's benefit. Daniel has a 6.04 ERA, and righties have hit .354 against him.
Bargain Bats
Switch hitter Bryan Reynolds ($3,100) has a .355 OBP and has hit 19 homers to go with six stolen bases. Though he hits from both sides of the plate, he has an .871 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Joe Musgrove had a 5.66 ERA in 10 starts prior to getting injured, but looking beyond this season, since 2022 he has allowed righties to hit .272 against him, and this year lefties have hit .305 against him as well.
He took a seat Sunday with a lefty on the mound, but Gavin Lux ($2,700) has an 1.062 OPS over the last three weeks and he's actively altered his approach to generate more power. No slap hitting for the southpaw! Freddy Peralta is a righty, so Lux will be in the lineup, and he has a 4.40 ERA at home.
Stacks to Consider
Rangers at Red Sox (Brayan Bello): Corey Seager ($3,500), Adolis Garcia ($3,100), Josh Smith ($3,000)
Bello won't end up missing a start after his time on the paternity leave list. He's probably feeling pretty good, but so are the Rangers. Bello has a 5.71 ERA at home this year. He's let righties hit .264 against him since 2022, but lefties have hit .297. Fenway Park is also usually kind to southpaws, and so I have two left handers in this stack.
Seager has slashed .274/.353/.499 with 25 homers in 105 games, and this season he's struggled with lefties. That means he's almost entirely excelled against righties, and indeed he has a .945 OPS in those matchups. Garcia just stole his 10th base to go with his 18 homers and 18 doubles. It's been a down year, but he has slugged .423 on the road. Smith had been cold, but he had two hits (including a double) and a walk Sunday. The lefty is also still the Rangers' starting designated hitter. He's hit .273 with 12 homers and seven stolen bases.
Yankees at White Sox (Ky Bush): Aaron Judge ($4,700), Anthony Volpe ($3,000), Giancarlo Stanton ($2,900)
Well, Bush did pitch well earlier this season… as a 24-year-old in Double-A. He had a 6.16 ERA in Triple-A, and in his first MLB start he allowed three hits, five walks, and three runs in 4.0 innings against Oakland. Of course, the White Sox having nothing to play for other than avoiding the most losses in an MLB season, so Bush is hitting the mound again Monday.
There was some talk of teams "pitching around" Judge, but he still has an 1.352 OPS over the last three weeks. He also picked up his 42nd homer and sixth stolen base Sunday. It seems Volpe may finish with a sub-.300 OBP again, but he has 11 homers, seven triples, and 20 stolen bases. Also, while shortstop has a .282 OBP over the last three weeks, he's hit .273 in that time as well. Volpe's issue is never walking. Sunday was big for Stanton. He got his OBP over .300, and he also hit his 20th homer. Those 20 homers have come in only 78 games, and Stanton has slugged .497 on the season. When he connects, he still has prodigious power.
