This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
With the end of August near, this is a busier Monday that usual. Sometimes, a handful of teams will be off on a Monday in MLB, but only two teams are off this time around. Then, with two games starting at 6:40 p.m. ET, we are left with 12 games on the DFS docket, which starts at 7:05 p.m. ET. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Kevin Gausman, TOR vs. WAS ($10,900): You probably don't need to be reminded that win-loss record isn't a good indicator of pitching performance, but Gausman has been a sterling example of that. He has a 9-8 record with a 2.85 FIP and 31.7 strikeout rate. The Nationals hit for average, but they are below average in runs scored because they rank 29th in home runs as a team.
Andrew Abbott, CIN at SF ($10,300): Abbott has had some struggles recently, but the rookie has a 3.16 ERA on the campaign. Maybe facing the Giants will help. One, the Giants are in the bottom 10 in runs scored. Two, they have a lot of lefties they like to use. Abbott is a southpaw, and he's held left-handed hitter to an .180 average.
Bryan Woo, SEA vs. OAK ($7,800): Woo hasn't had the best rookie campaign, but he has a 3.96 FIP, and the Mariners are hot, and that's enough for me Monday. The Athletics are comfortably last in runs scored and team OPS, so Woo can't really get a better matchup delivered to him.
Top Targets
Though Christian Yelich ($3,700) has been mired in a bit of a hitting slump, he's still been stealing bases, and now on the year he has 27 swiped bags to go with his 16 homers. He also has an .894 OPS against righties this season, so maybe facing Jameson Taillon will get his swing back on track. It seemed, for a second, that Taillon may have put his bad start to the season behind him, but he has a 6.07 ERA over his last five starts, and he's allowed a home run in each of those outings.
Looking for some power from the Orioles lineup, I landed on Gunnar Henderson ($3,600). He's notched 22 homers and 20 doubles (plus six triples, which is more about speed), but that's while struggling with his fellow lefties. Against righties, Henderson has slugged .535 this season. Michael Kopech is almost the "three true outcomes" personified. Yes, he strikes out more than a batter per inning, but he's also allowed a staggering six walks per nine innings and 2.10 homers per nine as well. That's a big reason why he has a 6.51 FIP.
Bargain Bats
Out of nowhere, Andrew Benintendi ($2,800) has gone and hit three homers in his last six games, more than doubling his season total. Sure, that may not continue, but he's also hit .277 and stolen 13 bases. And hey, maybe the power surge can keep going with Grayson Rodriguez on the mound for the Orioles. The promising young pitcher has been better since a trip to the minors after a disastrous start to his MLB campaign, but he has allowed a homer in each of his last two games. That's quickly reminded us that he has a 5.38 ERA on the season, and some of that is the fact he's given up 1.55 homers per nine innings.
The drop in production from Jack Suwinski ($2,700) has been indicative of the Pirates' offensive collapse, as he's back to just trying to finish above the Mendoza Line. On the other hand, he does have 21 homers and nine stolen bases, and Monday's matchup is to his strength. Suwinski can't hit lefties at all, and he's been bad at home, but he has an .830 OPS against righties and an .870 OPS on the road. While Zack Greinke's 3.57 home ERA is much better than his woeful 7.15 ERA on the road, he's also allowed lefties to hit .327 against him this season, so that pushes me over the finish line here.
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta at Rockies (Austin Gomber): Austin Riley ($4,300), Michael Harris ($4,000), Marcell Ozuna ($3,700)
As if the Atlanta offense needed any help, it gets to take a trip to Coors Field for a few days. Nice work if you can get it. Then, there's Gomber, who has a 7.06 ERA at home. The lefty has struck out a mere 5.68 batters per nine innings. At Coors, against this lineup, that spells disaster.
Riley has locked in his third season in a row with at least 30 home runs. He's had a lot of good success against lefties in that time, posting a .916 OPS in those matchups. Harris may be a lefty, but in limited plate appearances versus southpaws, he has a .782 OPS this year, which is serviceable. I am willing to take a shot on him, because Gomber has allowed his fellow left-handers to hit a whopping .360 against his in 2023. A red-hot Ozuna has an 1.167 OPS over the last three weeks, and now he gets to visit Coors Field? Throw in his .629 slugging percentage against southpaws this season, and I'm hyped.
Padres at Cardinals (Adam Wainwright): Manny Machado ($3,400), Juan Soto ($3,300), Xander Bogaerts ($2,800)
The state of Missouri is playing home to two veteran pitchers having bleak swan songs to their careers. I mentioned Greinke earlier, but he looks like vintage Bob Gibson compared to Wainwright. Wainwright has an 8.61 ERA. He's struck out 5.12 batters and allowed 1.86 homers per nine innings. Righties have hit .358 against him, and lefties have hit .363. It's a shame his career is ending on this note, but you don't get DFS points for compassion.
Machado has had a tough campaign, especially against righties, but this isn't your average right-handed pitcher. Since 2021 he has an .838 OPS against righties and an .831 OPS on the road, and he's hit four homers over the last two weeks. I think he can handle this. It's encouraging that Soto hit a homer Saturday, as he has been struggling, but this matchup is to his strengths. He has a .937 OPS versus righties, plus a .989 OPS on the road. Bogaerts will have to get in line when it comes to struggling Padres, but he still has 15 homers and 13 swiped bags as a shortstop. He's also been better against righties, who he has posted a.753 OPS against.
Rangers at Mets (Tylor Megill): Corey Seager ($4,000), Nathaniel Lowe ($3,000), Travis Jankowski ($2,500)
Megill has consistently been better at home in his career, and this year his 3.49 ERA at Citi Field is not too shabby. On the other hand, in his career he has a 4.14 ERA at home and a 6.06 ERA on the road. An overall 5.05 ERA in MLB, not to mention a 5.28 FIP in 2023, speaks to a poor-quality pitcher. So does the fact lefties have hit .308 against Megill in his career, hence the three-southpaw stack.
Of course, this season the only thing that has gotten in Seager's way is health. He has an OPS over 1.000 on the season, and OPS over 1.000 over the last three weeks, an OPS over 1.000 against righties, you name it, he's crushing it. Lowe isn't on Seager's level, few are, but he has a .370 OBP and has supplemented his 15 homers with 36 doubles. His OPS against right-handed pitchers sits at .884. Jankowski lacks the power of Lowe, much less, Seager, but he does have a .274 average with 17 stolen bases in 87 games. He has a .373 OBP against righties, and it is easier to steal on right-handed pitchers.
