This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
As we make our way toward the end of the MLB regular season, days with this much baseball are in short supply. We've got 11 games on the slate with the first pitch at 1:35 p.m. EDT. These are my lineup recommendations that will hopefully lead you to DFS success.
Pitching
Framber Valdez, HOU at KC ($11,200): Valdez hasn't quite been the groundball machine he's been in the past, but still keeps the ball in the park to go with a 3.32 ERA. The Royals, at best, will finish 25th in runs scored and will need to sit their lefty regulars as Valdez has held southpaws to a .207 since 2021.
Charlie Morton, ATL at MIA ($10,500): Morton's job is to eat innings, post a solid ERA, and generally be a veteran mid-rotation starter. For much of the season, that's been accurate - though the 39-year-old has recently been excelling with a 1.85 ERA over his last six starts. Miami is one of the teams in the bottom-six for runs scored, so I like the odds of Morton staying hot.
Sonny Gray, MIN at CWS ($9,800): Though Gray was far from a subpar pitcher prior to arriving in Minnesota, he's taken his game to a new level the last couple of years. He's elite at avoiding home runs, and that's a big part of his current 2.90 FIP. The White Sox also rank bottom-six in runs scored and just outside the bottom-10 in homers, which isn't a good recipe for this matchup. And they also list a sub-.300 OBP.
Top Targets
Pete Alonso ($4,200) has seen his BABIP collapse all the way down to .208 (his career mark is .261), but he's still managed to slug .531 and notch 45 homers. That's elite power. Rookie lefty Brandon Williamson enters with a 4.56 FIP while giving up 1.40 homers per nine innings.
Given that Bryce Harper ($3,700) was coming off a major elbow injury, the fact he's slugged .479 is frankly impressive - even if he's on pace for his lowest slugging percentage since 2016. His overall hitting numbers have remained robust at a .290 with a .393 OBP. Facing a righty is also beneficial, as Harper has produced a .901 OPS in those matchups. While Dakota Hudson doesn't allow a lot of homers, he's only struck out 13.0 percent of the batters he's faced and lefties have hit .286 against, so I expect Harper to be able to square him up a couple times.
Bargain Bats
With the playoffs approaching, the Astros have some time to get Michael Brantley ($3,000) up to speed. The lefty will probably be DHing the whole way, but he'll be an upgrade when righties are on the mound based on his .881 OPS against them since 2021. Jordan Lyles has a 6.44 ERA on the season, but somehow he's been worse of late with a .714 across 10 starts.
In addition to being a solid guess in Immaculate Grid, Carlos Santana ($3,000) still offers power. The switch-hitter has racked up 21 homers and 29 doubles in 134 games. I assume Santana will be stepping up as a righty against Patrick Corbin, a lefty primed to finish with an ERA over 5.00 for the third straight season who's also let righties go .307 against the last couple seasons.
Stacks to Consider
Twins at White Sox (Dylan Cease): Jorge Polanco ($3,200), Max Kepler ($2,900), Edouard Julien ($2,900)
Cease has seen his luck flip completely from last season from a 2.20 ERA and 3.09 FIP to a 4.87 and 3.89. Lefties have mainly gotten to Cease by collectively batting .271 against the righty, so that's why I've selected three of them here.
Polanco is a switch-hitting second baseman who once hit 33 homers in a season. Though he hits from both sides of the plate, his .830 OPS against righties since 2021 speaks to his preference. Kepler has slugged .492 against righties to go with 22 home runs. While he doesn't typically hit for average, he's batted .299 the last three weeks. As a rookie, Julien has produced a .380 OBP with 13 homers. That's largely based on facing righties, against whom he's recorded an .895 OPS.
Rays at Orioles (Dean Kremer): Brandon Lowe ($3,300), Josh Lowe ($3,000), Isaac Paredes ($3,000)
Kremer suddenly stopped allowing home runs last year, and as such he saw his ERA fall to 3.23 (though with a 3.79 FIP). This season, he's up to 1.47 homers per nine innings and his ERA has jumped to 4.25 - including a 4.78 at home. Both lefties and righties have hit Kremer reasonably well, so this is about trying to find power bats.
We're a couple years removed from Brandon Lowe crushing 39 home runs, but he's still at 20 as a second baseman. That's largely been the product of him slugging .479 against righties. Josh Lowe has 18 homers to go with 29 steals while slugged over .500 against righties and on the road. Though Paredes is right-handed, he's managed an .867 OPS versus right-handers. He also has 29 home runs to lead the Rays.
Rangers at Guardians (Gavin Williams): Corey Seager ($4,500), Nathaniel Lowe ($3,100), Evan Carter ($2,700)
Williams started the year in Double-A, but was moved up to Triple-A after breezing through three starts. He held his own there, and eventually got promoted to the bigs. At baseball's highest level, the rookie has done OK, but circumstances haven't been as rosy with a 3.43 ERA and a 4.02 at home. Williams' 4.22 FIP speaks to a certain level of luck even arriving at these stats. Lefties have only hit .239 against him, though righties have been held to a .204. And seven of the eight homers Williams has allowed have come against southpaws, so I went with three.
Seager has hit everybody everywhere, yet the southpaw has shown his best against righties with a 1.147 OPS - including a staggering .717 slugging percentage. Lowe is excellent at getting on base (.375 OBP) and has 16 homers to go with 38 doubles. But when facing a righty, he's registered an .865 OPS. Carter is a fresh from the minors, though he's considered one of the top prospects. He's also a southpaw, one who's already earned regular playing time.
