This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
It's almost a must to grab a high-priced pitcher in Monday's slate, if not two. That means cheap bats will be needed at multiple positions, and that was my goal with a couple gems filtered in.
PITCHER
Corey Kluber, CLE vs. DET ($59): Kluber is the safest of the top pitchers in that he's pretty much guaranteed to get at least six strikeouts and go seven innings. He's already allowed four runs, but that may be his floor. And while he's started the season with two losses, he faces an uninspiring Tigers lineup that has an early .313 wOBA against righties.
Jon Gray, COL vs. SD ($38): I was going to use a couple lefties against Gray, but this spot was too good to pass up given how the Padres have hit this season. In addition to Gray already going seven innings with seven strikeouts against the Padres last time out, his numbers were surprisingly better at Coors Field last season with a .283 wOBA allowed. The over/under is 10 runs, but that has a lot to do with Clayton Richard being the opposing pitcher.
CATCHER
Yan Gomes, CLE vs. DET ($10):Francisco Liriano was a tad lucky with his opening outing against the Royals (6.2 IP, 1 ER), but that won't continue against this Indians lineup. While Gomes only has three hits, he's much better against southpaws with a .360 wOBA and .260 ISO against them last season. Liriano didn't perform well against righties in his first start (all four hits allowed) and that's how 2017 went for him with a 5.54 xFIP.
FIRST BASE
Carlos Santana, PHI vs. CIN ($19): Santana is no longer on the Indians, but he also has a favorable matchup against Cody Reed, who isn't a regular starter for the Reds. In 49.2 innings against righties the last two seasons, he has a .413 wOBA allowed and gave up 20 hits in 12.1 innings of spring ball. This is a great spot for Santana to get back on track, and last season's 8.7 K% against lefties should help.
SECOND BASE
Howie Kendrick, WAS vs. ATL ($11): Kendrick remains a cheap play even after a solid start to the season, and he's worth another look in a favorable spot. Julio Teheran struggled in his first two starts, which includes a shelling by the Nationals that featured five runs in 2.1 innings. Kendrick had a double against Teheran, and his numbers point to consistency with last season's .351 wOBA against righties a highlight.
THIRD BASE
Nolan Arenado, COL vs. SD ($24): The Rockies should be excited with this matchup since Clayton Richard already gave up eight runs and five runs in five innings against this lineup. That one came in San Diego, and this one is in Colorado. It's a perfect spot to spend up after Arenado blasted southpaws last year at Coors with a .549 wOBA and .446 ISO.
SHORTSTOP
Scott Kingery, PHI vs. CIN ($10): This is another pick against Reed, though this one is more because of price. Kingery has little upside, but he's getting at-bats and Reed has had little success in the majors with a 4.85 xFIP against righties the last two seasons.
OUTFIELD
Jay Bruce, NYM at MIA ($18): The bats are cooking for the Mets, and that should continue against Jose Urena, who has had two vastly different outings. The Cubs beat him up in the opener, but he recently carved up the Red Sox for seven innings. Bruce has been better against lefties early on, but that probably won't continue as he should improve against righty arms after sporting a .369 wOBA and .273 ISO against them last season.
Marwin Gonzalez, HOU at MIN ($14): To save money, I'm going with some lefty bats against a beatable righty arm that had his start pushed back. Lance Lynn gave up five runs in his first start, and even with some success in 2017, he still had a 5.93 xFIP against lefties. That should help Gonzalez, who hasn't had a great start, but was much better against righties last season with a .397 wOBA.
Josh Reddick, HOU at MIN ($13): Reddick has been better than Gonzalez but is still cheaper. He has an early .457 wOBA against righties (20 PA), which is in line with last year's .363 wOBA against them. Lefty bats crushed Lynn in 2017, with a dreadful 1.3 K-BB% as possibly the worst stat. Minnesota's game Sunday was postponed, and while temperatures will be close to 40 degrees Monday, there's still a possibility that this one will get pushed back. If that happens, Ian Desmond ($17) and Odubel Herrera ($14) are two more options in the same price range.
