This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Tuesday's evening MLB Slate begins at 7:05 PM ET and consists of every team except the Athletics and Indians. While the Rockies and Diamondbacks are known for their offenses, both teams are sending enticing pitchers to the mound for this one. Read on to find out which batters join them as the night's top value plays…
PITCHER
Tyler Anderson, COL vs. SEA ($28): Anderson's $28 valuation seems fair when looking at the second-year starter's season-long stats, but he has been markedly better over his past four starts. His ERA at Coors Field is lower than his road mark, thanks in large part to allowing a combined four runs in 11.2 innings while posting an 18:3 K:BB ratio against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers in his two most recent home outings. Seattle's 22nd-ranked offense at 4.25 runs per game isn't nearly as dangerous as either of those top-10 lineups, while Anderson's 23.6 percent strikeout rate makes him a strong option in that department despite the Mariners' slightly lower than average propensity to whiff. At just $3 above the minimum, the reward far outweighs the risk.
Robbie Ray, ARI at PIT ($40): Ray has been nearly unhittable away from Chase Field, with a 0.81 ERA and just 29 baserunners allowed along with 43 strikeouts in 33.1 innings on the road. Three of his five road starts have come against top-seven offenses, so he should have no problem cruising through a 27th-ranked Pirates team that has scored just 3.98 runs per game. Ray's combination of pedigree and matchup suggests he could easily end up the top scorer at his position despite five other options being priced at least as highly.
CATCHER
Buster Posey, SF vs. WAS ($19): Posey is well worth the top price at his position whenever the opposition puts a lefty on the mound. He has pushed his career wOBA in that split to .402 with a .440 performance so far this season, and Gio Gonzalez's .342 mark allowed to right-handed hitters suggests he won't do much to slow Posey down.
FIRST BASE
Tommy Joseph, PHI at MIA ($17): Joseph has shown tremendous power against southpaws, with five home runs in 43 plate appearances compared to just three in 141 plate appearances facing righties. His upside is right there with the top first base options against Miami's Justin Nicolino, who owns a 5.40 ERA and 1.90 WHIP in 10 innings through two starts this season. Joseph's 22.6 percent strikeout rate is also less of a deterrent here given Nicolino's inability to put hitters away (9.8 percent career strikeout rate in 163.1 innings).
SECOND BASE
DJ LeMahieu, COL vs. SEA ($15): LeMahieu has pummeled left-handed pitching with a .399 wOBA this season. His excellence in that split puts Colorado's two-hole hitter in position to score some runs in this Coors Field matchup against Ariel Miranda. Miranda's 4.22 ERA and 4.67 WHIP make LeMahieu all the more appealing at just $15.
THIRD BASE
Travis Shaw, MIL at NYM ($19): Shaw owns a .367 wOBA against right-handed pitching, and that number figures to grow against Tyler Pill in his first major league start. Pill allowed a run in relief during his first appearance Saturday, which wasn't unexpected given the 27-year-old's 4.50 K/9 and 4.25 FIP at Triple-A Las Vegas. Milwaukee's clean-up hitter should do some damage in this promising matchup, especially after hitting safely in 16 of his last 17 games.
SHORTSTOP
Andrelton Simmons, LAA vs. ATL ($15): Simmons enters this matchup against his former team on an 11-game hitting streak, and has an excellent chance to extend it against a struggling Bartolo Colon. The only pitcher to allow at least six runs on four separate occasions this season has surrendered a whopping .407 wOBA to the first 122 right-handed hitters he's faced. Meanwhile, Simmons has thrived in righty-on-righty matchups like this one to the tune of a .339 wOBA that far exceeds his .235 mark against lefties.
OUTFIELD
Jose Bautista, TOR vs. CIN ($22): Bautista has finished with at least a .032 higher wOBA against righties than lefties in each of the last two seasons, and is easily on pace for a third such campaign with a .368-.245 split in 2017. Asher Wojciechowski presents an easier matchup than the vast majority of right-handed opponents Bautista has to face, as the 28-year-old's making his first start since April of the 2015 season and owns a 6.20 career ERA.
Nelson Cruz, SEA at COL ($24): Just because Anderson is a strong value play here, that doesn't mean some Seattle hitters won't find success at baseball's second-most hitter friendly venue. Cruz doesn't even need Coors Field's 1.31 park factor to take advantage of a left-hander who's allowing a .385 wOBA to batters from the right side. The veteran slugger owns a .356 wOBA against southpaws, and that number has plenty of room to grow considering he has finished no lower than .416 over the previous three seasons.
Aaron Judge, NYY at BAL ($23): Judge has reclaimed sole possession of the league lead with home runs in each of the last two games, and the young outfielder could well increase his total of 17 long balls against Chris Tillman. Tillman owns a 4.13 career ERA while Judge has been punishing right-handed pitching to the tune of a .460 wOBA. Until he shows signs of cooling off, Judge makes a strong play at $23 against any non-remarkable pitcher.
