Happy Tuesday everyone! We have a full 15-game slate on our hands with Scherzer and Coors to talk about. There are other non-coors options to discuss too. So lets dive right into the picks and find that money!

 
Pitchers

Drew Pomeranz FD 9000 DK 11600
Opponent – TB (Odorizzi) Park – @BOS
FD – 36.74 DK – 23.99

We have Scherzer as the chalk play today, but I’m going to give you a couple of other options because he’s gonna set you back $11.2k on FD (ouch) and $13.6k on DK (double ouch) and will be very highly owned. For some cash games he may be your man but for GPPs we need someone cheaper who can at least match his point total. And I believe there are definitely guys that can match him. The first guy that I think can do that is Drew Pomeranz.

Talk about a guy that snuck up on me! This kid is [really] good and is an excellent play today. He’ll be going up against a Rays’ offense that has really struggled against southpaws. They own a .313 wOBA (23rd in MLB) to go along with a whopping 25.7 K% (highest in MLB) against lefties this season. If you’re trying to get away from the "chalk" of the day, Max Scherzer, well don’t look any further! A strikeout prone offense meets a guy that fans 27% of the batters he faces! Pomeranz’ upside is through the roof and I love him for tournaments today. Throw him into the mlb optimizer tonight.

Cole Hamels FD 10300 DK 11500
Opponent – SEA (Paxton) Park – @TEX
FD – 34.06 DK – 22.49

I guess we will stick to theme here and go from one southpaw to another. This time, we will be looking at 32-year-old, Cole Hamels. The veteran is still putting up great numbers and it’s safe to say he has been drinking from the fountain of youth. I feel like he’s been in the league for 40 years and he’s still killing it out there.

Today, Cole draws an appealing matchup against the Mariners. Not only have they struggled against southpaws (21st in wOBA against lefties), but they have also had some trouble at the plate as of late. In their last 14 contests, they own a .300 wOBA (23rd in MLB) along with a .145 ISO (24th in MLB). They have struggled making contact as well as hitting for power, so go ahead and roster Hamels in tournaments today. He will be low owned and has some big upside! Just look at his game log!

Stacks

Atlanta Braves vs. Edwin Jackson(SD)
I know we have Coors on our hands, but here are some very viable fade options. There are plenty of cheaper stacking options that could put more points up than the guys at Coors. Plus, it gives us the ability to pay up for pitching! So lets talk about the Braves!
The Braves’ offense had been completely dead all season long, but not anymore! They have been on a roll as of late and I don’t see the presence of Edwin Jackson on the mound slowing them down.

Jackson is another guy who has been awful on the mound this season and I don’t see it getting any better tonight. This season, he owns 11.2 BB% along with a 5.61 xFIP (Yikes). He gives up way too many free passes, which is part of the reason why his ERA and xFIP are so high. We all love free passes when picking a pitcher to stack against; not only do you get points for walks, but its truly a blast to watch a guy clean the bases to give us a pile of runs and RBI’s. It doesn’t get much better than this, so go ahead and grab some Braves’ hitters tonight.

My top 4 guys to stack: Freddie Freeman, Ender Inciarte, Matt Kemp and Nick Markakis.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Jered Weaver (LAA)
The last team on the list today is the Cincinnati Reds. I know Weaver delivered a quality start in his last outing, but I don’t expect him to do it again today. He’ll be going up against a Reds’ offense that’s hotter than my coffee (.347 wOBA/ 114 wRC+ in last 14 contests), so don’t be surprised if they put on a show tonight.

Not only are the Reds hot, but Weaver hasn’t been spectacular this season. He owns a 5.90 xFIP and opponents own a .307 AVG against him. Now the choice is up to you to decide if Weaver is turning it around. I for one, expect a lot of runs and hits from this Reds’ squad so go ahead and load up on them if you like them as well. In other words, you’re not alone!

My top 4 guys to stack: Joey Votto, Jose Peraza, Scott Schebler and Adam Duvall.

Nick Rodriguez

Happy Monday everyone! We have Coors on today’s slate, but interestingly enough there are plenty of other stacking options to target today. So lets dive right into the picks!

 
Pitchers

Jake Arrieta FD 10900 DK 12300
Opponent – PIT (Cole) Park – @CHC
FD – 40.67 DK – 26.5

Jake Arrieta is pitching at home ladies and gentlemen! He’s a different animal when pitching at home, so go ahead and give him a shot in tournaments.

On the year, Arrieta has been killing it at Wrigley. He’s boasting a 2.18 ERA to go along with a 3.37 xFIP and 29.6 K%. Not only are those numbers mind-blowing, but opponents are also hitting .180 against him (not a typo). Opponents aren’t even hitting .200! I guess it’s safe to say you can never go wrong with this ace when he’s on the bump at Wrigley.

Not only does he have the ballpark in his favor, but he’ll also be going up against the Pirates. Yes, the Pirates are in the playoff hunt, but they have been struggling to get anything going offensively. In their last 14 games, they own a .303 wOBA (24th in MLB) along with a .138 ISO (25th in MLB). They haven’t gotten the bats going and I expect Arrieta to give us another Arrieta outing.

Carlos Martinez FD 9700 DK 10300
Opponent – MIL (Davies) Park – @MIL
FD – 33.46 DK – 21.87

A lot of high priced studs on the mound today, but if you’re looking for a cheaper option, then Martinez is your guy. Martinez and the Cardinals will be taking on the Brewers, who are one of the worst teams in the league against northpaws. The Brewers possess a .311 wOBA (23rd in MLB) and a 25.4 K% (highest in MLB) against right-handed pitchers. Martinez has a ton of upside today, as the Brewers fan a ton, which is why he’s an excellent play in all formats.

Stacks

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Wade Miley (BAL)

The Blue Jays have just been killin’ it as of late! They own a .227 ISO (2nd in MLB) and a .364 wOBA (1st in MLB) in their last 14 contests. They are crushing the baseball and making pitchers look like little leaguers out there, so why wouldn’t you stack this offense in the mlb optimizer? When they are hot, they are hard to stop!

Not only has the baseball looked like a watermelon for this Jays’ squad, but they also draw a beautiful matchup against southpaw Wade Miley. This season, Miley is sporting a 5.51 ERA along with a 1.43 WHIP. He has struggled mightily this season and I expect him to have another rough outing against [Dong]aldson and company.

My top 4 guys to stack: Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Melvin Upton.

Washington Nationals vs. Jake Thompson (PHI)

One offense that isn’t as sneaky and I expect big things from are the Nationals. They will be going up against a rookie, who has struggled mightily. He owns a 9.78 ERA in 19 innings of work and a 40% hard contact rate. He’s been hit extremely hard and has not had it go his way, so I’m expecting the Nats’ to put on a show today. Sure, you can argue that Thompson’s sample size is too small, but the Nats’ have been hot (.347 wOBA last 14) and it’s kind of hard not to go against a guy who has given up a hard contact rate of 40%. By all possible measures, the dude looks shaken up.

My top 4 guys to stack: Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Jason Werth and Daniel Murphy.

Chris Durell

TGIF! Welcome back to another exciting night of daily fantasy baseball. After several days of split slates we have a full 15 game main slate that will get started at 7 PM tonight. Looking at the pitching we have four aces on the mound with a nice mix value options that will help us fill our lineups with some bats in tournaments. Let’s take a look at a couple pitchers and a few stacking options.

Pitchers

Chris Sale FD 10700 DK 11700
Opponent – SEA (Hernandez) Park – @CHW
FD – 35.72 DK – 23.76

This could have easily had the lowest Vegas total of the day with two aces going head to head. I side with Sale in this matchup as the White Sox come in as early -125 home favorites as they have been hot, winning four of their last five games. Chris Sale has been one of the few bright spots for the team this year despite seeing a decline in his K rate overall but appears to have turned it around. In four August starts Sale has only picked up one win, no fault of his own, as he has pitched to a 3.67 xFIP with a 9.71 K/9 rate while walking under two batters per nine. The Mariners rank as one of the best teams when facing right handed pitching but somewhat struggle against southpaws as they rank 18th in wOBA with a 21.1% strikeout rate. Sale is safe in all formats today and may lean as a better GPP option in the mlb optimizer on DK.

David Phelps FD 7000 DK 8700
Opponent – SD (Cosart) Park – @MIA
FD – 31.47 DK – 20.65

Phelps has spent almost the entire season coming out of the bullpen and has been quite impressive with a 3.33 xFIP and 11.43 K.9 rate. The Marlins decided at the start of August to give him a shot in the rotation and could not have asked for better results. In four starts he has a 1.31 ERA which is supported by a low 2.78 xFIP. He has kept his K rate north of 11 K’s per nine while dealing over 50% ground balls. He has now won two straight starts in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh while striking out 17 batters in 11.1 innings pitched. Look for the trend to continue as Phelps gets the top matchup of the day vs. the Padres who rank dead last in wOBA and wRC+ against right handed pitching with a 24.7% strikeout rate. With his upside and low salary he is by far the top PTS/$ play at the position today.

Stacks
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Brandon Finnegan (Reds)
Park – Chase Field

Chase Field has been a top 5 hitters park all season and will get another matchup with a Vegas total of 10 or greater. I would put my money on the Over today as the Reds come to town and will put lefty Brandon Finnegan on the mound in game one. Even with the positive stretch recently it has been a struggle this season for Finnegan who is pitching to an awful 5.11 xFIP and comes in with a below average K rate(6.73 K/9) and sky high walk rate(4.45 BB/9). Things won’t get any easier today facing the D Backs who rank #1 overall in wOBA and #2 overall in wRC+ against left handed pitching. The top options to stack today in this order are Paul Goldschmidt, Jean Segura, Wellington Castillo, Rickie Weeks and Yasmany Tomas if he is back in the starting lineup tonight.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Pat Dean (Twins)
Park – Rogers Centre

The Jays are in a terrific spot on Friday night as they will face a weak southpaw in Rogers Centre. Pat Dean has been back and forth between the rotation and bullpen this season as the Twins try and get the rookie comfortable in the majors. His last start came back on June 17th where he only lasted 2.1 innings vs. the Yankees giving up seven earned runs on eight hits while not striking out one batter. In his six starts this season he has disappointed with a 4.83 K/9 rate, below average K rate(6.1 K/9) and high walk rate(3.77 BB/9). The Jays continue to crush left handed pitching and have several hitters who are great stacking options tonight. It starts with the reigning American League MVP Josh Donaldson. After that you can take you pick between Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin and even Edwin Encarnacion who has has reverse splits but has been red hot and is at the top of most offensive categories.

Chris Durell

Welcome back to another full day of daily fantasy baseball. It’s Hump Day and that means another split slate. The early slate gives us five games (only four on DraftKings) leaving us with a  nice 10 game evening slate that kicks off at 7:00 PM et.  Both slates look very viable today when looking at both pitchers and stacks. Let’s take a look a few top targets for each slate.

Pitchers

Kyle Hendricks FD 9200 DK 12900
Opponent – SD (Clemens) Park – @SD
FD – 37.02 DK – 24.12

If you are playing the early slate, and I highly suggest you do, Kyle Hendricks is your top option. The Cubs are big -250 favorites as they will try to sweep the Padres in Petco today. Hendricks has been good all season for the Cubs and even better lately with a 1.23 ERA in four August starts. He should have no problem cruising through the Padres lineup as they rank dead last in wOBA and second last in wRC+ when facing right handed pitching. Hendricks is safe option for cash games and has shown us the upside to be a viable option in GPP’s as well. I’m confident locking him in the mlb optimizer for several lineups in any contest format.

Zack Greinke FD 10000 DK 9600
Opponent – ATL (Teheran) Park – @ARI
FD – 32.67 DK – 21.66

Jose Fernandez and Yu Darvish both make great high end options on both sites with their respective K upside and matchups. But if you are looking for a viable pivot, take a shot with Zack Greinke. The park(Chase Field) isn’t the most appealing but the matchup is very appealing. He faces the Braves today who rank 29th in wOBA and 30th in wRC+ against right handed pitching. I am taking the Braves latest scoring surge with a grain of salt today as they have been facing the D Backs weaker arms. Outside of a few bad starts, Greinke has been solid this season with an above average K rate(7.84 K/9) and below average walk rate(1.74 BB/9) to go with his 3.67 xFIP. And of course, we know what he is capable of when he turns it on. He is a little over priced on FanDuel but is safe in all formats on DraftKings.

Stacks

Chicago Cubs vs. Paul Clemens (Padres)
Park – Petco Park
The early slate has Cubs written all over it. I mentioned Hendricks above as a top pitcher and the offense sits as a top stacking option as well. The Cubs are big -250 favorites and currently projected to score over five runs today. While Petco is known to be a pitchers park, the offense and the matchup are just too much to ignore. The Cubs will face Paul Clemens who has bounced between the bullpen and rotation this season and has not been very good with a 5.72xFIP and 20% HR/FB rate. He has struggled against both sides of the plate but especially against right handed bats as he is giving up a .434 wOBA and a .655 Slugging Percentage. The Cubs are loaded from top to bottom making almost all their hitters viable as stack options in the mlb optimizer. It will all depend on the lineup and where everyone is hitting today. Keep an eye on our mlb starting lineups page.

Minnesota Twins vs. Matt Boyd (Tigers)
Park – Target Field

The Twins make an excellent stacking option tonight as they face the Tigers at home in the highest projected Vegas total of the night. They will most likely be under owned as they are not your typical power offense but they do rank as a Top 10 option when facing left handed pitching with a 103 wRC+ for the season. They will face Matt Boyd who has been on cruise control lately but still has been disappointing overall with a 4.75 xFIP. He comes with just an average K rate(7.47 K/9) and can get into trouble with walks on occasion(3.01 BB/9). He tends to run his pitch count up early in most starts which limits him from going deep into games which also boosts the Twins as the Tigers relievers rank 24th in ERA overall. The top targets in the optimizer are Brian Dozier, Miguel Sano and Trevor Plouffe.

Nick Rodriguez

It’s Tuesday and we have a full 15-game slate on our hands today. We have aces on the bump as well as some nice stacking options. So lets get to it.

 
Pitching Targets

Jake Arrieta FD 11000 DK 12500
Opponent – SD (Friedrich) Park – @SD
FD – 42.39 DK – 27.66

Arrieta is our cash game play of the day. He draws an elite matchup going up against the Padres, at Petco, certainly a pitcher friendly park. On the year, the Padres have struggled against right-handed pitching. They own a 24.5 K% along with a .293 wOBA. They have struggled against righties, and going up against one of the top righties in the game today certainly won’t help. Arrieta owns a 26.0 K% on the year, so he has a ton of upside, especially against the Padres. Yes, he’s expensive, but he’s worth the investment.

Carlos Rodon FD 8100 DK 8600
Opponent – PHI (Thompson) Park – @CHW
FD – 22.26 DK – 16.69

If you’re looking to be different and don’t want to pay up for Arrieta, then take a look at Rodon. He is a streaky pitcher, but we’re to see the [good] Rodon today.

Today, he draws a nice matchup against a Phillies offense that has struggled against southpaws this season. They own a .113 ISO (28th in MLB), .288 wOBA (29th in MLB) and 22.8 K% (6th in MLB). Not only do they struggle hitting for power, but they also do a lot of fanning. This matchup gives Rodon some serious upside, so I’d go ahead and put him in the optimizer for your GPP lineups.

Stack Targets
Chicago Cubs vs. Christian Friedrich (SD)
The same thing applies for these guys today: If you can afford them; do it.

Today, the Cubs will be going up against Christian Friedrich. He owns an xFIP of 4.82 to go along with a 1.46 WHIP. The Cubs own the highest wOBA against southpaws on the year, so it only makes sense to stack them against Friedrich. It will be interesting to see how their ownership percentages look tonight, but if I can’t roster four guys, I’ll try to do a few stacks in the optimizer.

My top 4 guys to stack: Ben Zobrist, Addison Russell, Dexter Fowler and Kris Bryant**

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Jon Niese(MIL)
The Cubs are sure pricey, so another team that I am looking to stack on today’s slate are the Cardinals. They will be going up against Jon Niese, who has an ERA and FIP well over five. Jon Niese has had his struggles this season, so I’m looking for the Cardinals to take advantage.

Not only has Niese had his struggles, but the Cardianls’ offense has also been hot. In their last 14 contests, they own a .349 wOBA along with a .241 ISO (highest in MLB). They have been on an absolute tear as a team, so stacking them against Niese makes a lot of sense to me.

My top 4 guys to stack: Brandon Moss, Tommy Pham, Stephen Piscotty and Jedd Gyorko.

Nick Rodriguez

It’s Monday again – but at least we have some baseball to watch and daily fantasy baseball to play! With no Coors to consider, here are my top pitchers and stacks for tonight’s slate.

 
Pitching Targets

Jon Lester FD 11000 DK 12500
Opponent – SD (Jackson) Park – @SD
FD – 37.8 DK – 24.59

Jon Lester is a chalky play tonight! He’s a heavy favorite (-230 money line) and will be pitching at pitcher-friendly Petco Park. This matchup is as good as it gets. He’s a heavy favorite, facing a team that’s top 5 in K% and going up against a team that owns a .298 wOBA (28th in MLB) in their last 30 contests. There’s really nothing more you can ask for. So yes, Lester is in play in our optimizer for all formats tonight.

David Price FD 10000 DK 11000
Opponent – TB (Snell) Park – @TB
FD – 38.78 DK – 25.69

Jon Lester is a clear-cut cash game play of the day, but there is another intriguing option that I like for tournaments. David Price.

David Price has had another David Price year. Sure, his ERA is 4.19, but his peripherals suggest that he’s having another great year. He’s sporting a 3.42 xFIP, to go along with a 24.0 K% and 3.54 SIERA. Not only is he cheaper than Lester, but he also draws a matchup that could make him the pitcher with the most fantasy point on the night.

Today, he’s going back home! He will be pitching at pitcher-friendly Tropicana Park, to take on the Rays. On the year, the Rays haven’t been all that great against southpaws. They’re sporting a .315 wOBA (22nd in MLB) and a 98 wRC+ (19th in MLB). Not only have they had some trouble against southpaws, but they also own a whooping 25.5 K% (highest in MLB) against them. This matchup sets Price up to do a whole lot of fanning, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he hit double-digit strikeout numbers tonight. He’s an excellent GPP play.

Stack Targets
Chicago Cubs vs. Edwin Jackson (SD)

What more could you ask for? One of the best offenses in the league will be going up against Edwin Jackson and his 5.41 xFIP? Maybe a cheaper price tag, but [wow] they are in an excellent spot.

The ballpark isn’t ideal, but we know what this offense is capable of. Plus, it’s Edwin Jackson we’re talking about. He owns a 1.51 WHIP on the year, to go along with a 10.6 BB% and 5.36 ERA. It will be tough salary-wise to go with a full-on Cubs stack, but if you’re going with a cheaper pitching option — the Cubs look great tonight.

My top 4 guys to stack: Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo, Dexter Fowler and Kris Bryant**

Colorado Rockies vs. Jimmy Nelson(MIL)

This game might not be at Coors, but I still like a Rockies stack tonight. They will be going up against Jimmy Nelson, who has struggled this season. He’s very similar to Edwin Jackson: The walks are high as well as his WHIP. The only difference is that Nelson’s ERA and xFIP are lower than Jackson’s.

While this game might not be taking place at Coors, it’s still at a hitter-friendly park. Nelson has given up six runs in four out of his last five outings, so look for the Rockies to pounce on the struggling right-hander.

My top 4 guys to stack: D.J. LeMahieu, Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado and David Dahl.

Blake Pender

Hey Everyone!

It has been an awesome summer with several users taking down huge 1st place and top 10 finishes in MLB. But fall is approaching and we are itching for some DFS Football!

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This year, we are thrilled to be providing a ton of DFS-centric data like:

• Foundational Vegas data
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Good Luck this Season!

Blake

P.S. And if you are looking for the optimizer tutorials, please head over here.

Welcome back to another exciting day of daily fantasy baseball. After two straight days of split slate’s we have a full 15 game Friday slate that kicks off at 7:00 PM et. We have several viable pitching options tonight in great matchups whether facing a bad offense or in a great pitcher’s park, or both. The options are more than affordable and leave you plenty of salary if you are wanting to get some exposure to the game at Coors Field. Let’s take a look at some top pitching options and a few stacks for today.

PITCHERS

Zack Greinke FD 9800 DK 8800
Opponent – SD (Cosart) Park – @SD
FD – 36.18 DK – 24.18

Leading the way at the pitcher position tonight is Zack Greinke who gets one of the best matchups for a pitcher on the slate. After getting absolutely shelled by the top offense in baseball(Red Sox) it will be a welcome site for Greinke to head to Petco for a familiar date with the Padres. He has seen the Padres a ton through over the years and comes in with a 7-1 career record and 1.91 ERA. Even with his struggles this season, adjusting to his new team, he has kept his xFIP at 3.69  while walking just over 1.5 batters per nine. The Padres come in ranked dead last in wOBA and second last in wRC+ against right handed pitching with a high 24.6% K rate. Greinke is in a great spot to pickup his 12th win of the season and crush his value on both sites.

Cole Hamels FD 9700 DK 11100
Opponent – TB (Andriese) Park – @TB
FD – 37.54 DK – 24.97

Hamels comes into tonight’s matchup projecting as one of the top options on the board. Hamels has been terrific away from Arlington this season with a 1.97 ERA while limiting opponents to a low .262 wOBA.He will get a great chance to improve on those numbers today as he enters Tropicana Field(great pitcher’s park) to face the Rays who rank 20th in wOBA against left handed pitching with a high 25.3% K rate. The price is creeping up on DraftKings but with the matchup and park he makes a great play in all formats tonight on both sites.

STACKS

Chicago Cubs vs. Tyler Anderson (Rockies)
Park – Coors Field

The top stacking option of the night may not be as chalky as you would think. There is an early weather concern in Colorado that could cause a delayed start to the game or possibly a rain out but that is very unlikely. Both teams make sense in the best hitters park in the majors but I side with the Cubs as they crush left handed pitching with a .347 wOBA(3rd best) and 115 wRC+(Best in majors). Dexter Fowler, Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist, Willson Contreras and Javier Baez make the top options as they all have strong splits vs. southpaws. You can also consider Anthony Rizzo as a contrarian play as he should get multiple at bats vs. the bullpen later in the game.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Tim Adleman (Reds)
Park – Great American Ballpark

Outside of the Coors Field game, the Dodgers are by far my favorite stack tonight. They have been hot lately with the 3rd highest wOBA and 2nd highest wRC+ of any team over the past seven days. They also rank as a Top 10 team against right handed pitching with a .325 wOBA, .172 ISolated Power and 104 wRC+ for the season. They will face off vs. rookie starter Timothy Adleman making his 5th start of his career tonight. In his first four starts he has a poor 4.86 xFIP and has struggled mightily with left handed bats allowing them a .433 wOBA and .324 average. The best targets for the stack are going to be Chase Utley leading off, Corey Seager, Josh Reddick, Adrian Gonzalez and even Justin Turner who has very strong splits vs. right handed pitching.

Chris Durell

Welcome back to another exciting day of daily fantasy baseball. Today we have a split slate with a five game afternoon slate starting 1:05 pm and a 10 game main slate starting at 7:05 pm. Both slates are filled with top pitching options giving us some decisions to make if we are wanting to fit in some bats at Coors Field. Let’s take a look at some top pitchers and stacking options for the day.

PITCHERS

Chris Archer FD 9400 DK 10600
Opponent – SD (Friedrich) Park – @TB
FD – 40.51 DK – 26.62

You can go one of two ways for pitching on the early slate today. You can take the risk with Strasburg in Coors which makes a decent contrarian GPP approach. For safety I prefer Archer today who has a much better matchup at home vs. the Padres who rank dead last in wOBA against right handed pitching. Despite a few bad outings for Archer he has been decent this season with a 3.42 xFIP and elite 10.64 K/9 rate. The Rays are also early -200 favorites.

Carlos Carrasco FD 9800 DK 8700
Opponent – CHW (Gonzalez) Park – @CLE
FD – 35.01 DK – 22.89

The Indians are coming in as one of the biggest favorites(-225) of the entire slate and will be throwing Carlos Carrasco out on the mound today. He has had a few hiccups this year which stem from a high HR/FB rate(17%) and drop off in strikeouts from 10+ to 8.5 K/9.  While he has given up three earned runs in each of his last two he has gone seven innings in both (first time since June) and has struck out a total of 17 batters. The matchup is the key today as the White Sox rank 20th in wOBA (.306) against right handed pitching with a 20.7% strikeout rate.

STACKS

Washington Nationals vs. Jon Gray (Rockies)
Park – Coors Field

Don’t over think things in the early slate when it comes to stacking. The Nationals are currently -145 favorites with a very high 5.75 team total. They will look to take the rubber match vs. the Rockies in a series that has hit the under in each of the first two games. I can’t see this happening again today as the Nats get a matchup vs. Jon Gray who has struggled at home this year and has also struggled most recently. In his last two starts(@PHI, vs. MIA) he has given up 16 hits and 14 earned runs in just eight innings pitched. He continues to show K upside striking out nine in those games but also struggled with control walking five batters. Look for Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, and Jayson Werth to crush their values today.

Chicago Cubs vs. Jimmy Nelson (Brewers)
Park – Wrigley Field

While the overall Vegas total is lower in this game than the Rockies game, the Cubs come with the highest team total(6.12) of the slate. The Cubs are the class of the major leagues right now with 75 wins and a crazy +201 run differential. They are stacked at the top of the lineup with Dexter Fowler, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Ben Zobrist and have terrific value options in willson Contreras, Addison Russell, Jason Heyward and Javier Baez. They are ranked 7th overall in wOBA(.329) and wRC+(103) vs. right handed pitching and get one of the best matchups of the night. They will face gas can Jimmy Nelson who has pitched to a 4.80 xFIP this year with an average K rate(7.0 K/9) and awful walk rate(4.27 BB/9). He has also gave up a total of 17 home runs this season that equals a bad 13.7% HR/FB rate. The weather is a bit of a concern at this time with about a 30-50% chance of rain around game time. I think this will scare some off the Cubs making them an even better option in the MLB lineup optimizer if the game is to be played in full.

Nick Rodriguez

We have a full 15-game slate on our hands with a ton of options, so lets get right into the action!

Pitching Targets

Corey Kluber FD 10700 DK 11400
Opponent – CHW (Quintana) Park – @CLE
FD – 39.23 DK – 25.9

Corey Kluber is my top cash-game play of the day. He will be going up against a White Sox offense that owns a .306 wOBA on the year and does not have a true power threat outside of Todd Fraizer. Kluber on the other hand, has been one of the most dominant pitchers over the last few seasons. He strikeouts 26.7% of the batters he faces and also owns a 3.18 xFIP. There are a ton of options today, but he’s the guy I’m looking to target in my cash games.

Blake Snell FD 7900 DK 8700
Opponent – SD (Jackson) Park – @TB
FD – 35.33 DK – 22.95

We saw what southpaw Drew Smyly did yesterday against the Padres and I’m expecting a similar performance from southpaw, Blake Snell.

Blake Snell has looked solid in his young career. He’s sporting a 3.18 ERA to go along with a 3.42 FIP and 23.1 K%. The problem for Snell has been the walks. He owns a whooping 12.4 BB%, which can affect his pitch-count tremendously and hurts the amount of innings he could go. Which is why he’s a GPP play for me.

He’s got tremendous upside, especially going up against this Padres’ offense. They own the second highest K% on the year (24.4 K%) and have been cold as of late. In their last 14 contests, they own a .291 wOBA (27th in MLB) to go along with an 82 wRC+ (27th in MLB). If Snell can keep the walks in check, we can expect him to put up similar numbers to Smyly.

Stack Targets
Washington Nationals vs. Chad Bettis (COL)

There are many different ways to approach tonight, but we always have to look at Coors. Today we have Gio Gonzalez vs. Chad Bettis on the bump, in Colorado. You could probably stack against either one of these pitchers, but I prefer to do it against Mr. Bettis.

The Nationals have been one of the hottest teams in baseball walking into Coors. In their last 14 contests, they own a 111 wRC+ (11th in MLB) to go along with a .340 wOBA (8th in MLB) and .204 ISO (4th in MLB). Chad Bettis is a solid pitcher with a 4.02 xFIP, but opponents own a .288 AVG against him. He gets hit often, so look for the Nats’ to take advantage at beautiful Coors Field.

My top 4 guys to stack: My top 4 guys to stack: Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon, Daniel Murphy and Jayson Werth And don’t forget Bryce Harper**

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Edwin Jackson (SD)

Believe it or not, Edwin Jackson pitched seven innings in his last outing and did not allow a single run. I’m sure that will scare a few people from stacking the Rays tonight, but not me. Edwin owns a 5.14 xFIP on the year, so he’s going to crack eventually. Not only is his xFIP extremely high, but he also walks over 10% of the batters he faces. That’s never a good thing and pitchers can get into a lot of trouble when giving free passes. We saw it happen to Luis Perdomo in the first inning last night.

Not only is this a beautiful matchup, but the Rays have also been hot. In their last 14 contests, they own a .200 ISO (5th in MLB) and .342 wOBA (5th in MLB). They have been crushing the baseball as of late, so I expect them to take advantage of Jackson and his 5.14 xFIP.

My top 4 guys to stack: Brad Miller, Kevin Kiermaier, Evan Longoria and Logan Forsythe.

Also consider the Red Sox- Orioles game as a stacking option