*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*
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STARTING PITCHERS
Mike Foltynewicz vs. New York Mets
Stadium – SunTrust Park
FanDuel = $9,000
DraftKings = $11,800
Foltynewicz had 85 career appearances in the majors, 65 of which were starts, heading into this season, but he didn’t have much success. He finished with an ERA of at least 4.31 and a WHIP of at least 1.30 in each of his previous four years. This season has been a different story with his 2.31 ERA, 2.98 FIP and a 1.20 WHIP across 13 starts. He’s still issuing a lot of walks with a 4.0 BB/9, but he’s cut down on allowing homers and has a career-high 10.7 K/9. Look for him to keep things rolling against a Mets offense that is really struggling and just made a shakeup to their lineup by releasing Adrian Gonzalez. They still don’t have a lot of great options, though, and have scored the third-fewest runs (237) in baseball.
Jaime Barria vs. Seattle Mariners
Stadium – Safeco Field
FanDuel = $6,800
DraftKings = $9,200
Barria is being recalled from Triple-A to start Tuesday with Shohei Ohtani (elbow) on the disabled list. Barria made seven starts for the Angels previously this year, recording a 2.48 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. His 3.87 FIP and .248 opponents BABIP suggest he was somewhat lucky, but he also was able to get batters to swing at 37.4% of pitches outside the strike zone. His matchups haven’t been easy either since he has already faced the Yankees, Astros and the Rockies in Coors Field. The Mariners have an excellent .767 OPS on the road, but they only have a .708 OPS at home. Barria isn’t overly expensive on either site, but he is really cheap on FanDuel, making him someone to consider for tournament play.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Jose Martinez vs. Matt Strahm, San Diego Padres
Stadium – Busch Stadium
FanDuel = $4,200
DraftKings = $4,500
Martinez is on one of those streaks where you want to keep plugging him into your lineup and riding the wave. Not only is he on a nine-game hitting streak, but he is 17-for-32 (.531) with five home runs during that stretch. This will likely be a bullpen game with Strahm scheduled to start things off, so don’t hesitate to roll with Martinez again.
C.J. Cron vs. Jaime Garcia, Toronto Blue Jays
Stadium – Tropicana Field
FanDuel = $3,500
DraftKings = $4,100
Right-handed pitchers have held Cron to a .328 wOBA this season, but he has a .398 wOBA against lefties. Garcia has certainly been an underwhelming member of the Blue Jays rotation, posting a 5.57 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP in 11 starts. He walks a lot of batters and gives up plenty of homers as well, potentially setting up Cron and the Rays for an offensive outburst.
Others to consider: Freddie Freeman (first base) and Wilson Ramos (catcher)
SECOND BASE
Whit Merrifield vs. Sal Romano, Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – Kauffman Stadium
FanDuel = $3,200
DraftKings = $3,900
The only real negative with Merrifield this year is that he only has four home runs after hitting 19 last year. He hasn’t been totally devoid of power, though, since he does have 20 doubles. He’s still hitting for average at .286 and has been showcasing his speed with 14 stolen bases. He has also doubled his walk rate up to 9.2%. Romano has an unsightly 6.23 ERA this year, so be sure to take advantage with Merrifield.
Daniel Descalso vs. Trevor Williams, Pittsburgh Pirates
Stadium – Chase Field
FanDuel = $2,800
DraftKings = $3,800
Descalso continued to swing a hot bat Monday, going 2-for-5 with a triple and three RBI. His slugging percentage sits at .510 overall, significantly higher than his .370 career mark. He’s someone you especially want to target against right-handers since he has a 151 wRC+ against them this year. Williams has allowed at least four runs in each of his last four starts, opening up an opportunity for Descalso to excel again Tuesday.
Others to consider: Scooter Gennett and Ben Zobrist
THIRD BASE
Mike Moustakas vs. Sal Romano, Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – Kauffman Stadium
FanDuel = $4,000
DraftKings = $4,300
The Royals lineup isn’t normally one you want to target for a stacking opportunity, but you should against Romano. Moustakas is another great option since Romano has a 1.7 HR/9. Moustakas crushed 38 homers in 2017 and has followed that up with 13 in the early going. 11 of those have come against righties, who he has a .378 wOBA against.
Matt Duffy vs. Jaime Garcia, Toronto Blue Jays
Stadium – Tropicana Field
FanDuel = $2,600
DraftKings = $3,200
Duffy is finally healthy and is showing flashes of the success he had with the Giants in 2015 when he batted .295 with 12 home runs. He only has two homers this year, but he’s currently on a seven-game hitting streak that has helped boost his average to .318 overall. His abnormally high .397 BABIP isn’t a good sign for his long-term prognosis, but he’s still someone to consider at this cheap price based on Garcia’s struggles.
Others to consider: Jose Ramirez and Max Muncy
SHORTSTOP
Francisco Lindor vs. James Shields, Chicago White Sox
Stadium – Guaranteed Rate Field
FanDuel = $4,900
DraftKings = $5,000
Lindor couldn’t cash in on a great matchup Monday against Lucas Giolito, finishing o-for-4 with a walk. That marked the sixth time in the last seven games that he has failed to get into the hit column. He was really hot heading into this recent dry spell and is a career .293 hitter, so don’t expect this slump to last too much longer. This could be just the matchup he needs to get back on track considering Shields’ struggles and that Lindor is 4-for-7 with a home run against him in his career.
Brandon Crawford vs. Trevor Richards, Miami Marlins
Stadium – Marlins Park
FanDuel = $3,400
DraftKings = $4,100
The Giants lineup is filled with plenty of veteran bats, but it hasn’t exactly been stellar this year. One player who has stood out is Crawford, who is batting a career-high .338. He likely won’t be able to keep up his .394 BABIP, but it is encouraging that he has 39.3% hard-hit rate. Richards allows way too many baserunners with a 1.50 WHIP, making Crawford a viable option for your entry if you can’t afford Lindor’s hefty price tag.
Others to consider: Didi Gregorius and Willy Adames
OUTFIELD
Marcell Ozuna vs. Matt Strahm, San Diego Padres
Stadium – Busch Stadium
FanDuel = $3,600
DraftKings = $3,800
Martinez is certainly swinging a hot bat for the Cardinals, but he’s not their only hitter who is currently on top of his game. Ozuna is 13-for-34 (.382) with three home runs in his last nine games. He’s shown an excellent eye at the plate with only two strikeouts to go along with three walks during that stretch. He had a 24.1% strikeout rate heading into May, but he only has a 12.8% strikeout rate since, which has helped boost his average from .250 to .278.
Joc Pederson vs. Bartolo Colon, Texas Rangers
Stadium – Dodger Stadium
FanDuel = $2,900
DraftKings = $4,300
Colon’s 4.18 ERA doesn’t tell the real story of how he is pitching this season. He does have great control with a 1.3 BB/9, but opponents aren’t going to have just a .231 BABIP against him over the entire season. He doesn’t have strikeout stuff and has allowed 2.0 HR/9, which is going to open him up to some bad games when hitters stop being so unlucky in terms of BABIP. Pederson has a .395 wOBA against righties this year and has six home runs in his last six games.
Alex Gordon vs. Sal Romano, Cincinnati Reds
Stadium – Kauffman Stadium
FanDuel = $2,600
DraftKings = #3,100
We’ve already established that Romano has been bad this year, but he’s been even worse against lefties as they have a .400 wOBA against him. Gordon is nowhere near the hitter he was in his prime, but he’s hitting a respectable .269 after really being dominated the last two years. You can’t even consider playing him against lefties, but his .346 wOBA against righties makes him a cost-effective option worth considering against Romano.
Others to consider: Nick Markakis and Lonnie Chisenhall
