This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
As usual, we have a full schedule of games Tuesday. That features an 11-game main slate that kicks off at 7:10 pm EDT. None of the most obvious hitter-friendly parks are hosting games to start the week, so the breakdown will come down primarily to matchups.
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Pitchers
This is relatively deep day for pitching, but it's not particularly top heavy. It's also an interesting day for pricing. DK is usually pretty sharp, but there seem to be some options to exploit Tuesday. MacKenzie Gore ($10,000) is comfortably the top option based on skill, as he has the best K%, K-BB% and SIERA in the pitching pool, all by a comfortable margin. A matchup against the Mets is a ding, but he's still my choice for SP1.
Lance McCullers ($8,500) certainly comes with some risk, but he's put up at least 17 DK points in each of his last three starts. His last two totals were 27.9 and 29.1, and now he gets the White Sox on Tuesday. McCullers' price has risen significantly, but his skills and this matchup still make him a good choice.
Moving down another tier brings us to Grant Holmes ($7,900). He has control and home run problems, which isn't a compelling way to begin the analysis. However, Holmes has the fifth-best strikeout rate of the pitcher pool and draws a mediocre Brewers' lineup. Chris Bassitt ($7,700) is another option in the same price range. That name is probably connected with boring veteran for most, but Bassitt interestingly has had a wide range of outcomes. For example, he has topped 25 DK points twice in his last five start but also has 11.3 or fewer twice in that span. The Cardinals' have been an average matchup in the last two weeks.
Griffin Canning ($7,400) is a top value option. A matchup against the Nationals is the primary draw, though Canning is more in the middle of the pack in terms of K-BB% SIERA, making him mispriced.
Top Hitters
San Francisco has been among the worst lineups in the last couple of weeks, but they are a dark horse stacking option as they draw a favorable matchup against Carson Palmquist. Palmquist has just a 4.6 K-BB% and has allowed four home runs in his four starts in the majors. Heliot Ramos ($4,800) is a strong option to build through as a result.
Holmes is one of the most interesting players on the slate, because he's an appealing option to both roster and to target due to the intricacies of his skills profile. For those who don't end up with Holmes on their roster, Jackson Chourio ($4,800) is a player to target.
Value Bats
Marcus Semien ($3,000) has taken quite well to his demotion down the Rangers' batting order, averaging 13 DK points across his last 10 games. It's risky to put much faith in the Texas lineup, but Simeon Woods-Richardson has allowed at least one home run in all but one of his starts this season.
The A's offer a few value options in Nick Kurtz ($2,900) and Max Muncy ($2,600). Jose Soriano is great at keeping the ball in the yard, but he has a 1.59 WHIP on the season and a 1.82 across his last 10 starts. The A's should probably to get some runs on the board Tuesday.
Stacks to Consider
Seattle Mariners vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (Brandon Pfaadt): Julio Rodriguez ($5,200), Cal Raleigh ($6,000), Randy Arozarena ($4,200)
Pfaadt is a matchup to target for the time being. He's allowed at least five earned runs in three of his last seven starts and has allowed at least three runs in six of those games. The Mariners' offense has slowed significantly since a hot start to the year, but the top half of their lineup is still dangerous, led by Raleigh and Rodriguez.
Tampa Bay Ray vs. Boston Red Sox (Lucas Giolito): Josh Lowe ($5,000), Brandon Lowe ($4,800), Junior Caminero ($4,200)
Giolito is similar to Pfaadt in his blowup outings, though he has also mixed in quality starts as well. That introduces some risk for the Rays' lineup, but Tampa Bay quietly has the fifth-best wOBA as a team in the last two weeks. It would be more exciting for this game to be at George Steinbrenner Field, but it's still a good spot for some offense at Fenway Park.
