This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Nine games make up our main slate Saturday at FanDuel, with all games starting between 4:05 and 4:10 p.m. EDT. Four arms are priced in five-figures and all are in tremendous spots, so fading them could be risky. Just three more are priced in the $9,000 tier, so Saturday presents top heavy on pitching.
The Mets are massive (-420) favorites, which will make their players popular, with Philadelphia at -196 the next biggest favorite. Because of the top arms available, no game has a run total greater than 9.0. There's rain present in Baltimore and Philadelphia, but early indications don't suggest we'll get postponements. Wind could play a marginal factor, with it blowing in in Cleveland and it possibly being to the hitters advantage in Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia and Kansas City.
Pitching
Kodai Senga, NYM vs. COL ($10,200): For cash lineups, I think you use Senga as the cheapest top option, as likely everyone else will, too, and you get different with your offense. We noted the huge odds for the Mets to win, and we know the Rockies stink, so this is just as obvious as can be. I don't like Senga for GPPs, however, as he hasn't worked more than six innings since his third start and he reached that quality start threshold just four times all year. A 3x return can be banked on, but the ceiling seems somewhat limited.
Slade Cecconi, CLE vs. LAA ($8,600): I absolutely don't trust Cecconi's success to continue, but it can for at least this start. His 3.27 ERA comes with a 2.54 xFIP, and his 11.5 Ks per nine pairs well against an Angels lineup that fans 25.8 percent of the time against righties. He's got a 44.4 percent ground ball rate, but when opponents have lifted the ball, it's traveled, as Cecconi is allowing 1.6 HR/9 and a 16.7 homer to fly ball percentage. That's hopefully negated by double-digit inbound winds.
Dean Kremer, BAL vs. CWS ($7,700): When no clear value presents, target the bad offenses, right? The White Sox have shown some flashes, but still come with an 82 wRC+ off righties, the third lowest mark in the league. Kremer's strikeouts are at a career-low 6.5 per nine, but he's thrown at least 5.1 innings in all but two starts to date, so unless he's shelled early, there's a safe workload to expect. That gives him a reasonable 3x floor while freeing up salary for offense, and as heavy (-172) favorites, he could earn a win.
Top Targets
This slate starts with all things Mets, pitching and hitting. Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela has nearly identical home/road splits, and is allowing a .469 wOBA and 1.075 OPS to lefties on the road and .443/1.025 to righties. Stacking will be expensive, but building around at least one of Pete Alonso ($4,100), Francisco Lindor ($4,000) and/or Juan Soto ($3,800) is where lineup construction begins.
Milwaukee's Chad Patrick is allowing a .410 wOBa and .945 OPS to lefties on the road. Kyle Schwarber ($4,200) makes ample since as a result. Bryce Harper ($3,700) is in play if he returns to the lineup, and if he doesn't, there's more salary available to stack Schwarber with Bryson Stott ($3,300) and perhaps Max Kepler ($2,600).
Bargain Bats
Ivan Herrera ($3,100) hasn't homered since May 12, so I feel this is a touch pricey. But he has a .572 wOBA, 275 wRC+ and .538 ISO off lefties, while no other Cardinal presents favorably against Patrick Corbin.
Carlos Santana ($2,900) has a nine-game hitting streak, posting double-digit fantasy points seven times. He's also 6-for-18 (.333) off Angels starter Kyle Hendricks.
I watch Atlanta every night, and I've never seen an offense do so little with so much on a nightly basis. Their situational hitting is awful, but when they go, they seemingly all go. And they're priced so low, it's a nightly stacking consideration. Austin Riley ($3,300) is 6-for-15 (.400) off Red Sox starter Walker Buehler, while Ozzie Albies ($2,700) is 7-for-23 (.304). Drake Baldwin ($2,400) didn't play Friday, and is 0-for-8 in his last two starts, but he's cheap and if starting, could hit second between the Braves bigger names.
He's no guarantee to be in the Mets' lineup, and it's a pure BvP play, but Starling Marte ($2,600) is 7-for-13 (.538) with a homer off Senzatela, offering a cheap entry into the Mets bats.
Stack to Consider
Orioles vs. Davis Martin (White Sox): Gunnar Henderson ($3,300), Ryan O'Hearn ($3,000), Jackson Holliday ($2,900)
Martin hasn't been awful, and is allowing just a .344 wOBA and .785 OPS to lefties on the road. But the Orioles come with a 5.7 run expectancy, second to New York on this slate, and given the price points, it's an easy stack to entertain. Holliday's .358 wOBA and 135 wRC+ off righties is the lowest of the trio, but he's in great form with six hits over his last three and has thrived in the leadoff spot. O'Hearn has hit in eight straight and homered in two of his last four, and leads the team with a .430 wOBA, 186 wRC+ and .230 ISO. Henderson sits at .421/180/.246, though isn't hot right now. Feel free to pivot off him if you need salary relief, just wait to see how the Orioles line up.
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