This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
After a light Monday schedule, we're back to our regular full slate of games Tuesday. That gives us a solid 12 games to work with on DraftKings for contests that kick off at 7:10 pm ET. There aren't many top-end pitchers taking the mound, but we have some options throughout the pricing tiers. There are also some prime hitting environments, including Kauffman Stadium, Great American Ball Park and Fenway Park.
Pitching
Zack Wheeler ($10,500) has consistently been one of the top-performing pitchers across the last several seasons. Fenway Park is a good hitter's park and the Red Sox have been a good lineup, even with several injuries to their lineup. However, they strike out at a top-six rate in the league. Given Wheeler's skills and the upside of the matchup, he's worth playing.
Paul Skenes ($9,400) is one of the most talked about pitchers in the majors, so he's worth bringing up. He has a notable 35.5 percent strikeout rate and a 2.29 SIERA, though St. Louis has only a 20.2 percent strikeout across the last 14 days. It may not be his highest upside performance, so I'd probably pass in most scenarios – especially given some of the values further down the board.
The name that stands out from a value perspective is Bryan Woo ($8,900). He's worked at least six innings in each of his last four starts and has at least 15 DraftKings points in three of those four starts, and at least 28 points in two. The extra draw to Woo is his matchup against the White Sox, who have been among the worst lineups this season.
From there, we can drop into the middle tiers of pricing. Tylor Megill ($7,300) is another good value. As would be expected given his price, there's been some volatility in his performance, but in four starts in the majors this season he has performances of 17.7 and 31.4 DraftKings points. A matchup against the Marlins helps him stand out among the other arms in his tier, as the Marlins have had one of the most punchless lineups in the league all season and strike out at least at an average rate.
It's not a great day to dip below the $7K price point, but one potential option is JP Sears ($6,800). Sears has had lengthy stretches of effectiveness this season. The Padres don't strike out much against lefties but aren't all that productive against southpaws, so Sears is worth a look for those willing to take on risk.
Top Hitters
Dane Dunning has had moments of effectiveness but still has struggled with the long ball, serving up 1.8 HR/9. That number has jumped to 2.8 HR/9 against lefties, making Freddie Freeman ($5,800) a bat to build through.
The Cleveland-Cincinnati matchup is one of my favorites from a hitter perspective (more on that soon). We'll start with the Guardians, as the Reds turn to Nick Martinez as their primary pitcher. He has struggled when deployed as a starter this season. Jose Ramirez ($6,400) doesn't get the same credit as other stars, but he's among the best hitters in the game.
Value Bats
It's not often we target Colorado bats outside of Coors Field, but that should be the case Tuesday. Louie Varland is being called up for a spot start. He struggled with the long ball before being demoted. Michael Toglia ($3,800) has risen in price a bit, but he's moving in the Rockies' order and has some pop in his bat.
The Athletics are another generally underwhelming lineup that will have a chance to produce Tuesday. Zack Gelof ($3,400) hasn't had the season hoped for overall, but he's put up several explosive games of late. A matchup against Randy Vasquez should benefit the entire lineup, as he's given up 1.9 HR/9 with only a 14.3 percent strikeout rate.
Stacks to Consider
Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Guardians (Triston McKenzie): TJ Friedl ($4,400), Jeimer Candelario ($4,200), Spencer Steer ($5,000)
Great American Ball Park is a great hitter's environment and McKenzie has started to experience some of the regression his peripheral numbers suggest he's due for. Across his last three starts, he's allowed a combined eight home runs and 12 earned runs across 15.1 innings. The Reds' offense has started to wake up and is still pretty cheap, so this should be a pretty straightforward option.
Also Consider: Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (James Paxton)
This is another potentially explosive game stack. Dunning has struggled with home runs while Paxton has given up a lot of hard contact and has been more ineffective than his surface numbers suggest.
