This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Happy Memorial Day! For DFS purposes, you'll need to get your MLB lineups in before you get to grilling, as six games are covered, the first starting at 1:05 p.m. ET. Here are my recommendations to help you get the most out of your holiday.
Pitching
Sonny Gray, MIN at HOU ($10,200): Out of nowhere, Gray decided he'd like to win a Cy Young. He has an 1.82 ERA through 10 starts, and his 2.01 FIP is robust as well. The only thing unsustainable is the fact he's allowed zero home runs, but he also has allowed a .317 BABIP, his highest since 2018. You might feel like the Astros are a tough matchup, but they are actually below average in terms of runs scored this season.
Tyler Wells, BAL vs. CLE ($9,700): Wells has a 3.47 ERA, but a 2.64 ERA at home. Mostly, though, this is about the matchups. The Guardians are last in runs scored, home runs, team OBP, you name it. This is baseball's worst offense.
Top Target
Southpaw Nolan Gorman ($3,800) has taken his power game to a new level this season. He's slugged .575 and hit 13 home runs already. This year he has been particularly good at home where he has an 1.172 OPS. Josh Staumont is serving as an opener Monday for the Royals, but he's expected to turn it over to Mike Mayers. Both are righties, and Mayers has a career 5.02 ERA mostly pitching out of the bullpen.
Bargain Bat
Coming off his best game of the season, Ryan McMahon ($2,600) looks good to me, even away from Coors Field. He'll get to face a righty, and since 2021 he has a .794 OPS versus righties. Meanwhile, Ryne Nelson has a 6.31 ERA at home, and lefties have hit .330 against him. That's enough for me to overlook McMahon's home/road splits, and Arizona's ballpark tends to be hitter friendly once the weather warms up.
Stacks to Consider
Diamondbacks vs. Rockies (Karl Kauffmann): Lourdes Gurriel ($3,500), Corbin Carroll ($3,500), Ketel Marte ($3,000)
After two terrible seasons at Triple-A (6.68 ERA over 21 starts), Kauffmann got called up anyway because, well, the Rockies are a poorly run franchise with a terrible farm system and no pitching depth. Shockingly, it hasn't gone well. Kauffmann has a 9.35 ERA after two starts. It's only 25 plate appearances, but righties have hit .526 against him. This should be a high-scoring game, and the Diamondbacks have a pretty solid lineup these days.
Gurriel has been a real boon to his new team, as he's slashed .315/.366/.551. That includes an OPS over 1.000 in his new home park as well. Carroll is an early favorite for the NL Rookie of the Year, as he's hit .277 with eight homers and 14 stolen bases. In his career, the southpaw has a .912 OPS versus righties as well. Marte has posted a .282 average with seven homers and five stolen bases. Traditionally he fares better against lefties, but he has an OPS over .800 against righties this year and he should be able to handle Kauffmann.
Rangers at Tigers (Matthew Boyd): Marcus Semien ($4,200), Adolis Garcia ($4,200), Josh Jung ($3,600)
Boyd's return to Detroit, and to starting, has gone poorly. Considering he had a 4.96 ERA over seven seasons starting for the Tigers, perhaps that isn't a surprise. His home park has been particularly unpleasant for Boyd, as he has an 8.64 ERA there. Righties have hit .271 against the southpaw, so I have three righties in this stack.
Semien could have another 20/20 season, as he has eight homers and seven stolen bases, but he also has a .298 average this year. If he could play all his games on the road he might win MVP, as he has a .930 OPS in away games after having an .836 OPS on the road in his first season as a Ranger. Garcia had 27 homers and 34 doubles last season, and this year he has 14 home runs and eight doubles. He has shown power against both righties and lefties, but this season he has a .256 average and .353 OBP versus southpaws. Jung has hit .282 and slugged .508 in his rookie campaign. He definitely has shown a clear preference to face lefties so far, as he has a .960 OPS in those matchups in his brief career.
