This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A massive 14-game slate is featured in FanDuel's Tuesday main slate, with only Atlanta at Detroit starting before 7:05 p.m. EDT. There is some rain out there, but nothing looks like a postponment risk, at least this far out. Despite the largest slate I've had to break down this season, we have only four arms priced in five figures, though five more are in the $9k tier, where I find some appeal. Only three games are flirting with a 10-run total, further telling me we have depth on the bump where paying all the way up doesn't seem necessary.
Pitching
Pablo Lopez, MIN vs. MIL ($9,800): Lopez hasn't been overly consistent, and that fact may suggest he's not how I should open a column. But this game comes with a low 7.5 total in what we're thinking will be a pitchers' duel opposite Corbin Burnes. Lopez comes at a slight discount to his adversary, and does have four quality starts in his last seven, each time going for at least 40 FDP. Milwaukee bats aren't as futile against righties as they are lefties, but still fan 24.2 percent of the time with a below-average 91 wRC+.
Max Scherzer, NYM vs. NYY ($9,400): Scherzer is my favorite play Tuesday. He was hurt by soft contact in his last start at Atlanta, but still fanned 10, giving him at least eight whiffs in three straight starts. The Yankees are decimated by injury, bringing a paltry 69 wRC+ and .270 wOBA off righties in June into Tuesday, fanning 23.8 percent of the time.
Joe Musgrove, SD vs. CLE ($8,500): Despite the slate's depth, Musgrove is about as low as I feel confident going on the bump. He's averaging 39 FDP across his last three outings despite the inning totals remaining somewhat muted, and is coming off of a season-high eight strikeouts. Cleveland is hitting better this month (.336 wOBA, 17.5 percent strikeout rate), but remain below average overall. It's another expected low scoring game, where Musgrove is the cheaper arm of the two options.
Top Targets
Freddie Freeman ($4,500) is surging again after a brief quiet spell, with multiple hits in three of his last four while homering in three of his last six. White Sox starter Lance Lynn has allowed 16 hits and 13 runs in his last two outings, and is getting crushed by lefties to the tune of a .467 wOBA and 1.115 OPS overall, and those numbers amazingly are worse on the road.
It's a small sample size, just 13.1 innings, but Arizona starter Zach Davies has a 6.75 home ERA and 5.01 xFIP against 2.31/3.75 on the road. He's allowing a .416 wOBA to lefties in Chase Field, where the ball was jumping around last night. Bryce Harper ($3,500) appears priced too low in this matchup, and has seven hits and five RBI in his last seven games. Kyle Schwarber ($3,500) remains a feast or famine choice in a good spot here. Predictably, he's just 6-for-32 (.188) off Davies, but four of those hits have left the yard.
Vladimir Guerrero ($3,400) also is priced too low for me Tuesday. Sure, he's in a power drought with just one long ball since May 23, and his .344 wOBA off righties isn't great. But we've seen O's starter Dean Kremer be combustible, and Guerrero is 6-for-19 (.316) off of him with four homers and a double.
Bargain Bats
If looking to get different against Lynn and/or can't fit Freeman into your budget, James Outman ($2,900), and Jason Heyward ($2,900) profile favorably, with Heyward having the better splits and lower strikeout rate of the two.
Jordan Lyles' splits aren't as targetable as the results he's producing, so I'm tempted to deploy TJ Friedl ($2,900) as a one-off rather than heavily invest in the Reds' lineup. His .368 wOBA off righties isn't elite, but it's better than teammate Jonathan India, who's far pricier. Friedl likely hits atop the order, and has three hits in his last two games.
Texas figures to be another popular offense Tuesday, and I'm not here to talk you out of their big bats. Angels' starter Jaime Baria has been decent though, allowing just three runs in 15.0 innings in his last three starts, and he limited the Rangers to three hits across four shutout innings previously. We'll need to see how they line up, but Leody Taveras ($3,000) has a .367 wOBA and 136 wRC+ off righties, better than Marcus Semien's splits. Ezequiel Duran ($2,900) also continues to produce while sitting with a .360 wOBA.
Mauricio Dubon ($2,900) keeps making the most of his opportunities. He has 13 hits in his last eight games and a .423 wOBA and 176 wRC+ off lefties.
Stacks to Consider
Rays vs. Hogan Harris: Wander Franco ($3,900), Randy Arozarena ($3,900), Harold Ramirez ($3,100)
The only risk here appears to be going too heavy on lefty splits knowing Harris may not make it deep into the game, though he has gone five innings in each of his last three outings. Ramirez gives this stack a bit of a budget relief, and he is mashing lefties, posting a .502 wOBA, 236 wRC+ and .319 ISO. Arozarena sits at .443/194/.349, and Franco .440/192/.204, and this should give us three bats atop the Rays lineup. If we need to be a bit more budget conscious, Taylor Walls ($3,000) offers position flexibility and positive splits, as does Luke Raley ($3,200).
Pirates vs. Jameson Taillon: Bryan Reynolds ($3,500), Jack Suwinski ($3,300), Andrew McCutchen ($3,100)
Taillon profiles almost identically to Lynn, he's allowed at least four runs in five of his last six starts and is getting pulverised by lefties, allowing a .430 wOBA 1.016 OPS to lefties, numbers that rise at home. The Pirates offense isn't similar to the Dodgers however, as they aren't as trustworthy. Still, Reynolds and Suwinski look poised for success. Suwinski has a .411 wOBA, 161 wRC+ and .346 ISO off righties, while Reynolds sits at .387/145/.235. McCutchen gives us a third top of the order option with a decent .358 wOBA in this spot. If we want to force an additional lefty here, keep an eye on the Bucs lineup. Tucupita Marcano ($2,600) has hit leadoff off righties recently, while Ji Hwan Bae ($2,800) has hit safely in five of six, although he's unlikely to be near the top of the batting order.
