This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The MLB regular season is almost over. Frankly, for many teams it already is for all intents and purposes. However, for all 30 teams the schedule does continue for now. There are nine games on the DFS docket, which means 18 teams are involved. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Zac Gallen, ARI vs. SF ($9,800): Gallen's affinity for his home ballpark is clear, and he really benefits from his ability to keep the ball in said park. For the third season in a row, Gallen has a 0.6 HR/9 rate at home. He also has a 2.77 ERA at home over those three seasons. The Giants are just below average in terms of runs scored, and that's not enough to be concerned about Gallen in Arizona's ballpark.
Cody Bradford, TEX at OAK ($8,900): Points for consistency: Bradford has a 3.59 ERA and a 3.59 FIP. He also has an excellent 1.24 BB/9 rate. Now, his road ERA is bad, but he's only pitched 16.2 innings on the road and he had a bad start at Arizona, home of baseball's best offense. The Athletics are, you know, not baseball's best offense, and they have a pitcher-friendly park as well.
Jose Suarez, LAA at CWS ($5,900): Two bad offenses, two wayward franchises. The White Sox, though, are worse. They are the worst MLB team of my lifetime, your lifetime, maybe every living person's lifetime. Suarez has only made two starts this season after pitching in relief for most of the year, but he just pitched five innings and did not allow an earned run to the Astros. If he can handle Houston, he can handle Chicago. As the lowest-salaried starting pitcher, he's worth a shot.
Top Targets
After a bit of a cold spell, Jarren Duran ($3,900) has a couple doubles and a triple recently, giving him 47 of the former and 14 of the latter. Those are both excellent totals. The lefty has a .919 OPS against right-handed pitchers in 2024. Kevin Gausman is a righty, and this season he has a 5.26 ERA at home.
You could make a strong argument Ezequiel Tovar ($3,600) is the least-disciplined hitter in MLB. Even so, he's hit .267 with 25 homers and 44 doubles, so when he isn't striking out or pathologically avoiding walks, he's producing. The shortstop is at Coors Field on Wednesday, and across his time with the White Sox and Cardinals, Erick Fedde has a 4.50 ERA on the road.
Bargain Bats
Against his fellow lefties, Matt Wallner ($3,000) flails at the plate. Against righties, he absolutely mashes. In his career he has a .953 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Edward Cabrera has a 5.71 ERA on the road this season largely because he's allowed 1.8 home runs per nine innings in his away outings. Wallner did tweak his oblique pinch hitting Tuesday. If he can't go, Trevor Larnach ($3,000) is available at the same salary at the same position. He's not the same masher, but obviously if he's the only one who is healthy, that changes things.
Walking and slapping singles is not the most exciting profile for a first baseman, but Nolan Schanuel ($2,800) does have a .344 OBP, and he did have a 13-game hitting streak going until Tuesday. He also has a .750 OPS on the road. In his MLB career, Davis Martin has a 6.70 ERA at home, and lefties have hit .270 against him for good measure.
Stacks to Consider
Diamondbacks vs. Giants (Mason Black): Eugenio Suarez ($3,500), Christian Walker ($3,300), Joc Pederson ($3,200)
Even though he had a 4.59 ERA in Triple-A, Black got a call up to the Giants. Through his first eight MLB appearances he has a 5.88 ERA, including a 6.75 ERA on the road. Black has given up 1.87 homers per nine innings, and the Diamondbacks have some mashers. Though the Giants rookie is a righty, his fellow righties have hit .320 against him, so I have two right-handed hitters in this stack.
Suarez has been one of the hottest hitters in the second half, so much so he's likely going to have his first season with 30 homers and 100 RBI since 2019. He's also enjoyed his first season as a Diamondback, in that he's hit .275 and slugged .530 at home. Injuries might keep Walker from having 30 home runs for the third season in a row, but 26 homers and 24 doubles in 126 games are still quite impressive, even for a first baseman. Walker has an .832 OPS at home, and he also has slugged .506 against his fellow righties. Pederson is a lefty, but he's the quintessential lefty slugger who has stuck around in MLB because of his ability to hit for power against righties. He has a .938 OPS versus righties, and he also has a .920 OPS at home.
Cardinals at Rockies (Austin Gomber): Masyn Winn ($3,400), Paul Goldschmidt ($3,400), Nolan Arenado ($3,300)
Yes, the Cardinals have a bottom-10 offense. Yes, Goldschmidt and Arenado are not the hitters they used to be. I accept these realities. However, since 2022, Gomber has a 5.73 ERA and 1.8 HR/9 rate at home, and in that time righties have hit .286 against the southpaw. That counters any concerns the Cardinals' offense brings to the table.
Winn couldn't find his footing in MLB last season, but that was only over 37 games. He's hit .266 and has 15 homers and 11 stolen bases this year, and as a shortstop offensive expectations are a bit lower. Winn has slugged .480 against lefties, and he's hit nine of his home runs in those matchups in less than half as many plate appearances as he's had against righties. Goldschmidt has 20 homers and 30 doubles on the season. He also has a .799 OPS versus lefties and a .764 OPS on the road. Sure, back in his MVP days, those numbers would be lackluster, but it's 2024, and those numbers represent this being the best hitting circumstance for him. Seeing Arenado hit an empty .269 is strange, but combine his ability to hit .269 with Coors Field. The former Rockies star is well-acquainted with the power of Coors, and he will likely enjoy the chance to recapture some of his old offensive output for a day.
