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MLB DFS: Stacks, bargain bats and pitchers to target for Tuesday

Chris Morgan
·5 min read

There are 12 MLB games taking place at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later. To make your DFS decisions a bit easier, here are my lineup recommendations.

Pitching

Walker Buehler, LAD at WAS ($48): Let's start with an elite arm. Buehler's strikeouts are down to start the year, but he still has a 2.89 GAA and a 5-1 record. Those strikeouts will pick up in time, I bet. The Nationals are in the middle of the majors in runs scored, which does not worry me with a pitcher like Buehler.

Sonny Gray, MIN vs. DET ($43): Gray has a 3.48 ERA, and he just had his first start where he qualified for a win. The Twins let him ease into the season, and now he's ready to shoulder a bit more of the load. Detroit is a nice way to continue to rev things up. The Tigers are threatening to distance themselves from the rest of the league at the bottom of the runs scored rankings.

George Kirby, SEA vs. OAK ($34): If any team is going to give Detroit a run for its money in terms of offensive futility, it may be the Athletics. They are the one team lower than the Tigers in team OPS. Kirby has gotten off to a decent start to his rookie campaign, with a 3.60 ERA through three starts.

Top Targets

As per usual, Yordan Alvarez ($21) is delivering on the power. He's slugged .568 and hit 12 homers. Zach Plesac has allowed a homer in each of his last four starts and has given up 1.43 home runs per nine innings in his career. Alvarez's big lefty bat could easily go yard Tuesday.

While Luis Robert ($18) seems to have no interest in taking a walk, when you can hit .285 that's less of a concern. It also helps that he has six home runs and six stolen bases. Nick Pivetta's last three starts have gone well, but he still has a 4.22 ERA through eight starts, and he has a career 5.10 ERA.

Editor's note: The White Sox placed Luis Robert on the COVID-19 list after this story was published.

Bargain Bats

Though Luis Arraez ($17) lacks power, he does not lack a hit tool. He's posted a .316 average and .381 OBP in his career, and that's with struggling against his fellow southpaws. Against righties, Arraez is as steady of a hitter as you can find. Beau Brieske has gotten yanked around a bit recently, but he's schedule to start Tuesday. He's a righty, and he has a 5.13 ERA.

Luis Urias ($16) is primed for a career year, as he's slashed .290/.400/.452. He only slugged .445 last year, but with 23 home runs. The righty will get to face lefty Blake Snell, who in his first start of the season allowed three runs across 3.2 innings. Big day for guys named Luis!

Stacks to Consider

Dodgers vs. Josiah Gray ($34): Freddie Freeman ($20), Will Smith ($18), Cody Bellinger ($14)

Sonny Gray has allowed 2.21 home runs per nine innings in his career, including six home runs across his last three starts.

Freeman hasn't brought a lot of homers yet, but he hit over 30 in MLB's last two full seasons (and 13 in 2020). He also has a .995 OPS against righties since 2020. Smith is one of the best hitters at the catching position, having slashed .261/.365/.515 in his career. He hit 25 homers last season and has four this year. Bellinger's MVP-level play is behind him, but he can still put up counting stats when he faces a righty. He has five home runs and six stolen bases in 2022.

Angels vs. Dane Dunning ($34): Shohei Ohtani ($18), Jared Walsh ($15), Brandon Marsh ($12)

Dunning has enough starts in his career at this point to appear to be a mediocre pitcher. He's made 40 starts and has a 4.28 career ERA. On the road, that ERA rises to 5.60. Dunning has also allowed lefties to hit .262 against him since 2020, and I have three southpaws in this stack.

Ohtani has proven to be no fluke at the plate. Over his last 21 days he's slashed .282/.341/.526 and on the year he has nine home runs and six stolen bases. Walsh has eight homers – seven coming against righties naturally – and since 2020 he has a .962 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Marsh has been stuck at four homers and three stolen bases for a bit, but he's hit .267 and has an .833 OPS against righties in 2022.

Mariners vs. James Kaprielian ($33): Ty France ($19), Eugenio Suarez ($18), Jesse Winker ($14)

Last year has a rookie Kaprielian had a 4.07 ERA. This year that has risen to 4.50 over four starts. Additionally, even though his home field is pitcher friendly, he has allowed 1.53 home runs per nine innings. He's on the road here, and the Mariners can take advantage of his inability to curtail the long ball.

France has not been a power hitter by nature, but the dude can definitely put the bat on the ball. He's averaged .329 this year, and he has popped six home runs as well for good measure. The one thing Suarez has brought to the table this year is homers, as he has nine of them. He's also a guy who managed to hit 31 home runs while batting .198 last season, so clearly when he makes contact he often does damage. Winker is off to a bit of a slow start, but he hit 24 home runs last season and prior to this year his career slugging percentage was .504. Also, since 2020 he has a .926 OPS against righties.