This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
A heat front is sweeping across the country, which means there shouldn't be any weather issues Tuesday. That's good news on a slate that features numerous aces, so if you plan on saving money on a pitcher, you best not miss.
PITCHING
The big arms are endless in Tuesday's slate, but not all of them are worth it. Chris Sale ($10,800) is most expensive and could be most popular since he's returned to form with only one run and six hits allowed in his last two starts while striking out 14 in 14 innings. It also helps that the Rockies have a bad 30.0 K% and .297 wOBA against southpaws away from home.
No other matchup is as desirable, including Clayton Kershaw ($10,200), who has given up 15 hits and seven runs in his last two starts with only 10 Ks. One of those came against the Padres, so this matchup isn't that big of a plus. Charlie Morton ($10,500) is the better play against the Marlins, who are still near the bottom of the charts with a 25.0 K%, .080 ISO and .267 wOBA against righties in the last month. The problem is that Morton rarely throws more than 100 pitches with 30 fantasy points being his upside.
Chris Paddack ($10,000) is carving everyone apart, but I'm not sure he's worth the money against the Dodgers. Noah Syndergaard ($9,800) has been inconsistent, though he has the same upside and the Nationals have been almost as bad as the Marlins against righty arms in the last month with a 26.6 K% and .272 wOBA. If you don't want to pay the big bucks, Caleb Smith ($9,500) has at least 25 fantasy points in his last five starts and faces a Rays lineup that has a league-high 32.4 K% against southpaws over the last month.
Going cheaper, Luke Weaver ($8,800) is viable having gone seven innings in each of his last two starts against Atlanta and at Colorado. The Pirates aren't striking out much, but that won't stop Weaver from going another seven innings and allowing only a few hits. I'm not a huge fan of Wade Miley ($7,900), but Detroit's 28.2 K% against lefties is worth a look. Any cheaper than him and you're counting on luck. The cheapest I'd go is probably Trent Thornton ($7,300) because of matchup, though the Giants have pushed their wOBA to .307 against righties in the last month. Jeremy Hellickson ($6,400) is the true gamble since he's at least shown hope with nine Ks in a recent start, while the Mets are sporting a .138 ISO against righty hurlers since early April.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
The most popular team will likely be the Astros with how they're roping (34 runs last three games). It doesn't hurt that they're facing Ryan Carpenter, who gave up eight hits and six runs in his season debut last week after sporting a 7.25 ERA in six games last year (five starts). George Springer ($5,800) are Alex Bregman ($5,500) are expensive, but there will be some willing to spend on both with how they're hitting. The best value is likely Jake Marisnick ($4,200) if he gets another start since he leads the team with a .692 BABIP in 24 PA against lefty arms. Aledmys Diaz ($3,900) provides a little more power and went deep against a lefty Monday.
For value, it's worth looking at the A's even though they're struggling. Mike Leake has given up multiple homers in half of his starts and also has a low 11.1 K% against righty bats. Ramon Laureano ($3,400) hasn't done much of late, but he still leads the team with a .369 BABIP against righties since the beginning of April. Chad Pinder ($3,600) isn't far behind at .341, though I'd limit my exposure to more than a couple Oakland bats given recent ineffectiveness.
It's a similar situation backing the Blue Jays against the Giants. Nick Vincent will serve as the opener, but Tyler Beede will come in as a spot starter after allowing nine runs and 10 hits in his last two. There aren't many ways to go for Toronto, but Justin Smoak ($3,700) has to get out of his slump at some point. Freddy Galvis ($3,700) is at least getting hits, while Rowdy Tellez ($3,500) is more of a shot in the dark. On the other side, it could be useful to go against Trent Thornton, who gave up five runs last start and four runs against the Giants on April 23. The Giants have also steadily improved and aren't the void they were early in the season. Steven Duggar ($4,100) is relatively cheap with a .392 BABIP in his last 73 plate appearances against righty hurlers. Brandon Belt provides more power at the same price if he can return to the lineup. It's not as easy if you want to save money, but Stephen Vogt ($3,800) and Joe Panik ($3,500) both provide lefty bats.
Joe Musgrove isn't giving up home runs, but he's allowed 12 hits and 13 runs in his last two starts, making the Diamondbacks a reasonable place to turn. David Peralta ($5,000) is the money play, but you can find value, especially if Alex Avila ($4,000) gets another call behind plate, as he only hits righties. Near the bottom of the list, guys like Marwin Gonzalez ($3,200) and Jeimer Candelario ($3,100) are decent values in plus situations.
STACKS
Astros vs. Ryan Carpenter (Tigers)
(OF George Springer - $5,800), (SS Carlos Correa - $4,900), (1B Tyler White - $3,400)
It'll be hard to completely ignore the Astros against Carpenter with a wOBA allowed above .430 against both sides of the plate in minimal time the last two years. Ideally, you can throw any of these guys together, but I used White so this stack is at least possible. White doesn't have power, but he has a solid .412 BABIP in 36 plate appearances against southpaws, better than almost everyone on the team. Springer has a ridiculous .472 ISO in 43 PA against lefty arms and is a must in this stack.
Red Sox vs. Kyle Freeland (Rockies)
(OF J.D. Martinez - $5,300), (3B Rafael Devers - $4,800), (C Christian Vazquez - $4,200)
Freeland has struggled at home, but he's also given up eight runs and 15 hits in his last two road starts. His 5.06 xFIP against righty bats is an issue after that number was at 4.67 on the road last year. This probably won't be Boston's most popular stack, but I wouldn't sleep on Devers, who has a .355 BABIP in his last 38 PA against lefties, while Freeland has a .421 OBP allowed to 38 lefties faced. As for Vazquez, he saves you money in addition to having a .382 ISO and .345 BABIP in 39 PA against lefty arms.
Royals vs. Shelby Miller (Rangers)
(OF Alex Gordon - $4,800), (1B/3B Hunter Dozier - $4,900), (1B Ryan O'Hearn - $3,600)
This won't be a popular stack, but Kansas City has the fourth-best ISO in the last month against righties (.214), and Miller has given up multiple runs in every start. If you need to save more money in this stack, throwing in Kelvin Gutierrez ($3,600) or Billy Hamilton ($3,400) would help. Either way, I think Dozier has to be part of it, sporting a .471 BABIP and .395 ISO in the last month against righty arms.
