This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
We have a few early start times Tuesday, but the evening will still be plenty busy with 11 games making up the main slate on Yahoo. Let's not waste any time and dive right into discussing which teams and players could thrive based on their respective matchups.
Pitchers
The Indians starting rotation might be missing a couple of key members right now, but they do still have Carlos Carrasco ($46), who has pitched well to start the season. He hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his four starts, which included three tough matchups against the Twins, Reds and Cubs. He also has 30 strikeouts across 22.1 innings. This will be about as favorable of a matchup as it gets against the Pirates, who have the worst OPS (.615) in baseball.
Masahiro Tanaka ($33) has been slowly building up his pitch count after missing sometime because of a head injury during summer training. He threw 66 pitches in his last outing against the Braves, so he could hit 80 or so here. The last time he faced the Rays, he held them to one hit while recording five strikeouts across five scoreless innings. Amazingly, he threw only 59 pitches. The Rays are tied for the fourth-most strikeouts in baseball, so Tanaka could be in line for another productive performance in their rematch.
Top Targets
Juan Soto ($27) is on another planet right now. He had an excellent 2019 campaign, finishing with a .394 wOBA and a .266 ISO. After missing the start of this season because of a positive COVD-19 test, he's stormed back onto the scene with a .578 wOBA and a .545 ISO across 12 games. He has a favorable opportunity to extend his six-game hitting streak against the Braves, who will go with a bullpen game after Josh Tomlin ($25) serves as their opener.
Speaking of hot hitters, Mookie Betts ($25) has been just that for the Dodgers. He's recorded at least two hits in three straight games and in four of his last five contests, overall. He's not just slapping singles, either, considering that he has five home runs during that stretch. Trying to slow him down will be Marco Gonzales ($32), who doesn't miss many bats given his career 18.6 percent strikeout rate. That's proved troublesome for him this season with hitters recording a 45.7 percent hard-hit rate against him through four starts.
Bargain Bats
Francisco Lindor ($12) doesn't have a salary this cheap very often. The goods news is that he has four home runs and five doubles, but he also only has a .281 OBP. He is coming off of a three-hit performance against the Tigers on Sunday and has a chance to keep building some positive momentum against JT Brubaker ($28), who hasn't pitched more than three innings in any of his three appearances this season. With the Pirates' bullpen also lacking depth, this could be a good offensive showing for Lindor and his teammates.
The Braves have to be ecstatic to have Nick Markakis ($13) back. He came through with two doubles Monday and is 8-for-17 with five doubles across his current five-game hitting streak. He won't exactly face an overwhelming foe in Austin Voth ($31), who only has nine strikeouts across 14 innings, so don't be surprised if Markakis' hot streak continues.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. Zack Godley ($25), Red Sox: Bryce Harper ($27), Didi Gregorius ($19), Alec Bohm ($18)
Stacking against the Red Sox has usually been a profitable move this season given their disastrous starting rotation. Godley has been one of their worst pitchers, allowing 13 runs and five home runs over 14.1 innings. He had finished with a WHIP of at least 1.45 in both of the last two seasons, so his struggles aren't coming out of nowhere. Gregorius is on a seven-game hitting streak and has proven to be one of the Phillies' best hitters out of the gate. Bohm is one of the Phillies' most highly-regarded prospects and he's started out his big league career with four hits, two of which were doubles, over his first four games.
Mets vs. Humberto Mejia ($25), Marlins: Michael Conforto ($19), Dominic Smith ($18), Robinson Cano ($16)
This could be a tall order for Mejia, who hadn't even reached Double-A yet entering this season. He did make a start against these same Mets earlier this season, allowing one run across 2.1 innings. This trio for the Mets is hot, so they could form a very productive stack. Smith especially stands out since he is 11-for-25 with four home runs and four doubles during his current six-game hitting streak.
Blue Jays vs. Wade LeBlanc ($25), Orioles: Teoscar Hernandez ($25), Randal Grichuk ($18), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($15)
The veteran LeBlanc was crushed as a member of the Mariners last year, finishing with a 5.49 FIP, 1.45 WHIP and allowing 2.1 HR/9. His struggles have followed him to the Orioles, leaving him with a 5.95 FIP and a 1.47 WHIP through four starts. His propensity for giving up home runs could be his downfall against Hernandez, who has gone deep seven times this season. Grichuk has also hit a home run in three of the last four games and is in the midst of a six-game hitting streak.
