We’ve got a bunch of games Tuesday night and we’ve whittled down the list of hitters to target so you can build your lineup around them, perhaps even use them as part of your stack. If you’re here looking for info on the three “early” games that start at 6:40 PM EST, then check out my other article.
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Matchups to Target
Matt Olson
The Braves scored 14 runs on 18 hits in Colorado on Monday, but the NL home run leader only had one of those hits while the other Braves hitters took care of business (except Ozzie Albies who was 0-for-6 in his return from the IL). Look for the Braves to score in bunches again tonight, as they are heavily favored in this game that has a high O/U at 12 total runs. Olson will face righty Peter Lambert to start, although the Rockies have one of the worst bullpens in all of baseball, so opportunities should be prevalent even after they chase Lambert. Not that you should need convincing, but Olson has a little 5-game hit streak going (8-for-19, .421) and is batting .312 in the month of August (29-for-63, 5 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR). Olson has seen Lambert one time before and it resulted in an out.
Julio Rodriguez
We put J-Rod here on Monday as a target since he was one of the hottest hitters in baseball, and what did he do? He went 4-for-5 with a 2B, a HR, 3 RBI, and 3 R. Somehow he got even hotter. Well, he’s here again Tuesday because of that, and because he’s facing A’s lefty Ken Waldichuk who brings an uninspiring 6.05 ERA and 1.67 WHIP into the game. Rodriguez is 1-for-2 off Waldichuk in his career, but against LHP this season he’s slashing .317/.488/.847 (.277/.481/.823 cs RHP) and Waldichuk is worse on the road with a 7.43 ERA (4.44 at home). The A’s bullpen stinks too, by the way. In addition, the Mariners are heavy favorites in this one (-330 on FanDuel???).
Yordan Alvarez
Yordan is back to doing Yordan things, collecting multiple hits in three straight games, going 8-for-15 (.533) during that span with a double, a HR, 8 RBI, 3 R, and 3BB:0 K. His 4-for-4 night on Monday was a bit overshadowed by Jose Altuve hitting for the cycle, but make no mistake, Alvarez is in the zone. Brayan Bello will be tasked with keeping Alvarez and the Astros off the scoreboard Tuesday night in Boston. He’s been bend-but-don’t-break lately, pitching well his last 2 outings in which he only gave up a total of 2 runs; but he also allowed 15 hits in 13 innings in those 2 outings (4 BB:8 K), and gave up 4 ER to the Tigers 8/12 and 4 ER to the Mariners 8/1. Boston is favored in this one, but the game has a high O/U at 10.5 so both teams could be scoring.
Anthony Santander
“Tony Taters” has been on a heater lately, collecting a hit in 7 straight games, with 4 of those games being multi-hit efforts. During this streak he’s 11-for-27 (.407) with a double, 4 HR, 8 RBI, and 8 R (1 BB:5 K). He’ll face Jesse Scholtens and the ChiSox Tuesday night in Camden. There’s no history here, but Scholtens has been roughed up in two straight outings, giving up 11 hits (3 HR), 10 ER, and 5 BB:6 K in 8.2 IP. That was against some rather anemic offenses too in the A’s and the Rockies. The O’s are potent and playing at home, so this one could get ugly. Santander has better numbers from the left side of the plate (.260/.508/.828) than he does from the right side (.246/.412/.765), so look for him to capitalize.
Value Hitters
Adam Duvall
Duvall was named AL Player of the Week last week (it’s true, look it up!) after going 14-for-25 with FIVE home runs and 12 RBI. I already mentioned that this game has a high O/U at 10.5 and Boston is favored, so look for Duvall to get a hit or two and probably an RBI against the Astros’ J.P. France. He’s 1-for-2 off of France in his career, and France is coming off the worst outing of his young career, which also came against these Red Sox less than a week ago. This outing shouldn’t be as bad as that one (2.1 IP, 11 H, 2 HR, 10 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), but you could probably say that the Sox won’t be intimidated by his presence.
Cedanne Rafaela
Boston’s #3 prospect got the call and made his debut Monday night, collecting a hit in his first MLB plate appearance. He’s a nice power-speed combo guy and could be a sneaky value play in a game with a high O/U on a team that’s favored.
Mauricio Dubon
Dubon hasn’t played every day but he’s made the most of his appearances, especially in August where he’s gone 19-for-55 (.345) with 4 2B and 2 HR. He’s here because he has also had success against the opposing pitcher, Brayan Bello, going 3-for-3 off of him in his career. And get this — all three hits have been doubles. If he’s starting he could be a value play that allows you to spend elsewhere.
Nolan Jones
Want a piece of the Mile High action but don’t want to pay the price? Jones could be your guy. He’s a sneaky source of power with 13 HR through 255 ABs. If he would have debuted earlier than May 26th, he’d probably be on pace for a 25+ HR season. He’s a lefty hitter and 9 of his 13 HR have come at the expense of RHP. He’ll face vet Charlie Morton Tuesday and Charlie is coming off two really impressive starts (13 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 21 K), but both were at home and everyone is vulnerable in the light Colorado air.
DFS Value Pitchers
Gavin Williams ($8300 on FanDuel)
Williams has been a pleasant surprise for the Guardians ever since his callup back in June, posting a 3.52 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 12 starts. He’s averaging a K per IP (68 K in 64 IP) and faces the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday in Minneapolis. This game has a low O/U at 7.5, due in part because of the opposing pitcher, Pablo Lopez, but the Twins strike out more than any other team in the MLB and even more so lately (12 K per 9 over the last 3 games). Hopefully Williams can rack up the K’s, get a quality start, and maybe the Guardians can find a way to win.
Cole Ragans ($6600 on FanDuel)
Early in the season with Texas, Ragans dealt solely as a reliever, but since coming to the Royals in a trade he has worked exclusively as a starter. Over 6 starts he’s compiled 34.2 IP, allowing just 31 H (1 HR), 8 ER, 10 BB, and 47 K. That’s a 12.2 K per 9 rate, better than any other pitcher on the slate today. He might not go long enough to get you a quality start, but he should rack up K’s against a Pirates team that strikes out more than two-thirds of the rest of the MLB teams; the Royals are favored too, so maybe he can grab you a W, too.
Betting Angle
Michael Harris Over 2 Total Bases : I was going to go with Olson but the O/U on him is 2.5, so we’ll go with another hot lefty for the Braves at a more reasonable price. You could look at Eddie Rosario here as well.
Gavin Williams Over K’s : this number is a bit rich, but if he can go 5 innings or more he should get this number.Â
Cole Ragans Over K’s : this number is a bit rich too but at least you’re getting paid for it at plus odds. If he can go 5 IP he should hit this easily.
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