This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
DFS players can sink their teeth into a juicy 10-game slate Monday, which begins at 7:05 EDT. We have an interesting mix of frontline and backend starters to look at, which should allow us the opportunity to balance our lineups with quality plays on both sides of the ball.
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Pitcher
Hyun-Jin Ryu, LAD at SD ($9,700) - Ryu bounced back in a big way after struggling in his season debut against the Diamondbacks, striking out eight A's through six scoreless innings April 10. He owns a 2.79 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 9.2 innings overall. The Padres have performed well against lefties in a small sample to begin the year but their lineup isn't much different from the one that tallied a .292 wOBA against left-handed pitching in 2017.
GPP Fade: Tyler Chatwood CHC vs. STL ($8.500) - I'm a bit perplexed as to why Chatwood is the fifth-most expensive pitcher on the slate. While he has struck out 11 batters in as many innings, he has also issued seven free passes and allowed six runs over that span. Historically, Chatwood has been a pitcher who doesn't strike out enough, walks too many and gets his share of groundballs. This may lend itself to a serviceable ERA for a backend starter but it isn't the skillset of someone we should be too concerned about for DFS purposes.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Jaime Garcia, TOR vs. KC ($7,100) - The Royals struggled against lefties in 2017 and are headed down a similar path this season, having notched a .288 wOBA and a 27 percent strikeout rate against southpaws. Garcia is unlikely to continue the strikeout pace he's been on over his first two starts but has leaned fairly heavily on his slider, a pitch the Royals have logged the third lowest RAA against in the league thus far.
Catcher
Robinson Chirinos, TEX at TB ($3,100) - Chirinos has just one hit in 11 at-bats against lefties this year but excelled against his opposite hand in 2017, tallying a .296 ISO and a .465 wOBA over 71 at-bats. Blake Snell's issues with right-handed hitters seem to have carried over into the new campaign, as he has walked eight righty batters while allowing two homers in 11 innings.
First Base
Justin Smoak, TOR vs. KC ($4,800) - The switch-hitting Smoak has yet to hit for power in his 18 at-bats against lefties this season but ended last year with a .234 ISO and a 36.5 percent hard contact rate against southpaws. It's difficult to know exactly what to make of opposing starter Eric Skoglund due to limited exposure but we know that he has allowed 25 runs (24 earned) over 22.2 Major League innings and pitched to a 4.11 ERA with a 1.25 HR/9 rate in 100.2 frames at Triple-A Omaha in 2017. All that may translate to a hurler we can stack against with a powerful Toronto offense.
Second Base
Asdrubal Cabrera, NYM vs. WAS ($3,500) - Opposing starter Jeremy Hellickson spent some time in the Minor Leagues to begin the year but will make his first start with Washington after allowing a .507 slugging percentage and a 34 percent hard contact rate against left-handed hitters in time split between the Phillies and Orioles last season. Cabrera has always had decent power for a middle infielder but has outdone himself early in 2018 logging a .243 ISO against right-handed pitching over 37 at-bats.
Third Base
Matt Chapman, OAK vs. CWS ($4,200) - Chapman has continued the power surge from his rookie season, posting an obscene .409 ISO with a .476 wOBA against right-handed hurlers over 44 at-bats. Reynaldo Lopez has been able to limit opposing offenses to just one earned run in his 13 innings this season but posted a 1.3 HR/9 rate with 14 walks in 47.2 innings in 2017.
Shortstop
Trevor Story, COL at PIT ($4,100) - Story will probably always strike out too much but we can count on his power against lefties, against whom he posted a .353 ISO in 133 at-bats last season. Steven Brault has struck out just 49 righty batters over 64.1 career innings while allowing a .491 slugging percentage over that span.
Outfield
Adam Duvall, CIN at MIL ($3,700) - Duvall was dominant against lefties last year, as evidenced by the .293 ISO and .382 wOBA he notched over 140 at-bats. Brent Suter showed promise in his first Major League season as a starter in 2017 but has been knocked around to the tune of a 4.70 ERA in his first three starts this year. He has tallied a strikeout rate under 16 percent in 15.1 innings over that span.
Dexter Fowler, STL at CHC ($4,000) - Fowler has begun to look more like a power hitter against righties after a slow start to the season, having secured a .174 ISO over 46 at-bats. We spoke about Chatwood's deficiencies earlier, which should help to justify what seems like a sharp increase in Fowler's price.
Rhys Hoskins, PHI at ATL ($5,400) - It's difficult to explain why Julio Teheran struggles so much in a park that plays slightly in favor of pitchers but the numbers tell us that the 27-year-old has posted a 6.20 ERA in 101.2 innings at SunTrust Park dating back to last season. Meanwhile, Hoskins has logged a .229 ISO against right-handed pitching over 35 at-bats as he looks to build on his phenomenal rookie campaign.
