This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Pitcher
Drew Pomeranz, BOS vs TEX ($7,500) – Without Adrian Beltre in the lineup and with players like Ryan Rua not performing as well against lefties, the Rangers have struggled this season against southpaws. None of their numbers look good against lefties: they have the seventh worst wOBA (.293), 12th worst ISO (.144) and most importantly, the fourth highest strikeout rate (24.6%). Drew Pomeranz has been a little unlucky in the home run department, but his 10.66 K/9 shows that this is a good matchup for him.
Catcher
Alex Avila, DET at HOU ($3,200) – Avila has been outstanding this season, especially against right-handed pitching to the tune of a .503 wOBA. He's hitting in a great spot in front of Miguel Cabrera and hitting in the two-hole should maximize his at-bats. Mike Fiers has struggled this season with a 5.14 ERA, and Tropicana Field is a good park for left-handed hitters.
First Base
Matt Carpenter, STL at LOS ($3,500) – Usually games in Los Angeles are avoidable from a hitting standpoint considering it's usually a good pitching matchup and a tough hitter's park. On the surface, Carpenter's .226 batting average looks bad, but his .394 wOBA against right-handed pitchers (.472 on the road) tells a different story. Kenta Maeda had given up a .351 wOBA against left-handed hitters this season — including four home runs in less than 20 innings.
Second Base
Neil Walker, NYM vs SD ($3,300) – Walker will get the lefty-vs-righty matchup against Dinelson Lamet, who'll be making his first Major League start on the road. Michael Conforto and Jay Bruce are in play, as well, but Walker is cheaper and batting cleanup.
Shortstop
Xander Bogaerts, BOS vs TEX ($3,600) – It's tough to find a hotter hitter right now than Bogaerts who has scored at least 12.2 fantasy points in eight of his last 10 games. He's hit right-handed pitching (.376 wOBA) better this season than left-handed pitching (.301 wOBA) and gets Nick Martinez tonight. Martinez had a .352 wOBA against right-handed hitters last season and that ballooned on the road to .378.
Third Base
Jake Lamb, ARI at MIL ($4,100) – Adrian Beltre and Justin Turner are on the DL and most others have a bad matchup or are lacking the split advantage. Lamb has a ridiculous .455 wOBA that jumps to .537 on the road vs right-handed pitching, and Kyle Davies has given up a .365 wOBA to lefties for his career.
Outfield
Gregor Blanco, ARI at MIL ($2,200) – Blanco is a great punt play tonight considering he should be hitting leadoff over Rey Fuentes with a right-handed pitcher on the mound. As a lefty, Blanco is in play for all of the same reasons as Lamb, but Blanco should score the bulk of his fantasy points by getting on base, swiping a bag and possibly scoring multiple runs with some big bats behind him.
Domingo Santana, MIL vs ARI ($3,200) – Santana was a lefty-killer last season, sporting a .401 wOBA against that handedness last season. Robbie Ray has been stellar this season, but last year, he had a .343 wOBA against right-handed hitters. It doesn't hurt that Santana has reached base safely in 10 straight games, either.
George Springer, HOU vs DET ($3,400) – Springer has reached base safely in 20 out of his last 21 games, and while the matchup against Justin Verlander doesn't look good on paper, it might actually be favorable. In a limited sample, the data favors Springer, who has gone 5-for-10 against Verlander with a home run. On a small slate of games, that's the highest OPS (1.300) for any outfielder in action with a minimum of 10 at-bats.
