This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Monday is the lightest day for MLB we've seen in a while. There are only three games on the slate, with the first pitch at 7:15 p.m. ET. Hey, don't miss out on the MLB DFS action! It's the first day of fall! Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Freddy Peralta, MIL at SDP ($10,300): Well, an 1.43 ERA over your last eight starts will turn some heads. Even in Peralta's one subpar start in that time he struck out nine batters in five innings. The Padres are below average in terms of runs scored and in the bottom five in home runs. Also, while Peralta has a 3.71 ERA on the road, that's owing to a 1.5 HR/9 rate in away starts. The Padres both don't hit many homers and play in a pitcher-friendly park.
Top Target
Though Ronald Acuna ($4,100) wasn't able to run as much this season owing to injury recovery, he's managed 18 homers, 12 doubles and a remarkable .409 OBP in 89 games. Acuna also has a .945 OPS at home in 2025. MacKenzie Gore has a 4.00 ERA, and the lefty has allowed right-handed hitters to bat .256 against him.
Bargain Bat
Towering first baseman Bryce Eldridge ($2,700) is only 20, and he has only had a couple games to adapt to MLB pitching. However, he slugged .514 at Triple-A this season with 18 homers in 66 games. Eldridge is worth a shot against Michael McGreevy. McGreevy may have a 2.50 ERA on the road compared to a 5.22 ERA at home, but a 5.22 ERA in St. Louis raises questions. On top of that, he has a 5.55 K/9 rate and lefties have hit .308 against him.
Stack to Consider
Cardinals at Giants (Justin Verlander): Alec Burleson ($2,900), Brendan Donovan ($2,800), Victor Scott ($2,400)
Only six teams are playing Monday, and three of the starting pitchers have sub-3.00 ERAs. There is no obvious stack candidate, but this is the stack with which I ended up going. Verlander has pitched better recently, but he's in his age-42 season and has a 3.75 ERA all told. He also has a 21.3 line-drive percentage. Since Verlander is right-handed, I figured I'd stack three southpaw Cardinals. Beats trying to stack against Peralta or Chris Sale, you know?
Burleson has been hot since returning from an injury, putting up a .979 OPS in 12 games. On the year he has an .841 OPS against right-handed hurlers. Donovan is a second baseman who has hit .282 and tallied 27 doubles in 116 games. He's hit .306 against righties, and he's slugged .443 on the road. Scott is here for his speed. He's stolen 33 bases in 13 games. That's about all he does, but that's enough given the options Monday.
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