We are entering the final two weeks of the MLB regular season and, as you might expect, there’s some games with massive playoff implications happening this evening. The Braves are in Los Angeles to play the Dodgers. The Phillies are visiting Milwaukee in hopes of tying up a Wild Card bye. Also, the Tigers are squaring off with the Royals. Raise your hand if you thought that series was going to be super important five months ago. Be honest.
In total, there’s nine contests on tonight’s slate. That means 18 lineups and 18 starting pitchers. If that feel daunting, let me narrow things down for you. Here are best teams to stack on Monday.
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1. Arizona Diamondbacks
Ketel Marte ($6,600)
Corbin Carroll ($6,000)
Christian Walker ($5,900)
Joc Pederson ($4,900)
Pavin Smith ($3,500)
Is it the most obvious stack on the board? Of course. However, there’s simply no way to avoid a team hitting as well as the Diamondbacks are. Especially when they’re at Coors Field. Since the All-Star break, Arizona leads the league in virtually every single offensive category — and by a wide margin, too. In that span, the Diamondbacks rank first in average (.283), ISO (.214), wOBA (.366) and wRC+ (134). Carroll and Eugenio Suarez ($5,300) have completely rebounded after terrible starts to 2024, with the latter slashing .322/.356/.663 with a 172 wRC+ in his last 52 games. I’d also suggest keeping an eye on Smith, who will likely be the cheapest bat you’ll find in Arizona’s lineup this evening. In 118 plate appearances, Smith has seven home runs and an eye-popping .396 expected wOBA.
Then there’s the matter of Antonio Senzatela ($5,500). The Rockies’ RHP hasn’t pitched at the MLB level in 2024 due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Yet, after five rehab starts across both High-A and Double-A, the 29-year-old is ready to make his return. Senzatela has thrown exactly 100.0 innings going back to the beginning of the 2022 season. In that stretch, Senzatela has registered a 5.04 ERA while allowing opponents to hit .342 with a .385 wOBA. Needless to say, I have my doubts he’ll be very effective in this matchup.
2. New York Mets
Pete Alonso ($4,900)
Mark Vientos ($4,700)
Brandon Nimmo ($4,600)
J.D. Martinez ($4,400)
Jose Iglesias ($3,800)
It’s been a tale of two vastly different seasons for Jake Irvin ($7,100), who will take the mound for his 31st start of the year on Monday night. In totality, Irvin has probably been the Nationals’ most reliable starter in 2024, but things have fallen off significantly since the middle of July. Across Irvin’s last 12 outings, the RHP possesses a ghastly 6.41 ERA with a 5.73 FIP. Irvin also owns reserve-splits in this span, with RHBs combining to slash .328/.385/.557 with a .404 wOBA and 2.32 home runs per nine.
If there’s one thing the Mets have, it’s right-handed bats — likely more than usual in their lineup due to the injury to the switch-hitting Francisco Lindor ($5,600; back). With Lindor sidelined on Saturday, Iglesias took over the leadoff spot in New York’s lineup. Though you could certainly argue that the veteran’s success in 2024 is mostly due to an inflated .361 BABIP, Iglesias does come in Monday’s action batting .319 with a 130 wRC+ in his 235 plate appearances this season. Vientos is another name to keep an eye on. The 24-year-old has crushed the ball at Citi Field in his sophomore campaign, posting a .330 ISO and a 170 wRC+ within the split.
3. Chicago Cubs
Cody Bellinger ($5,100)
Seiya Suzuki ($5,000)
Ian Happ ($4,500)
Michael Busch ($4,200)
Pete Crow-Armstrong ($3,900)
The Cubs have been tearing the cover off the baseball in recent weeks. While that likely won’t translate into a playoff spot — Chicago enters the day five games back of the last Wild Card in the NL — it’s still been nice to see from a team that had high expectations coming into 2024. Over the last 30 days, the Cubs rank second in baseball in both wOBA (.339) and wRC+ (120). It’s mostly been a case of the usual suspects stepping up, familiar names like Suzuki, Happ and Dansby Swanson ($4,000); however, I want to make special note of Crow-Armstrong. Up through July, the former top prospect was one of the worst hitters in MLB. Since August 1? Crow-Armstrong is slashing .305/.363/.542 with a 142 wRC+. He’s been on fire.
Joey Estes ($6,300) will toe the rubber this evening for the Athletics. It’s going to be an unusually calm night at Wrigley as it pertains to wind, but with the way Estes has struggled outside of the Coliseum in 2024, that shouldn’t matter too much. In the RHP’s 12 games on the road this season, he’s pitched to an ugly 6.18 ERA with a 5.03 FIP. This is truly the rare case of an asset who wants to be playing in the sewage-flooded confines of Oakland.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
