We have another true split slate today with a 7-game early slate (1:05 PM ET roster lock) and an 8-game evening slate (7:05 PM ET roster lock).

I’m always going to go the extra mile with the bigger split slates, and today, I will provide you guys with at least three of my favorite plays at each position for each slate.

Both slates have a totally different group of pitching options available. The chalk of the chalk is going to be Jake Arrieta in the early slate, but there’s actually some very interesting mid-priced plays in Steven Matz, Jose Quintana, Corey Kluber, and Aaron Nola. On the other hand, the best pitcher available for the late slate is Steven Wright. I don’t really need to say much more than that.

But yes, I will be providing a few extra value plays for the early slate while the late slate will have a few extra premium options.

Unfortunately, as far as weather is concerned, there are some problem spots for the early slate. Thunderstorms are forecasted to hit the Royals/Twins and Indians/White Sox games. I would guess that there should be a good chance for those games to play out, but I’m not the best amateur meteorologist. 

If anyone has any questions about tonight’s slate, or need clarification on some of the statistics, feel free to let me know on Twitter @kle18, or drop a comment below. I get notified any time someone leaves a comment, so the turnaround time should be good.

CATCHER                      
PlayerTeamBatsOppOpp PitchABHHRRRBIBBSBAVGOPSISOBABIPwOBALD%Hard%Z-Cont%FDDKAces
Salvador PerezKCRMINTyler Duffey156437182470.276.805.224.316.34323.1%31.4%91.9%$2,700$3,700$4,400
Cameron RuppPHIRDETAnibal Sanchez9928281021.283.738.152.377.31919.7%28.2%81.5%$2,700$2,600$3,400
Miguel MonteroCHCLSTLCarlos Martinez65151108131.231.716.123.311.30515.2%30.4%86.2%$2,600$3,000$4,500
Welington CastilloARIRPITJeff Locke1343871620102.284.833.216.320.35424.0%43.3%85.1%$3,100$3,600$4,700
Matt WietersBALSHOUCollin McHugh104304101671.288.795.173.356.34527.6%31.2%80.1%$3,100$3,200$4,500
Stephen VogtOAKLSEAHisashi Iwakuma144364151260.250.679.139.281.29521.4%24.6%93.4%$2,300$3,000$4,200

EARLY SLATE

Salvador Perez has been hitting better against righties this season, but most importantly, he has been on fire over the last couple weeks. In his last 10 games, he has gone 17-for-41 (.415 AVG) with two homers, a triple, a double, seven runs, and six RBIs. 

Cameron Rupp getting demolished at the plate a few weeks ago seemed to launch him into beast mode. Rupp is in the middle of a 6-game hitting streak where he has gone 10-for-24 (.417 AVG) with a homer, two doubles, and six RBIs. He is also very reasonably priced throughout the industry, and faces Anibal Sanchez who is giving up a .375 wOBA to righties and .388 wOBA at home this season. 

Miguel Montero is 5-for-10 with a triple, two walks, two runs, and two RBIs over his last three starts. 

LATE SLATE

Welington Castillo is batting .366/.409/.829 and has hit five of his seven home runs this season against left-handed pitching. Jeff Locke is one of the league’s worst lefties, and I think Beef Welington has what it takes to light him up. 

Matt Wieters just continues to produce night in and night out. After another two-hit game last night, he is now 10-for-18 (.556 AVG) with two homers, four doubles, five RBIs, and a stolen base over his last four starts. 

Stephen Vogt is the guy you want to go with if you’re looking for value on FanDuel. He has hits in six of his last seven games, and is looking a lot more comfortable at the plate. While he’s not going to be an All-Star this year, he’s showing signs of what made him into an All-Star last season. 

FIRST BASE                      
PlayerTeamBatsOppOpp PitchABHHRRRBIBBSBAVGOPSISOBABIPwOBALD%Hard%Z-Cont%FDDKAces
Jose AbreuCHWRCLECorey Kluber1824561827150.247.724.159.285.31118.2%28.7%88.7%$3,700$3,400$5,100
Mike NapoliCLERCHWJose Quintana1573682630151.229.753.223.329.32617.2%44.1%74.8%$2,800$3,300$4,550
Kendrys MoralesKCSMINTyler Duffey1663151318110.187.561.127.208.24915.4%35.4%86.8%$2,500$3,300$4,300
Ryan HowardPHILDETAnibal Sanchez1262081218120.159.592.206.158.25325.0%44.1%79.2%$2,300$3,200$4,000
David OrtizBOSLCOLChad Bettis15652112241221.3331.099.353.345.45318.5%49.2%90.3%$4,400$5,100$5,650
Paul GoldschmidtARIRPITJeff Locke1583982426455.247.859.196.298.37621.4%33.0%86.5%$4,200$4,900$5,400
Chris DavisBALLHOUCollin McHugh15736103127260.229.811.236.286.35320.0%39.6%75.3%$3,800$4,100$5,550
Steve PearceTBRMIAJustin Nicolino993071619160.303.947.242.288.40717.2%28.7%88.8%$3,600$3,700$4,650

EARLY SLATE

Jose Abreu is 10-for-28 (.357 AVG) with three homers, two doubles, and seven RBIs throughout his career against Corey Kluber

Mike Napoli has been a very, very streaky player throughout his career. After going four straight games with a big fat DONUT, he has gone 3-for-7 (.444 AVG) with a homer, triple, two walks, two runs, four RBIs, and a stolen base in the first two games of this series against the White Sox.

Kendrys Morales’s peripheral statistics suggests that his season should eventually turn around. He is at a good price point throughout the industry, and faces Tyler Duffey who has been able to control right-handed hitting, but has been giving up a brutal line of .346/.400/.455 to lefties this season.

Ryan Howard is a boring, boring play, and a frustrating boring play at that. Nonetheless, he has a career .476 OBP on 42 career plate appearances against Anibal Sanchez. High OBP’s are extremely good for cash games, and I don’t mind going this route, especially at just $2300 on FanDuel today. 

LATE SLATE

David Ortiz probably shouldn’t retire if he can continue to hit at this torrid pace, but what can you do? In his last three games, he has gone 8-for-12 (.667 AVG) with a homer, four doubles, and seven RBIs. We all know how he absolutely kills it at home in Fenway, but keep in mind, when he is at home and facing a right-handed pitcher, he is batting a criminal .412/.512/.868 with a .555 wOBA.

Paul Goldschmidt, historically, has feasted on left-handed pitchers. He has batted .325/.427/.593 with 36 homers in 590 career at-bats against southpaws. He hasn’t hit for power against Jeff Locke, but he is a solid 5-for-9 (.556 AVG) in his limited action against the Pirates lefty.

Chris Davis is a GPP play only tonight folks! He is just struggling too hard to be a reliable cash game play. He has huge upside though, going up against a struggling Collin McHugh. McHugh has allowed five of his six home runs this season against lefties, while allowing a terrible .373 wOBA. 

Steve Pearce is still second base eligible on DraftKings, and has been able to keep up his strong play in the absence of Logan Forsythe. He is batting .405/.488/.865 against southpaws this season, and gets a weak southpaw in Justin Nicolino tonight at the Trop. 

SECOND BASE                      
PlayerTeamBatsOppOpp PitchABHHRRRBIBBSBAVGOPSISOBABIPwOBALD%Hard%Z-Cont%FDDKAces
Rougned OdorTEXLLAAHector Santiago183487282255.262.734.186.285.31615.8%27.8%86.0%$3,500$3,900$4,800
Johnny GiavotellaLAARTEXColby Lewis126342151442.270.663.103.291.28823.4%27.2%92.0%$3,200$3,300$3,500
Neil WalkerNYMSWSHTanner Roark15641112021121.263.803.224.288.34021.1%34.8%85.3%$2,500$3,700$4,750
Jean SeguraARIRPITJeff Locke193615252356.316.823.161.348.35617.7%26.5%93.2%$3,500$4,200$5,100
Chase UtleyLADLCINDan Straily1484322610181.291.795.122.347.35327.4%38.3%89.3%$3,000$3,700$4,550
Chase d'ArnaudATLRMILJunior Guerra361302052.361.967.167.419.41826.7%32.3%87.8%$2,500$3,100$3,700

EARLY SLATE

Rougned Odor should punch Rob Manfred in the face for taking this long with his appeal because it’s getting a little ridiculous. But I suppose as long as he’s in the lineup, we’re going to have to give him a good look with his matchup against Hector Santiago. Odor is 10-for-21 (.476 AVG), lifetime, against the southpaw, with a homer, three doubles, five runs, and four RBIs. 

Johnny Giavotella is 5-for-11 (.455 AVG) against Colby Lewis in their previous meetings. Johnny G is swinging a very hot bat, and makes a lot of contact with the ball, which is huge for someone who has been batting behind Mike Trout and Albert Pujols the last three games. 

Neil Walker is still at $2500 on FanDuel yet isn’t facing Stephen Strasburg. His ownership is going to be very high on FanDuel, and I don’t know if it’s a good idea to fade him. He has two hits in five at-bats against Tanner Roark, and both of them went for extra bases 

LATE SLATE

Jean Segura faced Jeff Locke a lot during his with the Brewers, and had the edge in that matchup, going 10-for-32 (.312 AVG) with a homer, three doubles, a stolen base. 

Chase Utley continues to produce from the leadoff spot. He reached base three times in five plate appearances last night against the Reds, and will have a good matchup against Dan Straily tonight to see if he can repeat it. 

Chase d'Arnaud has reached base safely in each of his last eight starts. Over his last six starts though, he has gone 9-for-22 (.409 AVG) with a triple, three doubles, five walks, and two stolen bases. He has faced Junior Guerra three times in the minors, and his only hit was an two-RBI double. 

THIRD BASE                      
PlayerTeamBatsOppOpp PitchABHHRRRBIBBSBAVGOPSISOBABIPwOBALD%Hard%Z-Cont%FDDKAces
Anthony RendonWSHRNYMSteven Matz1774533114255.254.719.119.298.32223.1%38.9%89.0%$4,200$3,800$4,600
Nick CastellanosDETRPHIAaron Nola159559223191.346.978.258.393.41327.8%36.5%83.6%$3,500$3,600$5,050
Maikel FrancoPHIRDETAnibal Sanchez1694381326110.254.743.189.267.31318.7%27.3%83.2%$2,800$3,500$4,800
Evan LongoriaTBRMIAJustin Nicolino1754482420120.251.764.211.293.32719.8%39.7%77.4%$4,000$5,000$4,900
Martin PradoMIARTBMatt Andriese1625501315100.340.785.068.372.34222.3%25.0%98.5%$2,700$3,600$4,500
Justin Turner LADRCINDan Straily1493631815170.242.691.114.268.30821.4%30.2%89.3%$2,600$3,100$4,400

EARLY SLATE

Anthony Rendon is batting .296/.424/.444 this season against left-handed pitching. He is looking a lot like the 2014 version of Anthony Rendon lately, going 12-for-31 (.387 AVG) with a homer, triple, three doubles, six walks, five runs, and eight RBIs over his last nine games. 

Nick Castellanos has an amazing .442 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season. Plus, he has been very consistent, batting .345/.383/.636 with seven homers over his last 30 games. 

Maikel Franco gets a nice little matchup against Anibal Sanchez who has been a bit of a dumpster fire the last couple seasons, averaging a 1.67 HR/9 the last two years. Sanchez’s 5.03 xFIP and 43.3% Fly Ball Rate is awful, and could be in a world of hurt today against the Phillies. 

LATE SLATE

Evan Longoria has crushed lefties throughout his Major League career. He has had a cold series so far against the Marlins, but it doesn’t change the fact that he has batted .295/.368/.525 over his last 15 games. 

Martin Prado is boring but productive. He makes more contact with the ball than anyone else in the Majors, and his .340 average is third in the National League behind Daniel Murphy and Ryan Braun. I love his price on FanDuel but not so much on DraftKings. 

Justin Turner is heating up. Over his last five games, he has gone 5-for-16 (.313 AVG) with two homers, four walks, three runs, and six RBIs. Plus, over his last three seasons, he has performed better against righties, batting .320/.383/.485 with 17 of his 25 home runs. 

SHORTSTOP                      
PlayerTeamBatsOppOpp PitchABHHRRRBIBBSBAVGOPSISOBABIPwOBALD%Hard%Z-Cont%FDDKAces
Francisco LindorCLESCHWJose Quintana1795732920159.318.786.095.360.34520.9%24.7%89.7%$3,800$3,600$5,000
Brandon CrawfordSFLSDJames Shields1604161826182.256.767.181.292.31818.7%33.6%83.9%$3,100$3,200$4,300
Asdrubal CabreraNYMSWSHTanner Roark166473141770.283.727.108.344.32124.0%30.5%89.5%$3,000$3,100$4,350
Corey SeagerLADLCINDan Straily1824972823161.269.792.192.288.34122.4%39.2%90.2%$4,100$4,300$4,850
Zack CozartCINRLADScott Kazmir141445241641.312.840.206.320.35228.6%33.9%91.5%$3,900$3,500$4,550
Didi GregoriusNYYLTORMarco Estrada138363131641.261.654.109.280.28519.2%13.8%89.9%$2,300$2,800$4,300

EARLY SLATE

Francisco Lindor may be a switch hitter, but he clearly hits better from the right-side of the plate against southpaws. Over the past two seasons, he has batted .347/.390/.526 against lefties, and really showed his skill by going 3-for-3 last night against the great Chris Sale.

Brandon Crawford is batting .265/.345/.510 against right-handed pitching this season, and gets a good matchup against James Shields, who has been a prone to giving up the long ball the last couple seasons. 

Asdrubal Cabrera is currently in the middle of a 7-game hitting streak, where he has gone 9-for-27 (.333 AVG) with a homer (off of Stephen Strasburg), double, and six RBIs over those seven games. 

LATE SLATE

Corey Seager is batting .292/.333/.585 with five of his seven homers this season over his last 15 games. 

Zack Cozart may be a little too expensive to roster on FanDuel tonight, but I think he is quite reasonable on DraftKings and Aces. He is batting 8-for-25 (.320 AVG) with a homer, four doubles, three runs, and two walks over his last six games. 

Didi Gregorius is once again our primary punt play at shortstop. He now has a 7-game hitting streak, where he has gone 10-for-28 (.357 AVG) with four runs scored. With a lot of Yankees having good success against Marco Estrada in the past, I think tonight could be a night where Didi finally drives in some runs. 

OUTFIELD                      
PlayerTeamBatsOppOpp PitchABHHRRRBIBBSBAVGOPSISOBABIPwOBALD%Hard%Z-Cont%FDDKAces
Mike TroutLAARTEXColby Lewis17256103231275.326.985.244.380.41725.2%39.7%87.7%$4,900$5,300$5,900
Ian DesmondTEXRLAAHector Santiago1745063326139.287.808.178.346.34820.3%29.3%78.7%$3,900$5,000$4,800
Cameron MaybinDETRPHIAaron Nola281617534.5711.291.107.625.56020.8%30.8%97.3%$3,200$3,400$4,100
Nomar MazaraTEXLLAAHector Santiago1454672018120.317.847.166.348.36427.7%27.7%90.5%$3,100$3,600$4,700
Paulo OrlandoKCRMINTyler Duffey6928181012.406.967.145.500.41527.8%23.6%86.5%$2,700$3,000$4,050
Matt Kemp SDRSFJake Peavy1844210203040.228.685.217.237.28419.3%33.1%83.6%$2,600$3,500$4,900
Jorge SolerCHCRSTLCarlos Martinez1072242010140.206.659.150.240.29424.1%31.7%75.6%$2,400$3,300$4,350
Michael TaylorWSHRNYMSteven Matz12123414676.190.555.132.238.24320.7%29.8%79.5%$2,400$3,200$3,900
Ryan RuaTEXRLAAHector Santiago8121214643.259.713.136.358.31414.5%27.3%79.0%$2,300$3,300$3,700
Jose BautistaTORRNYYIvan Nova16438102834381.232.870.262.231.37421.4%40.5%90.4%$4,600$5,400$5,500
Jacoby EllsburyNYYLTORMarco Estrada1353821915129.281.793.163.324.34517.7%24.6%92.6%$3,700$4,200$4,750
Carlos BeltranNYYSTORMarco Estrada1604410242980.275.842.263.291.35518.9%33.9%91.1%$3,500$3,800$4,850
Brandon GuyerTBRMIAJustin Nicolino104335191351.317.958.231.346.41224.7%31.4%86.4%$3,400$4,300$4,400
Giancarlo StantonMIARTBMatt Andriese15433122126250.214.806.266.256.34513.8%38.3%79.0%$3,300$4,200$5,300
Trayce ThompsonLADRCINDan Straily1002971819101.290.915.270.314.39116.9%31.2%88.4%$3,000$3,300$4,550
Coco CrispOAKSSEAHisashi Iwakuma1373442017125.248.735.182.256.31222.0%26.2%90.9%$2,800$3,100$4,250
Gerardo ParraCOLLBOSSteven Wright174493232225.282.727.155.319.30914.8%26.3%90.4%$2,800$3,300$4,750
Adam JonesBALRHOUCollin McHugh1493551819110.235.668.141.261.29415.1%35.0%82.9%$2,800$3,600$4,900
Ichiro SuzukiMIALTBMatt Andriese652509572.385.875.046.403.38527.4%23.8%97.9%$2,200$2,500$3,200

EARLY SLATE

Mike Trout loves facing Colby Lewis. He has batted .394/.462/.909 with four homers, two triples, a double, 12 runs, and 11 RBIs over 33 career at-bats against his long time foe. 

Ian Desmond is batting .435/.458/.783 with two homers against lefties at Globe Life Park this season. I also like the fact that Desmond, who is a strikeout machine, hasn’t struck out in seven career at-bats against Hector Santiago.

Cameron Maybin is leaning towards being a must start if he leads off against in place of an under-the-weather Ian Kinsler. Based on FanDuel scoring, Maybin has scored at least 12.4 FanDuel points in seven of his eight starts this season. He has been able to do that because he has REACHED BASE SAFELY AT LEAST TWICE IN EVERY SINGLE GAME. Sorry for the CAPS, I just needed to emphasize how ridiculous that is. 

Nomar Mazara is on my radar as a GPP option that people will certainly fade because of the lefty versus lefty situation against Hector Santiago. He has held his own against lefties this season, batting .283 over 46 at-bats, but most importantly, he has been hitting for power lately, knocking three homers over his last six games. Hector Santiago has had the worst Fly Ball Rate in baseball over the last two seasons, and he is definitely in rough shape today against a powerful Rangers offense. 

Paulo Orlando would be an everyday play even he wasn’t batting 7th on a regular basis. It truly doesn’t matter though because he has been sensational. Over his last eight games, he has gone 17-for-30 (.567 AVG) with a homer, triple, four doubles, five runs, and nine RBIs. Enjoy his reasonable price point while it lasts!

Matt Kemp’s price has dropped to $2600 on FanDuel and $3500 on DraftKings. He gets a juicy matchup against Jake Peavy who has given up all eight of his home runs this season against right-handed hitters. 

Jorge Soler will make his debut in my hitting coach article, and I’m doing it blindfolded because I can’t stand Soler (just kidding, sort of). Still, he has been hitting with a lot of confidence on this road trip, where he has gone 7-for-21 (.333 AVG) with two homers, two doubles, four walks, seven runs, and four RBIs. The price is right, and the matchup is decent against Carlos Martinez, who has been struggling hard over his last few starts. 

Michael Taylor must be in consideration if he gets the start against the lefty Steven Matz. Taylor has been very productive in his last two starts against lefties, going 3-for-8 (.375 AVG) with a homer, double, three runs, and two stolen bases. Just too much upside for that price at the top of the Nationals lineup. 

Ryan Rua is batting .400/.455/.567 against left-handed pitching this season, and also owns a .400 average against Hector Santiago. He’s a good source of salary relief if you’re looking to pay up for Jake Arrieta.

LATE GAMES

Jose Bautista has batted .348/.500/.609 with a homer, three doubles, and seven RBIs, lifetime, against Ivan Nova of the Yankees. He also loves hitting in Yankee Stadium, and has a 1.019 career OPS in the house that Jeter built. 

Jacoby Ellsbury remains a great cash game play on a nightly basis. He has hits in eight of his last nine games, and has gone 12-for-35 (.343 AVG) with a homer, three triples, a double, nine runs, and six RBIs over that 9-game span. It doesn’t hurt that he has a great matchup against Marco Estrada, who he has batted .353/.389/.588 against throughout his career. 

Carlos Beltran has gone 11-for-25 (.440 AVG) with two home runs, five doubles, and 10 RBIs over his last six games, and gets a great matchup against Marco Estrada, who he has homered against three times in 24 career at-bats.

Brandon Guyer is batting .378/.481/.644 with three homers in just 45 at-bats against lefties this season. He has been phenomenal throughout the season, and because of that, he doesn’t come cheap tonight. 

Giancarlo Stanton’s price is a ridiculous $3300 on FanDuel. I am leaning towards calling him a must play tonight, but get back to me later in the day and see if that has changed. I actually like his matchup against Matt Andriese, who has been very dependent on his improving slider. Stanton has had a lot of recent success against the slider, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he puts one on the catwalk tonight. 

Trayce Thompson, flat out, looks like the best Dodgers hitter right now. He is currently working on a 5-game hitting streak where he has gone 6-for-18 (.333 AVG) with a homer, double, three walks, four runs, and a stolen base. 

Coco Crisp has an 8-game hitting streak where he has gone 10-for-35 (.286 AVG) with a homer, five doubles, four runs, five RBIs, and a stolen base. He also hasn’t struck out against Hisashi Iwakuma in 21 plate appearances, and has homered twice against the Mariners right-hander.

Gerardo Parra’s only career at-bats against a knuckleballer has come against R.A. Dickey, and he has had huge success against him, going 6-for-11 (.545 AVG) with two triples, two doubles, and three walks. 

Adam Jones keeps putting us to the test. After a weak outing last night, we’re back at it again with Jones going up against Collin McHugh, who he has homered against in the past. Jones, at $2800, remains a great FanDuel play, but a little bit tougher to play at $3600 on DraftKings.

Ichiro Suzuki isn’t going to blast one out of the park like Giancarlo Stanton, but as long as he is batting leadoff, there’s a good chance that he’ll be in my lineups tonight. He is extremely affordable across the industry, and has gone 10-for-18 (.556 AVG) over his last four games. Historically, he has been pretty good against the slider as well, and has a great opportunity to inch closer to 3,000. 

Be sure to keep an eye on the Fantasy Alarm Daily Lineups page to confirm that your players are starting.

If you guys have any questions, you can always reach me on Twitter @kle18. Good luck!