I hope you are prepared to pay up for your stacks. As has been the case pretty frequently in the last month or so, the best stacks are the most expensive ones. If you want to go cheaper, I have a worthwhile option to consider, but if you can find a cheap pitcher or two who you don’t hate, paying for your hitters is probably the way to go. As always, these stacks are listed in order of preference.

 

Seattle Mariners @ Baltimore Orioles (Chris Tillman, R)

Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Jean Segura, Mike Zunino, Yonder Alonso, Kyle Seager, Ben Gamel, Mitch Haniger

The Mariners have five players with at least 19 home runs, and Chris Tillman has allowed 2.18 HR/9 this season. Among pitchers with at least 70 innings pitched this season, only Bronson Arroyo, Anibal Sanchez, Nick Martinez and James Shields have a higher home run rate and only Arroyo has a higher FIP.

Robinson Cano is 15-for-36 in his career against Chris Tillman, and he is pretty much essential to any stack.

 

Chicago Cubs @ Pittsburgh Pirates (Trevor Williams, R)

Anthony Rizzo, Jon Jay, Ben Zobrist, Kris Bryant, Tommy La Stella, Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber

As is always the case with a Joe Maddon team, much of this stack depends on Monday’s batting order. Jon Jay and Ben Zobrist have been taking turns leading off, and whoever bats first Monday is obviously worth considering. Tommy LaStella batted fifth Sunday and delivered his second consecutive multi-hit game, and he would be an affordable option if he gets a similar opportunity against Trevor Williams.

Williams was great against the Dodgers last week in Rich Hill’s ill-fated perfect game bid, but he was shelled by the Cardinals in his start before that. The Cubs offense has similarly been all-or-nothing in August, scoring 7+ runs in seven of their last 11 games. Anthony Rizzo is as hot as almost any player in baseball right now, which certainly helps.

 

Colorado Rockies vs. Detroit Tigers (Jordan Zimmermann, R)

Charlie Blackmon, Gerardo Parra, Nolan Arenado, DJ LeMahieu, Carlos Gonzalez, Trevor Story

Zimmermann has allowed a .381 wOBA this season, and when you add Coors Field into the mix, this is a no-brainer. Zimmerman’s lefty-righty splits are pretty even this season, so don’t be afraid to play Colorado’s right-handed bats. The Tigers, on the other hand, are far better against left-handed pitchers, which is why I prefer a Rockies stack, even if it costs a bit more.

 

Oakland Athletics @ Los Angeles Angels (Andrew Heaney, L)

Matt Champan, Jed Lowrie, Ryon Healy, Khris Davis, Chad Pinder, Mark Canha, Marcus Semien

Andrew Heaney had a 4.48 FIP at Triple-A this season, so it comes as little surprise he has struggled through 10 big league innings. Right-handed batters have a .352 wOBA against Heaney for his career, and the A’s lineup will likely feature eight right-handed bats. There is a reason why an Oakland stack is so cheap, but most of these players have a history of hitting lefties, which is good enough for me.