I find Monday’s slate quite interesting. There aren’t any stud pitchers, but there are plenty of weak ones. There are some really good offenses going Monday, but they face pretty decent pitchers for the most part. You should be able to find cheap pitching if you want a more expensive stack, which is one of the reasons my favorite stack is also the most expensive. That being said, it could be a good day to pay up for a pitcher or two in a nice match even if they aren’t a true stud, since there are cheaper stacks that could be very good in their own right.
Here are the stacks for Monday, July 31, listed in order of preference:
Cleveland Indians at Boston Red Sox (Doug Fister, R)
Bradley Zimmer, Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, Austin Jackson
Doug Fister has allowed at least three walks and three earned runs in every start this season. All four of his home runs allowed have come as a starter as well. Fister has a 7.46 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 5.79 FIP. Fister’s 1.24 K/BB is the 14th-worst among 444 pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched this season.
For their part, Indians hitters have a .431 OBP over the past seven days, the best in baseball. Austin Jackson has a .600 OBP over the past seven days. Francisco Lindor is 16-for-41 with two home runs and two stolen bases during his nine-game hitting streak. Bradley Zimmer is 10-for-24 with two homers and three stolen bases over the last week. Michael Brantley is 11-for-30 with two home runs in his career against Doug Fister.
Toronto Blue Jays at Chicago White Sox (James Shields, R)
Justin Smoak, Russell Martin, Ezequiel Carrera, Kevin Pillar, Steve Pearce, Ryan Goins, Kendrys Morales
A Blue Jays stack can pretty much be whatever you want it to be. You can pay up to stack the top of the lineup, including Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson, or you can stack the middle of the lineup and get a few more value plays. That would probably be my preference, though it is worth noting Jose Bautista is 10-for-34 with five home runs against James Shields. Perhaps getting Sunday off will be good for Bautista and Donaldson. Facing James Shields could be good for them too. Shields has walked at least three batters in five of his last six games, and has allowed six earned runs or more in three of his last six outings.
Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles (Ubaldo Jimenez, R)
Salvador Perez, Whit Merrifield, Brandon Moss, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Jorge Bonifacio, Melky Cabrera
The Royals have a .347 wOBA since the All-Star break. Hosmer, Merrifield, Perez and Cain are all batting .355 or better over the last seven days. Hosmer is 11-for-30 against Ubaldo Jimenez, while Lorenzo Cain is 9-for-20. Ubaldo has allowed five earned runs or more in four of his last seven outings.
Oakland Athletics vs. San Francisco Giants (Matt Cain, R)
Yonder Alonso, Marcus Semien, Matt Joyce, Ryon Healy, Jed Lowrie, Khris Davis
Matt Cain has an 8.14 ERA on the road, where opponents have a .404 wOBA. Cain has allowed at least five earned runs in three of his last four road starts. Ironically, the one exception came at Coors Field, though he still allowed 11 baserunners in 5.0 innings in that game. Oakland has mostly struggled since the All-Star break, but they have shown signs of life lately, scoreing at least five runs in each of the last two games.