Penned By: @Ryan_Humphries on Twitter and LineStar Chat.

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Main Slate Rundown 🏟

I hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day Weekend and is prepared to dive back into some MLB action! We’ve got a baker’s dozen worth of games landing on this evening’s massive main slate so there will be no shortage of ways to go about attacking this one. 13 games, 26 teams, aces on the mound, worthy value pitching, and stacks for days. Let’s have some fun with this one, and best of luck!

Main slate match-ups with implied run totals and moneyline odds:

Main Slate Weather Outlook 💨🌦️☁️

Check LineStar's MLB Daily Dashboard to see an overview of the most up-to-date game forecasts.

CLE @ BAL (7:05 ET): 10 mph winds mostly blowing right to left, a bit IN from right.

PHI @ NYM (7:10 ET): 10 mph winds mostly right to left, a bit IN from right.

TB @ CHC (8:05 ET): Light winds blowing IN from center/right. Chance for some light rain.

LAA @ CWS (8:10 ET): Chance for some rain at the other Chicago ballpark as well.

ATL @ OAK (9:40 ET): Winds OUT to center at 10+ mph.

COL @ ARI (9:40 ET): The Chase Field roof is scheduled to be open.

WAS @ LAD (10:10 ET): Winds OUT to center around 10 mph.

Pitchers to Consider ⚾

Zac Gallen (RHP), ARI | DK: $10.7k, FD: $10.7k | vs. COL

A strong case can be made for many of the top-end pitchers on this slate, but we’ll lead off with Zac Gallen. The D-Backs ace has shown some issues when pitching on the road but he has been dominant on his home mound, which is where he’ll be pitching tonight. In five home starts this season, spanning 35.0 IP, Gallen has come away with a minuscule 0.77 ERA, 1.95 xFIP, 0.66 WHIP, .169 opp wOBA, and a monstrous 37.9% kRate. Gallen has excelled at home throughout his career and while his home/road splits haven’t been nearly as contrasting as they’ve been so far this season, it does seem to be a very reinforced long-term trend.

Gallen will take on a Rockies team that, to no one’s surprise, struggles more offensively on the road away from their hitter-friendly home ballpark. Against RHPs on the road this season, Colorado owns a .299 wOBA, .123 ISO, 85 wRC+, and 23.4% kRate -- all very pedestrian and subpar numbers. So, following a pair of poor outings on the road, we’ll be looking for Gallen to get back on track at home this evening.

Yusei Kikuchi (LHP), TOR | DK: $8.4k, FD: $8.5k | vs. MIL

He’s always going to have a sizable amount of volatility, but Kikuchi draws arguably the best match-up a lefty could ask for today, and he’s back at home where he averages +61.2% more FPPG. At times, Kikuchi pitches like an absolute ace while other days he’s a total gas can who loves to give up home runs. But we know the upside is there and his 12.4% SwStr% ranks 3rd among this slate’s starting pitchers.

The Brewers have failed against left-handed pitching time after time this season. They rank last in wOBA, wRC+, and have the highest kRate versus southpaws. Things get even uglier when they play away from their hitter-friendly home ballpark. In 216 PA vs. LHPs on the road, the Brewers own a .211 AVG, .254 wOBA, .085 ISO, 55 wRC+, and 31.0% kRate. Milwaukee also has several key players on the IL and a couple more that are listed as “day-to-day” so they’re far from 100% healthy. Kikuchi may not be a pitcher you can feel comfortable with in a cash lineup, but he has a ton of GPP appeal today.

Brayan Bello (RHP), BOS | DK: $7k, FD: $8.6k | vs. CIN

Bello has been a solid source of pitching value for a month now and he remains an affordable option on today’s slate. Through his last five starts (28.0 IP), Bello has been rock-solid, posting a 2.57 ERA, 3.60 xFIP, 1.25 WHIP, 59.5% Ground Ball Rate, and 24.6% kRate. And it’s not as if he put up those quality numbers against a bunch of scrub teams either, holding offenses like the Braves, Blue Jays, and Angels in check in recent weeks.

Bello and the Red Sox will welcome the Cincinnati Reds to Fenway this evening. It’s a match-up that bodes well for Bello as Cincy has ranked firmly inside the bottom half of MLB offenses against RHPs this season. On the year against righties, the Reds rank 18th in wOBA, 27th in ISO, 24th in wRC+, and their 24.4% kRate is the 7th highest. Boston is a heavy -180 ML favorite tonight and we can expect another strong five or six innings out of Bello in a plus match-up.

Other Pitchers to Consider:

Shane McClanahan (LHP), TB | DK: $11.4k, FD: $11.2k | @ CHC

Bryce Elder (RHP), ATL | DK: $9.3k, FD: $10.4k | @ OAK

Tony Gonsolin (RHP), LAD | DK: $8k, FD: $9.4k | vs. WAS

Miles Mikolas (RHP), STL | DK: $7.7k, FD: $8.2k | vs. KC

Johan Oviedo (RHP), PIT | DK: $6.4k, FD: $7.9k | @ SF

Team Stacks to Target 🎯

Disclaimer: Stacking in MLB DFS is not a requirement but it is a very common strategy used to take down GPPs. This strategy is covered in more detail in the MLB DFS strategy guide linked in the header at the top of this newsletter. Check out the MLB StackFinder on LineStar.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Jake Irvin (RHP), WAS

+ Dodgers: 5.3 implied runs (ranks 1st on the slate).

+ Irvin represents one of the lower-quality starters on the slate: 5.32 ERA, 6.03 xFIP, 1.59 WHIP, 16.0% BB%, and .387 opp xwOBA.

+ Irvin has accounted for a slate-low 4.6% Swinging Strike Rate and 96.0% Contact% on pitches in the strike zone.

+ The Dodgers average 5.72 runs/gm at home this season and have been dominant at home vs. RHPs: .358 wOBA, .225 ISO, 129 wRC+.

+ The Nationals have had a bottom-10 bullpen this season, including the 3rd lowest kRate (19.4%).

- Irvin has allowed a low 85.9 mph average exit velo (80th percentile among pitchers).

- Core Dodgers bats are pricey.

Favorite LAD Bats: Freddie Freeman, JD Martinez, Max Muncy | Bargain Bat: Jason Heyward

Atlanta Braves (RHBs Preferred) vs. JP Sears (LHP), OAK

+ Braves: 4.9 implied runs (ranks T-4th on the slate).

+ Sears has maintained a solid 1.10 WHIP this season but he owns a lackluster 4.80 xFIP, .336 xwOBA, and allows a ton of fly balls (55.8% FB%).

+ The Braves have been excellent against LHPs: .312 AVG (ranks 1st), .399 wOBA (2nd), .257 ISO (2nd), 150 wRC+ (2nd), and 41.9% HardContact% (1st).

+ Versus RHBs, Sears is allowing a .276 ISO and 2.47 HR/9 Rate.

+ 84.1% of Sears’ pitches have been 4-seamers and sweepers -- against those pitch types (from LHPs), ATL has posted a massive .448 wOBA and .355 ISO.

+ The A’s have had the worst bullpen in the MLB this season.

- Oakland Coliseum has been the #4 least hitter-friendly ballpark in 2023.

- Braves bats have cooled off in recent weeks and the core hitters are pricey.

Favorite ATL Bats: Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies | Bargain Bat: Marcell Ozuna

Low-Owned Stack That Just Might Work Out 🤔

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Zack Greinke (RHP), KC

+ 8-of-9 STL hitters have an 11% pOwn% or lower.

+ Cardinals: 5.0 implied runs (ranks 3rd on the slate).

+ Greinke has drastically worse road splits (-51.5% less FPPG away) and in 24.1 IP on the road this season, he has put up a 6.66 ERA, .293 opp AVG, .361 opp wOBA, and 2.59 HR/9 Rate.

+ The Cardinals are averaging 5.63 runs/gm at home -- 1.53 more runs/gm than on the road.

+ STL ranks 8th in wOBA and 7th in wRC+ vs. RHPs at home this season.

+ Royals have had a bottom-10 bullpen this season.

- STL has not been overly successful lately with a 78 wRC+ vs. RHPs L2Wks (ranks 25th).

Favorite STL Bats: Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman | Bargain Bat: Brendan Donovan

One-Off Bats ☝️

A maximum of one hitter per team will be listed below. Feel free to use these players as one-off options, one-half of a two-man mini-stack, or a core piece to a full team stack.

OF Aaron Judge, NYY | DK: $6.3k, FD: $4.4k | vs. Logan Gilbert (RHP), SEA

OF Masataka Yoshida, BOS | DK: $5.9k, FD: $3.6k | vs. Ben Lively (RHP), CIN

1B Paul Goldschmidt, STL | DK: $5.6k, FD: $3.9k | vs. Zack Greinke (RHP), KC

OF Julio Rodriguez, SEA | DK: $5.6k, FD: $3.8k | vs. Nestor Cortes (LHP), NYY

1B Pete Alonso, NYM | DK: $5.5k, FD: $4k | vs. Ranger Suarez (LHP), PHI

1B Freddie Freeman, LAD | DK: $5.3k, FD: $4.3k | vs. Jake Irvin (RHP), WAS

SS Bo Bichette, TOR | DK: $5.2k, FD: $3.8k | vs. Adrian Houser (RHP), MIL

3B Austin Riley, ATL | DK: $5k, FD: $3.2k | vs. JP Sears (LHP), OAK

OF Josh Lowe, TB | DK: $4.9k, FD: $4k | vs. Kyle Hendricks (RHP), CHC

2B Ketel Marte, ARI | DK: $4.9k, FD: $3k | vs. Kyle Freeland (LHP), COL

OF Luis Robert Jr., CWS | DK: $4.6k, FD: $3.5k | vs. Tyler Anderson (LHP), LAA

OF Anthony Santander, BAL | DK: $4.6k, FD: $3.3k | vs. Cal Quantrill (RHP), CLE

SS Matt McLain, CIN | DK: $4.1k, FD: $3.4k | vs. Brayan Bello (RHP), BOS

Bargain Batters 💸

Note: Additional hitting value may open up once all official starting lineups are released. For now, here are some cheap hitters who are already confirmed or currently expected to be on the field tonight and find themselves in a good spot to pay off their modest DFS salaries.

Default cut-off to qualify as a “Bargain Batter” is <$4,100 on DraftKings

OF TJ Friedl, CIN | DK: $3.9k, FD: $2.8k | vs. Brayan Bello (RHP), BOS

OF Michael Conforto, SF | DK: $3.8k, FD: $3.3k | vs. Johan Oviedo (RHP), PIT

SS Orlando Arcia, ATL | DK: $3.5k, FD: $2.9k | vs. JP Sears (LHP), OAK

1B/OF Luke Raley, TB | DK: $3.4k, FD: $3k | vs. Kyle Hendricks (RHP), CHC

C Gabriel Moreno, ARI | DK: $3.2k, FD: $2.6k | vs. Kyle Freeland (LHP), COL

C Francisco Alvarez, NYM | DK: $3.1k, FD: $3.2k | vs. Ranger Suarez (LHP), PHI

OF Marcell Ozuna, ATL | DK: $2.9k, FD: $3.2k | vs. JP Sears (LHP), OAK

C Patrick Bailey, SF | DK: $2.3k, FD: $2k | vs. Johan Oviedo (RHP), PIT

OF Jason Heyward, LAD | DK: $2.2k, FD: $2.6k | vs. Jake Irvin (RHP), WAS

OF Raimel Tapia, BOS | DK: $2.2k, FD: $2.5k | vs. Ben Lively (RHP), CIN

SS Royce Lewis, MIN | DK: $2k, FD: $2k | vs. Brandon Bielak (RHP), HOU

Home Run Calls of the Day 💣

Ryan’s PrizePicks Power Play of the Day⚡

Here is a two-pick “Power Play” I’m liking for today's MLB action over on PrizePicks! Nothing is ever a guarantee to hit but I put my own money on these picks so I don't just lightly throw them out there without believing they'll cash! If it hits, it will return 3x the wager.

Freddie Freeman MORE than 9.0 Hitter Fantasy Score

Ozzie Albies LESS than 0.5 Hitter Strikeouts

🆕 Props AI 🆕

In LineStar’s ongoing mission to improve, innovate, and help you reel in some cash, we are introducing Props AI for MLB! This tool can help you find value and mispriced odds on player props from sportsbooks and, more specifically, for PrizePicks and UnderDog Fantasy!

Speaking of props, put the Props AI tool to use by signing-up for UnderDog Fantasy for 2-months of LineStar Premium (Promo code: LINESTAR). Plus $100 deposit match for new customers. What many people may not realize is that you can legally place prop bets in most states using UnderDog (or PrizePicks) – it’s called Pick'Em and it’s insanely easy.

Best of luck out there today, everyone!