A strong balance of pitching and offense take center stage on today's MLB main slate. Let's dive in to find what our best options may be...

Penned By: Ryan Humphries, @Ryan_Humphries on Twitter and LineStar Chat.

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Main Slate Rundown 🏟

In typical Tuesday fashion, we’ve got a hefty main slate on the docket with a dozen games set up for this evening. Perhaps we won’t see just about every starting pitcher get rocked like yesterday. Overall, I’d say there is a solid balance of pitching and offense available today, so we’ll see how it all shakes out! Let’s get cookin’!

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.

It’s not a clean forecast but out of the 12 games on the main slate, it seems as if there will only be one or two spots where we’ll have to exercise some caution (OAK @ WAS + LAD @ NYM).

OAK @ WAS (7:05 ET, 8 O/U): Expecting a band of storms to roll through right around first pitch. It may take an hour or two to clear out, but if they commit to playing, it should be a “late start and play” situation. Even though this game should play, there is some low-end PPD risk because the Nationals have a history of making ill-advised weather decisions.

SEA @ DET (7:10 ET, 7.5 O/U): Some stiff 15 mph winds but they’re mostly blowing right-to-left -- a little OUT to left at times as well.

LAD @ NYM (7:10 ET, 8.5 O/U): A bit of rain moves through the area, with the highest chance of issues coming in the later inning. Delay is possible at some point. Winds are also blowing OUT to left/center at 15 mph.

COL @ ATL (7:20 ET, 8 O/U): Low-end storm coverage around the area close to first pitch. A late start is a possibility but things would clear up and be all good after that.

KC @ CWS (8:10 ET, 8 O/U): Winds blowing OUT to left at 10 mph.

Pitchers to Consider ⚾

Max Fried (LHP), ATL | DK: $9.9k, FD: $10.5k | vs. COL

There are some strong pitching options up top today, but Fried sticks out as a super reliable guy to target. His 23.0% kRate doesn’t size up to some other guys on this slate but, given the right match-up, he’s fully capable of getting into that 7-8 strikeout range. Fried also held the Rockies to two hits across eight scoreless innings back in June, and that game was played at Coors Field! The Rockies have accounted for a meager 60 wRC+ against LHPs when playing on the road over the last month, so they have not been doing much damage at all against the southpaws. The Braves also have a ton of win equity in this game as mammoth -400 favorites, and Fried has covered at least six full innings in 10 of his last 11 starts.

Brady Singer (RHP), KC | DK: $8.9k, FD: $10k | @ CWS

Singer has faced off with the White Sox four times this season; twice at home, twice on the road. Both road games produced some less-than-ideal results, but he torched them in the two home games where he gave up just one run on nine hits across 14.1 combined innings while striking out 15 batters. Of course, this game is in Chicago this evening but I don’t believe I’ll let Singer’s two previous lackluster outings in this ballpark sway off of him, especially if he’s going to carry <10% ownership (currently 4% pOwn% on DK, 2% pOwn on FD). Across his last seven starts (45.1 IP), Singer has been excellent: 1.79 ERA, 3.00 xFIP, 0.90 WHIP, .190 opp AVG, 29.3% kRate. The White Sox have been a below-average offense against RHPs with an 87 wRC+ against them over the last two weeks. Singer will be a strong mid-range pivot off of the higher-owned pitchers priced around him.

Cole Irvin (LHP), OAK | DK: $7.9k, FD: $8.6k | @ WAS

Note: Keep an eye on the weather here.

I’m not too crazy about any of the cheap arms on this slate, so Cole Irvin is about as low as I’d like to go down the board today. As mentioned, the weather could be an issue here, but as long as it’s just a lengthy late start that goes into effect, there *shouldn’t* be any other issues beyond that. While he’s had a couple of down games recently, overall, Irvin has been a super solid starter and he has shown off 30+ DKFP/50+ FDFP upside despite not having elite strikeout stuff. Dating back to the start of July (10 starts, 67.0 IP), Irvin has come away with an impressive 2.69 ERA with a 0.82 WHIP and .193 opp AVG -- only an 18.3% kRate in that stretch but he is capable of pitching very deep into games to somewhat counterbalance the lower strikeout totals… though he did just rack up a season-high 11 Ks in his last start (albeit against Miami). The Nationals have a 77 wRC+ against RHPs in the last couple of weeks to go with a fairly high 24.1% kRate. This is a hitter-friendly ballpark and there are some other risks to factor in, but getting some exposure to Cole Irvin is one way to get different at pitcher today.

Also Consider:

Aaron Nola (RHP), PHI | DK: $10.6k, FD: $11k | @ ARI

Blake Snell (LHP), SD | DK: $9.3k, FD: $9.5k | @ SF

George Kirby (RHP), SEA | DK: $8.5k, FD: $9.2k | @ DET

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.

Atlanta Braves vs. Jose Urena (RHP), COL

Urena’s 5.98 ERA, 5.18 xFIP, and 1.67 WHIP rank him dead last among today’s starters in all three categories. Having to throw at Coors Field on the regular is never going to help a pitcher’s stats, but it’s worth noting that his 5.51 xFIP in road games is over half a run higher than his 4.92 xFIP at home. He’s also registering a meager 9.8% kRate on the road, and an 11.6% kRate overall. Atlanta's biggest weakness on offense is their tendency to strike out too often as they’re second in the MLB, behind the Angels, in total strikeouts. So, facing a low strikeout pitcher could be just what the doctor ordered.

COL Bullpen Rating: 3/10

Favorite ATL Bats: Matt Olson, Michael Harris II, Travis d’Arnaud | Sneaky Bat: Vaughn Grissom (7% pOwn%)

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Mitch Keller (RHP), PIT

The Brew Crew continues to be an effective offense against right-handed pitching. Their .336 wOBA and 114 wRC+ vs. RHPs (L2Wks) rank them 5th and 6th in the MLB, respectively. Mitch Keller is on the bump for the Buccos today. He’s recently allowed quite a bit of traffic onto the base paths with a 1.74 WHIP over his last five starts. The Brewers also have a .312 AVG against Keller in 51 PA. A bottom-ten ranked Pirates bullpen will enter the picture once Keller’s day is done.

PIT Bullpen Rating: 3/10

Favorite MIL Bats: Willy Adames, Christian Yelich, Hunter Renfroe | Sneaky Bat: Keston Hiura (6% pOwn%)

Low-Owned Stack That Just Might Work Out 🤔

Texas Rangers vs. Framber Valdez (LHP), HOU

This is no doubt a risky suggestion because Framber Valdez (2.65 ERA, 3.19 xFIP, 1.13 WHIP, 14.9% Flyball Rate) is a terrific groundball specialist who rarely gets blown up. However, he will be tested against a white-hot Rangers offense that leads the MLB with a .408 wOBA, .269 ISO, and 178 wRC+ over the last week. Given that they are coming off of a series against a bad Detroit team and have a couple of Coors Field games thrown into that data range, many bats are simply clicking in this Texas lineup right now. The Astros bullpen hasn’t been quite so sharp in recent weeks, so if they can get Valdez off the mound early, they could surge in the later innings. Is it likely? Not really. But no matter who you look at on the Rangers offense, they’re almost certainly going to check in with <5% ownership.

HOU Bullpen Rating: 7/10

Favorite TEX Bats: Nathaniel Lowe, Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia | Sneaky Bat: Marcus Semien (<1% pOwn%)

One-Off Bats ☝️

Maximum 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 | DK: $6.5k, FD: $5k | vs. Mike Mayers (RHP), LAA

OF Mookie Betts | DK: $6.4k, FD: $4.6k | vs. Taijuan Walker (RHP), NYM

OF Mike Trout | DK: $5.7k, FD: $4.3k | vs. Jameson Taillon (RHP), NYY

OF George Springer | DK: $5.5k, FD: $4k | vs. Marcus Stroman (RHP), CHC

1B Matt Olson | DK: $5.1k, FD: $4k | vs. Jose Urena (RHP), COL

SS Willy Adames | DK: $5k, FD: $3.6k | vs. Mitch Keller (RHP), PIT

SS Xander Bogaerts | DK: $5k, FD: $3.4k | vs. Chris Archer (RHP), MIN

C Salvador Perez | DK: $4.8k, FD: $2.8k | vs. Lucas Giolito (RHP), CWS

Bargain Batters 💸

Note: Additional hitting value may open up once official starting lineups are released. For now, here are some cheap hitters who are projected 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 Hunter Renfroe | DK: $4k, FD: $3.4k | vs. Mitch Keller (RHP), PIT

C Travis d’Arnaud | DK: $3.6k, FD: $3k | vs. Jose Urena (RHP), COL

2B Kolten Wong | DK: $3.1k, FD: $2.7k | vs. Mitch Keller (RHP), PIT

2B Vaughn Grissom | DK: $2.8k, FD: $3.3k | vs. Jose Urena (RHP), COL

1B Keston Hiura | DK: $2.7k, FD: $2.8k | vs. Mitch Keller (RHP), PIT

OF Trayce Thompson | DK: $2.7k, FD: $2.6k | vs. Taijuan Walker (RHP), NYM

2B/3B Rodolfo Castro | DK: $2.4k, FD: $2.3k | vs. Jason Alexander (RHP), MIL

OF Corbin Carroll | DK: $2k, FD: $2.5k | vs. Aaron Nola (RHP), PHI

OF Nick Gordon | DK: $2k, FD: $2.2k | vs. Kutter Crawford (RHP), BOS

Home Run Call of the Day 💣💥

1B Matt Olson | DK: $5.1k, FD: $4k | vs. Jose Urena (RHP), COL

Rockies starter Jose Urena has been highly suspect against lefty bats, allowing a .328 AVG, .408 wOBA, 2.20 WHIP, 5.50 xFIP, and a 1.26 HR/9 Rate. I’m honestly a little surprised his HR/9 Rate isn’t a bit higher, all things considered, but Matt Olson still stands out as a strong home run candidate today. He’s been an XBH machine this season and is tied with teammate Austin Riley for the NL lead with 68 XBH. He has racked up a 47.1% HardContact% against RHPs in the last two weeks to go along with five barreled balls (95th percentile) and a 94.0 mph average exit velo (90th percentile). The Braves are back at home in the hitter-friendly Truist Park where Olson has posted a 22.9% HR/FB Rate against righty pitchers.

Reminder: Follow @LineStarApp on Twitter and retweet the daily Home Run Call (shown below)! Three retweeters are randomly selected and assigned a hitter from the HR calls between myself, @FlatTyler83, and @ShannonOnSports. If your player hits a home run, you'll win your choice of cash (via PayPal) or a two-month subscription to LineStar!

Players Props & Bets 💰

Player Prop or Bet | Odds | Unit Bet Size

Michael Harris II to Record the First Hit | +900 (BetMGM) | 0.75 Units

This is a bit of a cheeky bet, but it’ll return a nice payout if it hits (literally). Braves SP Max Fried has a 1.76 ERA and .204 opp AVG when pitching the first cycle through the order so I like his chances of holding the Rockies hitless in the top of the first. Harris has been bumped up to the second spot in the order today behind lead-off man Dansby Swanson. Rockies SP Jose Urena is quite a bit better against RHBs, like Swanson, so there’s a good chance he doesn’t record a hit. Meanwhile, Urena allows a .328 AVG to LHBs, like Harris, who is batting .309 vs. RHPs this year and .327 over his last 20 games. It all lines up for Harris being a solid bet to record the first hit of the game. At a +900 payout, I like the risk versus reward balance here.

Matt Olson OVER 1.5 Total Bases | -105 (BetMGM) | 2.0 units

Do a double Braves prop day? Why not? To reiterate, Rockies SP Jose Urena has faltered against lefty hitters (like Olson), allowing a .328 AVG, .408 wOBA, and 2.20 WHIP. Not only does Olson have multi-hit games in three of his last four, but 53.5% of his hits are going for extra bases. So, if he doesn’t hit this prop via another multi-hit performance, he is a strong candidate to smack a double into the gap or just knock one out of the park, which is what I’d prefer since he’s also my home run call!

LineStar subscribers have access to the new Player Props page (also on the app). It's an easy way to view odds for games and player props while also helping you to find out which sportsbook has the most favorable odds posted for any bet you'd like to place!

Best of luck out there today, everyone!