I much prefer playing MLB DFS on days in which the slate does not include Coors Field. If anyone else feels the way I do, I would love to hear from you on Twitter or in the comments. I assume I am in the minority on this one, but stranger things have happened. My instinct is usually to fade Coors, especially on a day like today when I think both pitchers are pretty decent and Chad Bettis has actually been better at home than on the road in his tiny sample this season. You will have to pay a premium for a Coors stack and there are other stacks I really like, so not including the Tigers or Rockies in my listed stacks is a fairly easy call. At the same time, I see the Vegas total at 12.5 and it makes me nervous to not have a piece of it, even if that total feels high. Long story short, go ahead and stack Colorado or Detroit if you want, and feel free to say I told you so when they combine for 20 runs. As always, my stacks are listed in order of preference.

 

Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Mets (Rafael Montero, R)

Joey Votto, Adam Duvall, Zack Cozart, Billy Hamilton, Eugenio Suarez, Scooter Gennett, Scott Schebler

It feels like it has been awhile since I recommended a mid-priced stack, but the Reds have the chance to provide nice production at a reasonable price. Joey Votto is obviously pretty ridiculous, especially against righties, but Scooter Gennett, Zack Cozart, Eugenio Suarez and Scott Schebler all have an .811 OPS or better against right-handed pitchers this season. As a whole, the Reds have the fourth-best OPS against righties. Rafael Montero has allowed a .370 wOBA this season. The Reds also have the fourth-highest walk rate against righties, and only six pitchers with at least 80 innings have a higher BB/9 than Rafael Montero.

 

Baltimore Orioles vs. Seattle Mariners (Ariel Miranda, L)

Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, Tim Beckham, Adam Jones, Welington Castillo, Trey Mancini, Craig Gentry

Ariel Miranda hasn’t thrown more than 5.0 innings in any of his last four starts, and he had at least four walks in two of those starts. This game could get out of hand quickly if he gets wild and isn’t able to pitch around those walks, but this call is less about him and more about Baltimore’s offense.

Orioles hitters are slugging .526 over the last 30 days. All of the hitters listed above are batting .320 or better over the last seven days, and only Craig Gentry has failed to hit at least one home run over that span. Baltimore has a .796 OPS at home, and they figure to be lightly owned as players load up against Ubaldo Jimenez and Derek Holland.

 

Seattle Mariners @ Baltimore Orioles (Ubaldo Jimenez, R)

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

This obviously isn’t a bad spot for a game stack, especially since the Coors Field game is the only one with a higher expected total in Vegas. Seattle’s offense hasn’t exactly been lighting it up lately, but they did manage six runs against Baltimore on Monday. Ubaldohas allowed at least five earned runs in each of his last two starts, including six earned on eight hits in 4.1 innings against Seattle on August 16. Robinson Cano is 10-for-20 in his career against Ubaldo Jimenez, and Yonder Alonso is 4-for-7 with a homer.

 

Minnesota Twins vs. Chicago White Sox (Derek Holland, L)

Brian Dozier, Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco, Joe Mauer, Eduardo Escobar, Mitch Garver

Derek Holland has allowed a .412 wOBA against right-handed batters this season, and Minnesota’s right-handed bats have a .785 OPS against lefties. Buxton, Polanco and Mauer are on fire right now, batting .360 or better over the last week. Dozier has a .987 OPS against lefties this season, and Eduardo Escobar should provide a very nice value as the number four hitter against lefties. Mitch Garver could be another value play, especially if he bats fifth again.