MLB DFS: Mets should continue mashing on Monday night

Monday brings a fairly light MLB schedule consisting of only seven games. The suddenly struggling Yankees, who were just swept by the Cardinals, will remain on the road and begin a series against the Mariners. Coming off of a series versus the Dodgers, the Padres will face another NL West foe in the Giants. There are some underwhelming matchups, too, such as when the Cubs will play host to the Nationals. As we turn our attention to the DFS slate, here are some pitchers and hitters to consider for your entries.

Pitchers

Zac Gallen ($45) is on pace to set a new career best with his 1.04 WHIP. He's also allowed just 11 home runs across 111.1 innings, compared to 19 over 121.1 innings last season. The result has been a 3.31 ERA and a 3.68 FIP. Look for him to continue to pitch well in a matchup against the Pirates, who have the third-worst OPS in baseball.

Not much has gone right for the Athletics this season, but the performance of Cole Irvin ($43) has been one of their few highlights. His overall numbers are excellent, with his 3.04 ERA and 3.87 FIP. He's been especially dominant at home, recording a 2.60 FIP and a 0.90 WHIP there. That's where he'll pitch Monday versus the Angels, who are already a favorable matchup given that they have the fifth-worst OPS in baseball.

Even when they had Juan Soto and Josh Bell, the Nationals didn't have a great lineup. With them gone, they have particularly bad, averaging only 3.0 runs over their last four games. This could be a great bounce-back opportunity for Keegan Thompson ($33), who has allowed at least five runs in two of his last three starts.

Top Targets

Right-handed pitchers have limited Anthony Santander ($20) to a .331 wOBA this season. However, he has a .376 wOBA versus lefties. He'll be facing a southpaw in Yusei Kikuchi ($30) who has a 4.86 ERA and an even worse 5.50 FIP. This matchup could leave Santander with a valuable stat line.

With yet another hit Sunday, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($23) is on an 18-game hitting streak. During that stretch, he is 30-for-73 (.411) with three home runs and eight doubles. He'll try to remain hot in what certainly isn't a scary matchup against Jordan Lyles ($29), who has a 1.43 WHIP and just a 19.0 percent strikeout rate.

Bargain Bats

Alek Thomas ($12) has started to heat up, hitting 8-for-23 (.348) with a home run and two doubles over his last six games. Although he hasn't hit for a ton of power since being called up from the minors, he only has a 19.0 percent strikeout rate. With a matchup against Tyler Beede ($25), this could be an opportune time to take a chance on Thomas. Beede had made 23 appearances out of the bullpen prior to starting last week against the Brewers. His start didn't go well with him giving up four runs over 1.1 innings. This could end up being a bullpen game for the Pirates.

Beede didn't just pitch bad in his last outing. For the season, he has a 1.49 WHIP. In addition to Thomas, Christian Walker ($12) is also a viable target. His .203 batting average is abysmal, but he has launched 26 home runs.

Stacks to Consider

Mets vs. Justin Dunn ($25), Reds: Francisco Lindor ($23), Brandon Nimmo ($16), Jeff McNeil ($12)

As the Reds continue to patch together their starting rotation, they will call upon Dunn to make his first appearance in the majors this season. He did not pitch well across seven starts at Triple-A, recording a 6.92 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. It doesn't get any easier for him against the Mets, who have scored the third-most runs in baseball. Nimmo and McNeil aren't two big names, but they have been valuable, posting a 128 wRC+ and a 131 wRC+, respectively.

Mariners vs. Jameson Taillon ($36), Yankees: Ty France ($16), Jesse Winker ($15), Adam Frazier ($13)

Taillon also faced the Mariners in his last start, and it was a disaster with him giving up six runs (five earned) over 4.2 innings. He's come apart after a hot start, posting a 6.25 ERA over his last eight outings. The big problem was him giving up 10 home runs over 40.1 innings during that span. Any Mariners stack should probably be built around France, who has been excellent with his 149 wRC+.

Cubs vs. Anibal Sanchez ($27), Nationals: Willson Contreras ($18), Ian Happ ($16), Patrick Wisdom ($18)

Sanchez has made four starts for the Nationals and has lost all four of them. In total, he's allowed 18 runs (17 earned) over 20 innings. The last time we saw him pitch in the majors was in 2020, when he had a 6.62 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP over 11 starts. Despite the Cubs ranking inside the bottom-10 in baseball in runs scored, this matchup actually makes them one of the top teams to consider stacking.