We have a stacked 15-game MLB slate on Tuesday, which means there are plenty of entries to sift through on PrizePicks.
A quick refresher if you aren’t familiar with PrizePicks: you can combine up to five different player squares to pay out up to 10x your entry.
You can do a Flex Play or a Power Play. A Flex Play gives you lesser odds, but you can win money if you don't nail every pick. A Power Play is all-or-nothing.
Here’s how I would approach Tuesday's MLB slate.
What is PrizePicks? A daily fantasy operator — meaning they’re available in more states (30) than sports betting is! — PrizePicks offers a unique opportunity for action on player picks in which you combine two or more entries together.
Kyle Tucker, Astros, Fantasy Score More Than 7
The second installment of this three-game series is set to get underway on Tuesday evening with the AL West's Houston Astros hosting the AL Central's Minnesota Twins.
Slated to take the mound for Minnesota is right-hander Joe Ryan.
It's been a tremendous start to the campaign for Ryan, who's 7-1 with a 2.21 ERA and 0.95 WHIP through 10 starts. However, his worst start this season came against Houston, something we could see once again on Tuesday.
In that outing, he surrendered four runs through six innings, and he now possesses a fade-worthy 7.20 ERA through two career starts against the Astros.
The first Houston hitter to back in this game is Kyle Tucker.
In a season where many Houston hitters are playing below their normal expectations, Tucker has been a constant force in this lineup. Through 52 games, he boasts a .276 BA, .443 SLG and .795 OPS.
His underlying metrics are even stronger, suggesting that positive regression is looming. Currently, he possesses a .290 xBA, .526 xSLG and .381 xwOBA.
This expected positive regression could kick in against the right-hander. Since 2021, Tucker's splits jump by approximately 6% when facing right-handed pitching (.283 BA, .504 SLG and .867 OPS).
Jose Altuve, Astros, Fantasy Score More Than 7.5
The other Houston hitter to back in this contest is Jose Altuve. After a slow start in his first couple of games since returning to the lineup from a thumb injury, Altuve has turned things around in a massive way recently.
Riding a seven-game hit streak, he's now surpassed this figure in six of those seven outings. Entering this matchup, Altuve boasts a .355 BA, .645 SLG and 1.089 OPS.
We must ride the hot hand here, especially against the right-hander.
When facing right-handed pitching since 2021, Altuve possesses a .282 BA, .495 SLG and .852 OPS.
Christian Walker, Diamondbacks, Less Than 1.5 Total Bases
The second installment of this four-game NL West series gets underway on Tuesday with the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks hosting the fifth-place Colorado Rockies.
Slated to take the mound for Colorado is left-hander Kyle Freeland, who could be a good candidate to back in this contest.
Through 11 starts this season, Freeland possesses a 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.
The first Arizona hitter to fade in this matchup is Christian Walker.
After getting off to a great start in 2023, Walker has cooled considerably, which shouldn't be all that shocking given his underlying metrics. Currently, he ranks in the 47th percentile or lower in average exit velocity, xwOBA, xBA and Whiff%.
Entering this game in particularly poor form, Walker has failed to surpass this number in each of his past six games.
This slide could continue at Chase Field, a place where he doesn't typically fare as well.
Since 2021, his splits take an approximate 11% dip when playing at home (.229 BA, .406 SLG and .720 OPS).
Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks, Fantasy Score Less Than 8.5
The other Diamondbacks hitter to fade in this contest is Corbin Carroll. While Carroll has put together a tremendous season, he enters this game amidst a mini-slide, as he's failed to surpass this number in three of his past four games.
This trend could continue against the left-handed Freeland, especially considering how much Carroll struggles against lefties.
Since making his debut in 2022, his splits drop by roughly 35% when facing left-handers (.259 BA, .383 SLG and .685 OPS).
Therefore, it's not all that surprising that Carroll is 0-2 in his career against Freeland, while granted that's a very small sample size.
Considering his recent dip in production and his struggles against left-handers, 8.5 is too high of a number for Carroll in this game.
