With only five games on the docket for tonight's main slate (lock at 6:35pm ET), we're predictably a bit more constrained on offense, as only one team has an implied total over five runs and just three surpass even 4.50. But nothing is truly off the table on a small slate, so don't be afraid to fade the top squads in tournaments.
Each day here on numberFire, we'll go through offenses ripe for the stacking. They could have a great matchup, be in a great park, or just have a lot of quality sticks in the lineup, but these are the offenses primed for big days that you may want a piece of.
Premium members can use our stacking feature to customize their stacks within their optimal lineups for the day, choosing the team you want to stack and how many players you want to include. You can also check out our hitting heat map, which provides an illustration of which offenses have the best combination of matchup and potency.
Now, let's get to the stacks.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates have rarely been a team we've considered stacking this year, and it's easy to see why, seeing as they rank just 28th in home runs.
But with ownership expected to be concentrated around only a few teams tonight, it can't hurt to go off the board in case the chalk fails, and the Pirates may be able to get the job done against Michael Wacha.
Wacha has produced his share of strong starts this year off a solid 23.2% strikeout rate, so the Pirates could sink in a hurry if the "good" version of Wacha shows up. However, he's also showing an ugly 5.14 SIERA and 14.8% walk rate, which has resulted in a 5.17 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. Now that's more like it.
Should Wacha struggle to throw strikes, then even the Pirates will be able to take advantage, and as you might expect, they're a fairly inexpensive lineup, too. Starling Marte ($4,000) and Josh Bell ($4,000) are the only bats priced above even $3,100.
Marte has really come alive since coming off the IL at the end of April, and his four homers and six stolen bases are a quick reminder of the upside he brings on a nightly basis. Meanwhile, Bell appears to be morphing into quite the power hitter, ranking 26th overall in barrel rate this season.
Gregory Polanco ($3,100) is starting to come around, too, and this is cheap price for a guy who put up a .353 wOBA and .245 ISO last season. Adam Frazier ($3,000) continues to be a cheap leadoff man at a shallow second base position.
The rest of the lineup is all priced below $3,000, so you can easily throw together a cheap four-man stack, while still having room to fit in your favorite bats or stacks from other games.