This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The early afternoon is delivering plenty of MLB baseball on Sunday. That's good for DFS players and also anybody looking for something to watch during lunch (or West Coast breakfast). 10 games are on the slate with the first pitch at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Framber Valdez, HOU vs. CWS ($8,900): Valdez has remained elite at avoiding home runs while being close to a 60 percent groundball rate after previously experiencing a significant drop. The White Sox still haven't hit 400 runs on the year while every other team has cruised past 450 and the vast majority have already exceeded 500.
Clayton Kershaw, LAD at STL ($8,200): Still fairly fresh to pitching in 2024, Kershaw has gotten his ERA down to 3.50 after back-to-back outings only allowing a single run. He also crucially went 5.2 innings the last time he started, his first long enough to qualify for a win. If the lefty is in form and feeling healthy, facing a Cardinals team in the bottom-10 in offense represents a perfect matchup.
Taijuan Walker, PHI vs. WAS ($7,000): This is a bit of a gamble on the Phillies helping Walker get a win and also his weakness this season versus Washington's deficiencies. The Phillies starter has allowed 2.05 homers per nine innings, yet the Nationals rank last in that category. And not just "last among teams who aren't the White Sox" last. That fact could help Walker do well enough on Sunday.
Top Targets
Last year when facing a righty at home, Corey Seager ($5,400) put up MVP numbers. It's been a slight step down, though he's registered a .929 OPS versus righties and an .858 at home. Pablo Lopez holds an elite K/BB rate, but he's let lefties hit .258 against while giving up 1.7 homers per nine innings on the road.
Having slugged .474 and hit 22 homers, Salvador Perez ($5,100) offers high-level power for a catcher. When facing a lefty this season, he's produced a .904 OPS. Andrew Abbott is a southpaw with a 3.59 ERA alongside a 5.05 FIP. The big reason for that is the fact he's conceded 1.62 home runs per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
Ceddanne Rafaela ($3,800) doesn't walk much, yet he's batted .262 with 13 homers, four triples, and 17 stolen bases. And on the road, he has a .265 average and .423 slugging percentage. Albert Suarez had his start pushed a day to Sunday maybe because he's managed a 5.23 ERA over his last seven outings.
Dominic Canzone ($3,200) won't be in the lineup if a lefty is on the mound, though he's recorded a .724 OPS versus righties and a .750 on the road. Jake Woodford is in line for another start for the Pirates with the righty listing a career 4.75 FIP and 5.76 K/9 rate.
Stacks to Consider
Orioles vs. Red Sox (Kutter Crawford): Anthony Santander ($5,400), Ryan O'Hearn ($4,300), Ryan Mountcastle ($3,900)
The ball has been absolutely flying out of the park with Crawford on the mound as he's allowed 3.0 homers per nine innings over his last 11 starts. On the year, he's given up 2.3 in away games. Righties have hit Crawford slightly better than lefties, so I didn't want to go all-southpaw with this stack.
Santander has been delivering major power for the Orioles with 36 home runs while slugging .527. The switch-hitter isn't slowing down having slugged .551 the last three weeks. With righties on the mound, O'Hearn will be in the lineup with his .825 OPS versus them in 2024. Though his power has recently decreased, he's still posted a .403 OBP the last three weeks. Mountcastle is more of a doubles-power player, though he's at 13 homers to go with 27 doubles while slugging .453 at home.
Phillies vs. Nationals (Jake Irvin): Kyle Schwarber ($5,700), Bryce Harper ($5,600), Brandon Marsh ($3,300)
Irvin has improved upon his rookie season, which was pretty dismal. And he's still currently at a 4.13 FIP while allowing 1.30 homers per nine innings. The Phillies boast some hard-hitting lefties who like to be at home.
Schwarber has racked up 28 homers through 112 games and is doing what he can to try and get to 40 for the third straight season. It won't be easy, but he's also slugged .740 with nine long balls the last three weeks. You have to be a hitter of Harper's caliber to quietly hit .278 with 26 home runs and 27 doubles across 107 appearances. He's also compiled a .971 home OPS the last three years. Marsh is mainly sitting versus lefties, but facing a righty at home is still fine for him with a .762 OPS and an .828 in Philly.
