This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Monday brings us the beginning of May. Until then, we've got nine MLB games on Sunday. The first one starts at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Spencer Strider, ATL at NYM ($11,800): Fair warning: Inclement weather could nix another game between these two teams. Having said that, Strider has been building upon his stellar rookie season with a 1.80 ERA and a 1.72 FIP. I have a few pitching recommendations for you, so I'm down with throwing him into the mix against a Mets team that has slightly disappointed offensively.
Drew Rasmussen, TB at CWS ($10,500): Ramussen was stellar last season with a 2.84 ERA in 28 starts. This year, his strikeouts are up and he's posted a 2.53 FIP with a 3.33 ERA. The White Sox sit bottom-10 in runs scored, largely because of a sub-.300 OBP.
Chris Bassitt, TOR vs. SEA ($8,800): Bassitt's first start of the season was a disaster. However, he's managed a 2.12 ERA across his last four appearances. Over the previous three seasons, Bassitt produced a 3.13 ERA, so we've seen what he can do. The Mariners have been subpar so far and are struggling to put up a team OBP over .300.
Top Targets
Tampa's offense has been on fire to start the season, and Randy Arozarena ($4,400) has been a big part of that having slashed .333/.400/.590 with seven home runs and three stolen bases. While he's never hit an average like this before, he's registered at least 20 homers and 20 swiped bags in each of the last two seasons. I went with a righty versus Mike Clevinger as he's allowed righties to hit .262 against since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Bryan Reynolds ($4,000) has been bolstering the surprise Pirates start batting .313 with five homers and five stolen bases. And since 2021, he's posted an .876 OPS versus righties and an .893 on the road. Josiah Gray produced ERAs over 5.00 in each of his first two seasons. While he lists a 2.93 ERA to start 2023, his FIP is at 4.72.
Bargain Bats
Journeyman Brandon Drury ($3,200) is coming off his best campaign, though he's also yet again on a new team. Now an Angel, he's shown some real power the last few years having slugged .493 the last three years. Colin Rea wouldn't be starting for the Brewers if not for injury, and he's proceeded to post a 5.17 ERA through three starts.
Michael Taylor ($2,600) is allergic to walks, but he still has managed to notch four homers and three steals this season. He'll face his old teammate Brady Singer on Sunday with a 6.67 ERA. His issues with righties have gotten worse as they've gone .280 against him the last two seasons and a .333 in 2023.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Mariners (Marco Gonzales): Vladimir Guerrero ($4,300), Bo Bichette ($3,900), George Springer ($3,100)
Gonzales' 3.32 ERA flatters him in a few ways. For one, he's registered a 3.94 FIP through four starts. And the lefty has produced a FIP over 5.00 in each of his previous two campaigns. Gonzales has also only struck out 6.74 batters per nine innings, so hitters like these three Blue Jays can make plenty of contact.
Guerrero's incredible 2021 probably set unreasonable expectations, but he's still been great .281/.348/.485 with 37 home runs the last two seasons. It seems like Bichette may never steal 25 bases again - or even 15 - but he remains an elite hitter with a .316/.355/.491 slash line on top of five homers. Springer has a .244 BABIP, so he's been unlucky. Even so, he's notched three homers and five steals. And his issues have mostly been on the road in 2023 as he's managed an .891 OPS at home since joining the Jays.
Orioles at Tigers (Spencer Turnbull): Jorge Mateo ($4,000), Adley Rutschman ($3,600), Austin Hays ($3,100)
Turnbull came back from Tommy John surgery this season, but it hasn't been going well with a 7.25 ERA across five starts. While he still doesn't allow many home runs, he's barely striking anybody out while walking a lot of batters. Righties have also hit .270 against Turnbull while lefties have gone .294.
Mateo has stolen 10 bases already, not a surprise given the 35 from last year. What stands out, is that he's also averaged .353 with five homers so far. Rutschman has slowed down a bit since his hot start, but he's still hit .293 with a .410 OBP. While the catcher is a switch-hitter, he's been much better against righties with an .884 OPS in those matchups. Hays is also on a nice run, having slashed .319/.367/.549 with four home runs. While his power numbers are up, he did record 35 doubles and 16 homers in 2022.
