Yahoo DFS Baseball: Sunday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Sunday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Next week, the NFL will own Sunday. This week, though, Sunday still belongs to MLB (OK, and one college football game). There are 14 games for me to look at, as per usual, but the first one starts at 12:10 p.m. ET now. Blame the rain in Cincinnati for that. Here are a few suggestions for your lineups.

Pitching

Zac Gallen, ARI vs. MIL ($54): Five starts. That's how long Gallen has gone without allowing a run. Lefties have hit .151 against him this season, and he's only allowed 0.68 home runs per nine innings. The Brewers offense is built on home runs and features a few lefties, making this a tough matchup for them and a great one for Gallen.

Carlos Rodon, SF vs. PHI ($47): Philly's offense is quite good, but Rodon might be better. He has a 2.41 FIP and has struck out 11.36 batters per nine innings. Rodon is also a lefty, so keep that in mind when thinking about that Phillies lineup with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

Max Castillo, KC at DET ($27): Here's a pitcher you can pair with one of those elite arms to try to balance your salary. Castillo has pitched 25.2 innings, making three starts and seven relief appearances. He has a 2.81 ERA in that time. In his first start as a Royal, he went five innings and only allowed one run on the road in Tampa. He now faces MLB's worst offense in the Tigers.

Top Targets

How has Jose Altuve ($22) amassed a .287/.374/.513 slash line? Well, his 1.067 OPS versus lefties definitely helps. Tucker Davidson is a lefty, and he has a 5.77 ERA in large part because righties have hit .276 against him.

Over the last three weeks, Randy Arozarena ($22) has an 1.060 OPS. His hot stretch has him up to 18 homers and 27 stolen bases. Frankie Montas has been the opposite of hot. Since being dealt to the Yankees, he has a 7.01 ERA in five starts.

Bargain Bats

Brandon Nimmo ($19) has an .836 OPS over the last three weeks, including a .375 OBP. As the Mets' leadoff hitter, that means he's getting on base ahead of a set of very strong bats. The Nationals are trotting out Erick Fedde, who has a career 5.26 ERA. He's also never had a FIP lower than 4.66 in his career.

Lefty Josh Rojas ($16) has hit .277 this year with seven homers and 18 stolen bases. Against righties, he has a .767 OPS. The righty Jason Alexander (not that one) has a 4.97 ERA and has only struck out 5.28 batters per nine innings, with lefties hitting a healthy .324 against him.

Stacks to Consider

White Sox vs. Twins (Dylan Bundy): Gavin Sheets ($17), Eloy Jimenez ($16), Jose Abreu ($16)

Bundy has the lowest strikeout rate of his career and has remained entirely mediocre with a 4.53 ERA, a mark that's in line with his career 4.69 ERA. His 5.66 ERA on the road this year is worse than mediocre, making a White Sox stack look quite attractive.

This is the game for a guy like Sheets, who has a career .819 OPS versus righties and a .997 OPS at home. Jimenez has a .914 OPS over the last three weeks, and an .858 OPS at home over the last three years. He's a little banged up, but with the DH spot available to him I think Jimenez will be just fine. Abreu's power has dipped, but he's still hit .310 with a .385 OBP. He does have a career .509 slugging percentage as well, so we can't rule out his power returning.

Dodgers vs. Padres (Mike Clevinger): Justin Turner ($18), Freddie Freeman ($17), Cody Bellinger ($11)

Clevinger has a 3.59 ERA but a 4.36 FIP this year. He also has a 3.98 ERA away from the friendly confines of Petco Park. He's not a bad pitcher, but the Dodgers have an elite lineup, so there's still a stack opportunity here.

Turner got off to a slow start but has a .940 OPS over the last three weeks. On top of that, he has an .869 OPS at home. Freeman has only hit 16 home runs, but he's managed 43 doubles, helping him slug .510. Additionally, he has a .932 OPS versus righties. Bellinger is all or nothing, but he has 17 homers and 11 stolen bases. He also has a .735 OPS at home.

Orioles vs. Athletics (Adrian Martinez): Cedric Mullins ($18), Adley Rutschman ($15), Jorge Mateo ($13)

Martinez has pitched about as well as the college football quarterback likely would, given the opportunity. He's made six starts and has a 5.27 ERA. Martinez has given up 1.86 home runs per nine innings. Lefties have hit .288 against him.

Mullins has an .811 OPS against right-handed pitchers. He's also racked up 29 stolen bases to go with 13 homers. Rutschman has cooled down a bit, but he's still got as much upside as any catcher at the plate. The switch hitter has an .857 OPS versus righties and an .838 OPS at home. Mateo also has 29 stolen bases to go with his 12 homers. He has a 1.000 OPS over his last five games.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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